Share

Surve tells media rivals to be open

Johannesburg - Business competitors, including those in the media, must work together to build South Africa and the continent instead of trying to destroy each other, Sekunjalo Group [JSE:SKJ] chairperson Iqbal Surve said on Thursday.

"You know, when I led the consortium to buy Independent Media ... the four media houses that control media in this country were untransformed - there was no change since democracy in 1994," he said at an SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry conference in Midrand.

"Then came this young - well not young anymore - medical doctor, an upstart, to buy one of the big media houses.

"The ruthlessness, in which the competition came for me, with no foundation whatsoever, shows that they didn't understand the essence of what it takes to build a new South African society and to build a new business future for our country."

Surve said exclusivity was also something that needed to be worked on. "I was in a meeting last night... where it was discussed - a new [news] syndication for Africa," he said.

"I went into the meeting and said this is my view, this is my vision, let's be completely transparent and open. And all the other media houses there said: 'Oh my God, this guy is really naive, he is telling us everything'."

Surve said there was no use in having secrets.

"If you believe that the future of our country and business is in working together with small business, big business, medium business, government and the private sector, and you genuinely believe that, you must be transparent and walk the talk," he said.

"As South Africans we like to complain, we like to gossip and like to do all these things because they keep us busy at the braai. But at the end of the day we must be very careful we don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
24.09
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.60
-0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
+0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.6%
Platinum
901.60
-0.1%
Palladium
998.41
-0.8%
Gold
2,153.87
-0.3%
Silver
24.93
-0.5%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,642
-0.9%
All Share
71,879
-0.8%
Resource 10
52,855
-0.9%
Industrial 25
99,386
-1.1%
Financial 15
16,545
-0.5%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders