Ferial Haffajee

What I cover

I have returned to the community journalism I started doing many years ago when we were fighting for a democratic society. Now I cover my city, Johannesburg, almost obsessively. It’s interesting and beautiful but also beleaguered by a coalition that has no idea how bad it is at its job. My mission is to hold up the mirror. And after years of covering the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, I keep following what has happened since. My other love is arts writing so I make time for that too. Thank you for reading.

My background

When I interviewed Nelson Mandela as a young (very young) journalist at the SABC, I asked him questions so sincere and uninteresting, I re-script them every day. I’ve worked many places and edited at a few (the beloved Mail & Guardian and my heart-space City Press) – now I do lots of lovely work in media innovation at Daily Maverick which suits my spirit well. I’ve won an award or two but service impels me more than awards these days. Although a shy Piscean I’ve had to take up cudgels many times – it has honed my journalism and my life. I’ve written books – I will write more as the words and stories form in more interesting shapes and ways than my first two. If you want to chat to me or join me as we form a Johannesburg community of love ❤️ and care for our city, you know where to find me.

Journalistic ethics

The work of journalists is to push the bounds of free speech. Ethics are our guardrails, as is our Constitution.