- Veteran journalist Karima Brown died at the age of 54 on Thursday.
- Friends and colleagues said she would be remembered as an energetic individual with a firm commitment to journalism.
- Brown leaves behind one son, and will be laid to rest in a small, private burial.
Veteran journalist and host of The Fix on news channel eNCA, Karima Brown, who had a successful career in both print and broadcast journalism, died at the age of 54 on Thursday.
A statement from her family said Brown died from Covid-19 complications after several days of hospitalisation.
A close friend of Brown's, who worked with her at radio station 702, Eusebius McKaiser, said he would always remember her as a very "vivacious" character.
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"Whenever you were with Karima there was always laughter or gossip or she would passionately be discussing politics and current affairs," McKaiser told News24.
He said she had a great love of cooking and baking, which grew during the coronavirus pandemic, and together they would always frequent restaurants.
"Karima's achievements, the respect that she demands from her colleagues - from veteran journalists - is enormous. She had great respect from both those in power, politicians and the civil society, and those she worked with," McKaiser said.
"And she had a dedication to training those who were in her team; young journalists - giving them a voice and a platform."
Brown held a long list of credentials, including Political Editor at Business Day, Group Executive Editor at the Independent Group, launching the Forbes Women Africa magazine, radio station 702 host and hosting the Political Exchange and Beyond Markets on CNBC Africa.
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During her more than 20 year career, she also faced a number of accusations of political bias.
eNCA managing director Norman Munzhelele said Brown was a robust voice in South Africa's media landscape and would be sorely missed.
"She had a big personality and didn't shy away from voicing her opinions," Munzhelele said in a statement on Thursday.
"Karima believed in hope. She was also a loving mother, a loyal friend and a committed colleague. Her death leaves a massive void for many."
Brown started her career at the state broadcaster the SABC at the dawn of democracy in South Africa in 1994.
She joined the Business Day newspaper, working as political editor for four years before she joined the Gupta-owned the News Age newspaper in 2010.
During her time at the Business Day, News24-editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson wrote in a column that Brown was known to support president Jacob Zuma's cause in the leadership race leading up to the ANC's Polokwane leadership conference.
Brown resigned as deputy editor of The New Age newspaper, which eventually became widely viewed as a mouthpiece of the infamous Gupta family, alongside four other colleagues - including Vukani Mde - a day before the first paper was set to be printed.
Reported
It was later reported that she left The New Age due to disagreements with the Gupta family.
In 2013, Brown joined Independent Media as group executive editor. She made headlines two years later when she, together with then Independent Media Opinion and Analysis editor Mde, wore ANC colours at an ANC rally in Cape Town.
In 2015, after the resignation of well-known South African political analyst Max Du Preez as Independent Media columnist, Brown rejected accusations of political bias at the media house, citing that Independent still carried a number of articles critical of the ANC government.
Brown said Independent Media defended Du Preez's right to "hold and write whatever opinions (he) likes" in a column titled "Zuma - SA's one man wrecking ball", however, issued an apology after the presidency complained about Du Preez stating as fact that a judge said a corrupt relationship existed between convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik and Zuma.
Resignation
She added that Du Preez "spewed out deeply racist statements", and that his resignation "reveals a long-held intention to disassociate from Independent for political reason", and has become a "rallying point for the malcontents and closet racists".
"The transformation the media in South Africa needs is not a replacement of critical voices with loyal ANC cadres. The transformation we need is for the media to fight harder for a clean and accountable government," Du Preez wrote in a letter to Brown at the time.
In July 2016, nearly a month after joining a "black Friday protest in support of journalism rights at the SABC after alleged overreach by chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Brown resigned from Independent Media citing "personal reasons".
"I wish to thank Dr [Iqbal] Surv for an invaluable opportunity to help shape the transformation agenda in the media, and for all the lessons learnt, fierce debates and the courage to be brave," Brown was quoted in IOL.com as saying at the time.
Surv has been widely accused of editorial influence at Independent Media titles, allegedly forcing prominent journalists who he disagreed with to leave the organisation.
In October 2017, Brown joined 702 to host "a hard-hitting show", "The Karima Brown Show". At the same time, she became a political analyst at eNCA where she was known to host a number of high profile interviews on her show "The Fix".
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, interviewed by Brown on several occasions, said she was known as a brilliant journalist and broadcaster.
"South African media has lost one of its loudest voice - I'll miss our robust engagements," Mbalula said.
In 2019, Brown claimed that she was "censored" when her contract with talk radio station 702 was not renewed, sparking 702's owner Primedia to launch an investigation.
This, after station manager Thabisile Mbete questioned a segment where she drew links between Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela, as Mawela is Mantashe's son in law.
In June 2019, she won a court case against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) after leader Julius Malema shared her number on Twitter, alleging that Brown was attempting to send a mole to an EFF breakfast with elders.
The EFF claimed that Brown was a known ANC "operative". This, after Brown mistakenly shared an editorial brief in an EFF WhatsApp group.
Links
In the same year, an independent inquiry by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BBCSA) found that Brown breached provisions of the code by drawing links between five individuals - which included Mantashe - and their dealings with Multichoice and the SABC.
Advocate Terry Motau, who chaired the inquiry, found that Brown had not provided evidence for the claims she made.
After hearing the news of her death, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said it was always interesting to listen to Brown's analyses, "even when we disagreed with her".
"Our condolences to her loved ones. May her soul rest in peace," Holomisa said on social media.
Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela added that Brown had a "fearless" commitment to having necessary conversations.
Brown leaves behind one son, and will be laid to rest in a small, private burial ceremony in line with Islamic rites and traditions on Thursday.
Her family said details of a public memorial service to honour Karima's life would be released in due course.
A statement from the family, the Semaar family, read that she was not just a prolific and well-known journalist and commentator, but also and more importantly, a well-loved friend, mentor, mother, colleague, and daughter.
"We are enormously proud of the fierce determination she had shown, since her early years, to get involved in bringing about a more just, inclusive, and anti-racist South Africa," the Semaar family said.
"This determination also shaped her fearless approach to journalism. She was driven by a conviction that journalism must be in service of justice."
