GQEBERHA – The future of The Herald and Daily Dispatch has been thrown into uncertainty amid concerns over unpaid July salaries, a lack of communication and fears that The Herald may not be able to publish.
Staff members approached for comment said legal restrictions prevented them from discussing the matter, even anonymously.
However, an emotional open letter published anonymously on social media on Wednesday, July 29, and purportedly written by employees, describes the situation at the two newspapers as “one of the darkest moments” in their history.
PE Express could not independently verify the authorship of the letter.
Anonymous letter paints bleak picture
“We write anonymously because we fear victimisation,” the letter stated. “Many employees have not received their salaries, yet clear communication about when they will be paid has not been forthcoming.”
The newspapers, which have a combined heritage spanning more than 350 years, were sold by Arena Holdings to Ubuntu Media Holdings in May.
The letter said the uncertainty was devastating for workers with families to support, as well as rent, bond payments, school fees and daily expenses.
“Journalists who spend their days reporting on the hardships of others now face financial hardship themselves,” it stated.
It also raised concerns that The Herald may not be able to publish.
“If that happens, it would mark a heartbreaking chapter in South African journalism and signal just how serious the situation has become,” the letter stated.
The letter called on the owners and leadership to provide clear timelines on salary payments and communicate openly with staff about the future of the newspapers.
SANEF voices concern over staff uncertainty
The concerns were echoed by the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), which on Wednesday said it was concerned that journalists and other staff members had not received their July salaries from the new owners.
SANEF said it had approached Ubuntu Media Holdings and received an undertaking that the matter was being attended to and would hopefully be resolved soon.
“While this dispute persists, it must be noted that the affected workers continue to suffer as they struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table,” SANEF said.
The organisation praised employees for continuing to work and produce the newspapers despite the uncertainty, warning that media sustainability, journalism and democracy suffer when media companies fail to pay their employees.
Ubuntu Media Holdings respond
In a statement published on The Herald website today (Friday 31 July), Ubuntu Media Holdings owner Sakhumzi Magele attributed the delayed July salary payments to administrative challenges during the transition from the previous ownership.
Ubuntu Media Holdings owns five Eastern Cape newspaper titles – Daily Dispatch, The Herald, GO, The Rep and Talk of the Town.
Magele said an arrangement had been in place for the previous owners, who remained minority shareholders, to continue managing the group’s operations while Ubuntu established its own structures ahead of taking full control.
He said complications with the arrangement resulted in staff not being paid on July 25, although employees across all five titles continued publishing.
According to Magele, negotiations culminated in an agreement on Thursday for Ubuntu to acquire the remaining shares in the business, giving it full ownership.
He said he authorised the salary payments within an hour of the agreement being concluded and expected employees to receive their salaries before the weekend.
Magele assured employees that the delay would not be repeated.
“I can assure everyone that this challenge, where salaries go unpaid for days, will never happen again,” he said. He said the company intended restructuring the newspaper group “at the right time” and maintained that its future was bright.
“Print media is not dying but we need to make it work,” Magele said.
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