Independent vindicated as Dasnois settles over Mandela coverage
9 May 2016
Independent Media and former Cape Times editor Alide Dasnois have this morning reached a settlement in the Labour Court case in which she was suing the company over her December 2013 removal from the post.
Independent is satisfied that this conclusion represents a vindication of our consistent position, which is that the company has an absolute right to act against any editor who demonstrates poor editorial judgment, and that the adverse market performance of a newspaper is a legitimate reason for an editor’s removal.
Incidentally, Independent’s senior management – including Dasnois’ editorial colleagues – had on November 14 2013 advised the company’s incoming chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, remove Dasnois from the Cape Times as a result of the paper’s dismal performance. In addition, the new chairman was also concerned with the lack of diversity in the Cape Times newsroom that Dasnois ran, with not a single African senior reporter or sub-editor at the paper. This was out of line with the positioning of the company under its new owners.
Today’s agreement, which has been made an order of court, represents the full and final settlement between the company and Dasnois, and concludes all outstanding matters between them.