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Independent Online
TypeNews
FormatOnline newspaper
Owner(s)Sekunjalo Investments
Public Investment Corporation
China International Television Corporation
China Africa Development Fund
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersCape Town,South Africa
Websitewww.iol.co.zaEdit this at Wikidata

Independent Online,popularly known asIOL,is a news website based inSouth Africathat has been involved in various controversies, including making up fake stories, fictitious journalists anddoxing.[1][2]IOL is controlled by majority shareholder,Sekunjalo Investmentsand its chairmanIqbal Survé.[3]

IOL serves the online versions of a number of South African newspapers, includingThe Star,Pretoria News,The Daily Voice,Cape Times,Cape Argus,Weekend Argus,The Mercury,Post,Diamond Fields Advertiser,Isolezwe,Daily Tribune,Sunday Tribune,The Independent on Saturday,andThe Sunday Independent.[4][needs update]IOL regularly distributes Chinesestate mediacontent.[5][6]

Corporate affairs

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Ownership

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Sekunjalo Investmentsinitially owned 55% of the company via its subsidiary Sekunjalo Independent Media, thePublic Investment Corporation(PIC) owned 25%, and two Chinesestate-owned enterprises(China International Television Corporation and theChina Africa Development Fund) owned the remaining 20% of the newspaper.[7]China International Television Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of state broadcasterChina Central Television(CCTV).[8]Before 2013, IOL was owned byTony O'Reilly'sIndependent News & Media.[citation needed]

At some point,[when?]IOL was sold off from Sekunjalo Independent Media while the print publications entity Independent Newspapers remained under the ownership of Sekunjalo Independent Media.[9][10]

The change in ownership structure came at a time when theSouth African Clothing and Textile Workers Union(SACTWU) had sued Sekunjalo Independent Media in theWestern Cape High Courtfor failing to repay a loan of ZAR 150 million plus interest in aid of funding the purchase of the company fromTony O'Reilly.[11]The PIC had also filed an application asking the court to liquidate Sekunjalo Independent Media.[12][10][13]

Management

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Viasen Soobramoney took over as CEO of Independent Online from Vasantha Angamuthu in May 2023.[14]Angamuthu unexpectedly resigned from both her positions as CEO of Independent Online and as CEOAfrican News Agency,sister companies within Survé's media empire.

In 2023, Independent Media issued retrenchment notices to its staff for the fifth time since Sekunjalo's purchase of the news organisation. IOL staff were initially not affected but later added to the list of business units facing job cuts.[15][16]By October 2023, at least a third of staff were retrenched and the company failed to payseverance packageson time and instead issued grocery vouchers to the value of ZAR 2500 which initially were not loaded with any cash.[17][18]

At the end of 2023, Group CEO of Independent Media unexpectedly resigned after 16 months in the job prompting Survé to again take up an executive role in the company.[19][20]

Controversies

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Chinese censorship

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Further information:Chinese censorship abroad

In 2018,Reporters Without Bordersreported that an IOL columnist was forced out after publishing a column condemning thepersecution of Uyghurs in China.[21][22]

Information laundering

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According toThe Economist,IOL "often engages in 'information laundering' designed to make sentiment appear homegrown, says Herman Wasserman at theUniversity of Cape Town.For instance, it will run a Chinese news-agency story on thebiolab conspiracy,then get a left-wing student leader to write an article expressing concern about the supposed biolabs. Chinese news agencies will use that to write about how South Africans are worried, thus manufacturing a 'story' out of nothing at all. "[23]

Bank account closures

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IOL and Independent Media's banking facilities were threatened in 2022 whenStandard Bankissued a notice to cut all ties with any company within theSekunjalo Group.[24]This followed several other banks refusing to do business with the investment group, its subsidiaries and directors.[25]

Fake stories

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In March 2020, IOL and the Durban-based Daily News published an article accusing a competitor news website, Daily Maverick, of "orchestrating and financially sponsoring a fake news smear campaign against prominent politicians, businessmen and executives, including Independent Media executive chairman Iqbal Survé." Daily Maverick took the matter to the High Court of South Africa, which found that the article was defamatory and unlawful, and ordered that IOL and Daily News retract the story and apologise, and that the writer of the article, Modibe Modiba, pay R100 000 in damages to Daily Maverick.[26][27][28]

In 2021, IOL published a series of articles about aTembisawoman having delivereddecuplets(ten babies) which were penned byPretoria NewseditorPiet Rampedi.[29]The story was debunked as fake news as no evidence of the births was available and multiple requests for donations were made both in print and online Independent Media platforms.[30][31]Rampedi, Survé, IOL and Independent Media newspapers all went on to claim that the babies weretraffickedbut they provided no evidence to support their claims. Rampedi eventually resigned in January 2023 following a report by thePublic Protectorwhich found that the story was a lie.[32]Neither Rampedi nor the company or any of its publications apologised for the story, however, the 125-year-old Pretoria News ceased to be published a few months later.[33]

Fictitious journalists

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In 2022, IOL was accused of making up a fake journalist called Jamie Roz to spreadfake newsand disinformation in support of its chairman and controversial businessmanIqbal Survé.[1]

In 2023, veteran journalist Chris Roper found that a series of anonymous articles on IOL were likely written by Survé's spin doctor Feroza Petersen, who together withThe Sunday Independenteditor Sizwe Dlamini had penned many articles in support of Survé.[34]News24suggested that "Jamie Roz" could be Petersen, whose maiden name is (Fe)roz(a) Jamie, and also found that "Edmond Phiri", a byline used by IOL in articles supportive of Survé, is another undeclared fake persona.[34]

Doxing

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On 15 July 2024, Independent Media and IOL held a press conference in Cape Town, titled "The Unmasking Project", where they claimed to reveal the identity of an anonymousXuser known only as Goolam (@goolammv).[35]Independent Media's KwaZulu-Natal regional editor, Mazwi Xaba, claimed that the person linked to the account was Mohammed Vawda, a population statistics lecturer at theUniversity of KwaZulu-Nataland part-time comedian. Other speakers at the press conference included Adri Senekal de Wet, Independent Media's editor-in-chief, Sifiso Mahlangu, editor ofThe Star,Siyavuya Mzantsi, editor ofCape Times,Melanie Peters, managing editor, Taariq Halim, Independent Media's Western Cape regional editor responsible for theCape ArgusandDaily Voicetabloid publications, and Lance Witten, editor-in-chief of IOL. Former cabinet minister,Lindiwe Sisulu,also shared her views on the anonymous X account, claiming that it was responsible for her failure to be elected ANC president at the party's conference in 2017.[2][36]

Independent Media and IOL were accused of doxing, and Vawda denied being the person behind the anonymous account. Vawda said that he had received death threats as a result, and that he and his family had gone into hiding for their own safety. Vawda conceded that his job at the university was also put in jeopardy due to the university being questioned about its association to a 'racist' account.[2]

The press conference was steamed live onYouTubebut IOL has since restricted the video to being private, however, excerpts of the video and images of Vawda remain widely available on social media. IOL has deleted some of the posts related to Vawda on X.[37][38]

Vawda has sought legal assistance from Advocate Ben Winks and Rupert Candy Attorneys, and he is seeking an immediate retraction of the story and allegations against him, with further litigation against IOL, Independent Media and Sisulu to follow.[2][38]

Witten promised "legal actions" against Vawda to follow the press conference, but no further details were provided. The anonymous user @goolammv has used the platform X to call out corrupt politicians and their associates in business, including Independent Media boss,Iqbal Survé,for failing to repay a R150 million loan taken from clothing workers union,SACTWU.Following the doxing press conference, the anonymous user @goolammv took to X to lash out at Survé for falsely revealing the identity of the account for the fourth time.[2]

Sisulu claimed that the anonymous user was also linked to the Office of the Presidency andState Security Agency,saying that during her tenure asMinister of Intelligencebetween 2001 and 2004, overseeing the State Security Agency, her ministry had "bugged everyone" but that she hadn't shared the details of the information she had gathered during that time, yet she believed that Cyril Ramaphosa's Office of the Presidency, in which the State Security Agency is now held, had been doing so via the anonymous user, Goolam. The Presidency denied Sisulu's allegations and asked her to provide evidence to support her claims.[39][40]

On 17 July 2024, Vawda's attorneys issued a letter of demand to Survé, Soobramoney, Witten, Senekal de Wet, Peters, Mahlangu, Halim, Mzantsi and Sisulu. Vawda demanded a second press conference to be held the next day, with each of the speakers present at the initial press conference to apologise publicly and via live streaming platforms. Only Senekal de Wet and Soobramoney subsequently apologised to Vawda via a pre-recorded video, published on X.[41]

Vawda rejected IOL's apology saying that it was "not good enough" while his attorneys issued a second letter of demand, saying that the apology was "not prominent enough to have captured the attention of Internet users".[42][43]

On 19 July 2024, Vawda's lawyers filed summons in the High Court, seeking R1.2 million in damages as a result of the harm caused to Vawda. According to court papers, a contract killing was arranged on 15 July 2024 offering a reward of R250 000 for Vawda's life.[44]

Further reading

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  • Dasnois, Alide (2019).Paper Tiger: Iqbal Survé and the downfall of Independent Newspapers.Cape Town: Tafelberg.ISBN978-0-62408-717-5.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abHaffajee, Ferial (6 September 2022)."From making up decuplets to making up a writer, Independent Media's Iqbal Survé plumbs new depths".Daily Maverick.Archivedfrom the original on 31 January 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  2. ^abcdeThamm, Marianne (16 July 2024)."Survé and Sisulu's 'unmasking' event goes down like a lead balloon".Daily Maverick.Retrieved17 July2024.
  3. ^Hogg, Alec (15 April 2019)."Iqbal Survé, specialist in media capture AND state capture".BizNews.com.Retrieved17 July2024.
  4. ^"South of the Sahara".Stanford University.Archivedfrom the original on 12 February 2009.Retrieved23 February2009.
  5. ^Pike, Lili (18 May 2022)."How China uses global media to spread its views — and misinformation".Grid News.Archived fromthe originalon 23 June 2022.Retrieved29 May2022.
  6. ^"Coercion, Capture, and Censorship: Case Studies on the CCP's Quest for Global Influence".International Republican Institute.28 September 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2022.Retrieved29 September2022.
  7. ^Sam Sole and Craig McKune (28 August 2014)."What's black and white and in the red all over?".Mail & Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 4 October 2019.Retrieved8 September2014.
  8. ^"CITVC Signs Partnership Deal With NATPE".National Association of Television Program Executives.Archivedfrom the original on 6 May 2022.Retrieved9 July2022.
  9. ^Rensburg, Dewald van (28 January 2021)."PIC looks on while 'Survé Inc' burns through state pensioners' billions".AmaBhungane.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  10. ^abRensburg, Dewald van (14 November 2019)."PIC wants to" investigate "Sekunjalo directors after liquidation".amaBhungane.Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  11. ^Cronje, Jan."Union in court to get R300m back from Iqbal Survé-linked Sekunjalo Independent Media".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2024.Retrieved8 January2024.
  12. ^Mahlaka, Ray (12 May 2021)."PIC pushes Iqbal Survé into a corner as more of his entities, including Independent Media, are dragged to court".Daily Maverick.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2024.Retrieved8 January2024.
  13. ^Cronje, Jan."State asset manager applies to liquidate Sekunjalo Independent Media".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2024.Retrieved8 January2024.
  14. ^"Viasen Soobramoney appointed as CEO at IOL".IOL.10 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  15. ^Nevill, Glenda (18 September 2019)."Jobs on the line at ANA and Independent Media".The Media Online.Archivedfrom the original on 2 July 2022.Retrieved22 January2024.
  16. ^Cronje, Jan."Independent Newspapers set to cut at least 40% of its staff".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2024.Retrieved8 January2024.
  17. ^Cronje, Jan."Independent Newspapers retrenches 128, delays payment of severance packages".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2024.Retrieved8 January2024.
  18. ^Cohen, Tim (9 November 2023)."In blow to PIC, Iqbal Survé's Independent Media retrenches a third of its staff".Daily Maverick.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2024.Retrieved8 January2024.
  19. ^"Independent Media appoints new executives".The Mercury.10 January 2024.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.Retrieved10 January2024.
  20. ^Wilson, Nick."Independent Media CEO steps down as Iqbal Survé returns as executive chair".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.Retrieved10 January2024.
  21. ^"South Africa: Journalist loses column after publishing an article critical of China".Reporters Without Borders.18 September 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 8 July 2022.Retrieved8 July2022.
  22. ^Joseph, Natasha (April 2021). "A new world order".Index on Censorship.50(1): 70–71.doi:10.1177/03064220211012307.ISSN0306-4220.S2CID233449064.
  23. ^"How Russia is trying to win over the global south".The Economist.22 September 2022.ISSN0013-0613.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2022.Retrieved25 September2022.
  24. ^Gous, Nico (19 July 2022)."Standard Bank latest to cut ties with Sekunjalo Group".BusinessLIVE.Archivedfrom the original on 25 January 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  25. ^Cronje, Jan (19 July 2022)."Standard Bank also dropping Iqbal Survé's Sekunjalo group as a client".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 2 August 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  26. ^"Apology to Daily Maverick and Branko Brkic".Independent Online.26 February 2023.
  27. ^"IOL apology to Daily Maverick and its editor".Bizcommunity.Retrieved19 July2024.
  28. ^Davis, Rebecca (23 February 2023)."Independent Online publicly apologises to Daily Maverick for false reporting".Daily Maverick.Retrieved19 July2024.
  29. ^"South African 10 babies story not true, inquiry finds".BBC News.23 June 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 25 June 2021.Retrieved10 January2024.
  30. ^Charles, Marvin (31 December 2022)."Tembisa 10: Public Protector finds claims mom gave birth to decuplets 'unsubstantiated'".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.Retrieved10 January2024.
  31. ^Monama, Tebogo; Charles, Marvin (28 October 2021)."FACT CHECK | What really happened to the Tembisa 10? Why Independent Media's claims just don't hold up".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.Retrieved10 January2024.
  32. ^"Piet Rampedi, driving force behind 'Tembisa 10' decuplets story, resigns as Pretoria News editor".News24.31 January 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 30 July 2023.Retrieved10 January2024.
  33. ^Cronje, Jan (6 July 2023)."The Star publisher Independent Newspapers mulls job cuts as revenues keep falling".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 10 January 2024.Retrieved10 January2024.
  34. ^abWilson, Nick; Cronje, Jan; Wicks, Jeff."Inside Iqbal Survé's glitchy propaganda machine: Goebbels, AI and slippery writers".News24.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2024.Retrieved21 May2024.
  35. ^Goba, Thabiso."Lecturer denies running @Goolammv X account, says he fears for his life".EWN.Retrieved17 July2024.
  36. ^Heever, Megan van den (15 July 2024)."Durban comedian claps back: 'I'm not Goolam' [video]".The South African.Retrieved17 July2024.
  37. ^Nkadimeng, Innocentia (16 July 2024)."'I'm fearful for my life': man accused of running pro-Ramaphosa viral X account dismisses claims ".TimesLive.
  38. ^abNxumalo, Sakhiseni."UKZN lecturer demands retraction, apology from Independent Media for 'entirely false' X account claim".News24.Retrieved17 July2024.
  39. ^Patel, Faizel (17 July 2024)."Sisulu thinks Goolam is preoccupied with her and asks why there's no focus on Ramaphosa and Phala Phala".The Citizen.Retrieved17 July2024.
  40. ^Khoza, Amanda."Presidency pours cold water on Sisulu's claims, says 'bugging everybody' would have been illegal".News24.Retrieved17 July2024.
  41. ^Patel, Faizel (17 July 2024)."WATCH: Independent Media apologises for naming wrong man as Goolam after legal threat".The Citizen.Retrieved17 July2024.
  42. ^Thamm, Marianne (18 July 2024)."Who's your Goolam? Independent Media's X account debacle continues".Daily Maverick.Retrieved19 July2024.
  43. ^Nxumalo, Sakhiseni."UPDATE | 'A technical error': Independent Media apologises to UKZN lecturer over X account claim".News24.Retrieved19 July2024.
  44. ^Sibiya, Noxolo."Independent Media sued for R1.2m by lecturer following X account slip-up".News24.Retrieved19 July2024.
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