Jani Allan

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Jani Allan

Charlton Heston and Jani Allan.
Birth name Janet Allan
Born 11 September 1953 (1953-09-11) (age 54)
Birth place Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Circumstances
Occupation Journalist and Talk show host / Commentator
Ethnicity White
Religious belief(s) Christian
Notable credit(s) Columnist for The Sunday Times

Radio Talk-show host on Cape Talk

Correspondent for Britain's The Spectator magazine

Regular commentator on the Jeff Rense show
Official website

Jani Allan (born 11 September 1953) is a South African journalist and radio commentator. Allan was formerly a columnist at The Sunday Times newspaper in South Africa. Her personal life made headlines in 1988 through her alleged affair with one of her Sunday Times interviewees, right-wing AWB leader, Eugène Terre'Blanche. In 1992 Allan lost a high-profile libel case against British broadcaster, Channel 4, related to their reporting of her relationship with Terre'Blanche.

Allan would later work as a correspondent on Britain's The Spectator magazine, and returned to the South African media with a column and forum on MWeb and later as a radio show host on Cape Talk radio.

Allan currently resides in the USA and has made several radio-show appearances. She currently works as a freelance journalist and television producer/broadcaster. [1]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Allan was adopted by a British-South African couple at a young age and divided her childhood between Britain and South Africa. She later became a born-again Christian and remains devoted to her faith. Allan has formerly been married to South African Jewish businessman Gordon Schachat and later married an American, yet the couple have since divorced. She has become on of the most written about women in South Africa, particularly during the late 1980s-early 1990s period.

[edit] Association with Eugene Terre'Blanche

In 1988, the Sunday Times published an interview with the right-wing Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader, Eugène Terre'Blanche, in Allan's Face to Face column. The two met several times following the interview and Allan accompanied the AWB to some of their rallies and reported for the Sunday Times. Allan wrote of her fascination for Terre'blanche: Right now I've got to remind myself to breathe... I'm impaled on the blue flames of his blowtorch eyes.[2]

Allan and Terre'Blanche met several times to discuss Terre'Blanche's inclusion in Allan's planned book on right-wing politics in South Africa. There was speculation regarding an affair when they later met at the Paardekraal Monument in Krugersdorp on December 27th 1988 for a professional engagement, with photographs and a foreign television crew . Following the meeting, Terre'Blanche allegedly rammed his BMW through the Paardekraal Monument's gates.[2] The crash prompted police and media appearances, and Allan and Terre'Blanche were photographed together on the Paardekraal monument steps. A case of crimen injura was laid against Terre'Blanche relating to the damaged gates, with Allan subpoenaed as chief witness for the defense. Ultimately Allan was not required to testify, and Terre'Blanche was acquitted.

In July 1989, the affair allegations led Cornelius Lottering, member of break-away AWB group "Orde van die Dood", to place a bomb outside Jani Allan's Sandton apartment. There were no casualties in the blast, but Lottering was convicted and Allan later fled to London.[3][2]

[edit] Libel case against Channel 4

In 1992, Allan sued Channel 4, the British broadcaster, for libel, claiming that in the documentary The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife by Nick Broomfield she was presented as a "woman of easy virtue". The documentary-maker, Broomfield, who was following the AWB and its activities, claimed that Jani Allan had had an affair with Terre'Blanche.

Miss Allan was represented by the late Peter Carter-Ruck in the case and Channel 4 was represented by the late QC George Carman, and Allan herself admitted to Carman "Whatever award is given for libel, being cross-examined by you would not make it enough money." [4] She later stated that Carman puts his victims through a "bloodless abattoir", delivering them into the "bone yard of damaged reputations".[5]

The case sparked intense international media interest and several character witnesses were flown in from South Africa. It was dealt a heavy blow by the statements of Allan's former flatmate, Linda Shaw, the Sunday Times astrologer. Shaw admitted that she peeped through a keyhole and witnessed Allan in a compromising position with a man. Several previously undisclosed details of the alleged affair began to unfold, and Allan's personal diary was also instrumental in the case, which Allan eventually lost on August 5, 1992. Although the judge found that Channel 4's allegations had not defamed Allan, he did not rule on whether or not there had been an affair.[6]

In 1994, during an interview with SABC, Allan accused witnesses in the case of being paid to lie, but said that losing the case had served a purpose, as her disillusionment with the justice system had led her to find God and become a born-again Christian, and that things which had been important to her such as fame, fashion and fortune were now transient.[7]

In a 2002 BBC film Get Carman: the trials of George Carman QC concerning the legal trials of Carman, Allan's case amongst other high-profile cases was featured. Allan was played by an actress in a dramatisation of the libel case. [8]

[edit] Friendship with Mangosuthu Buthelezi

In 1997, London's The Independent ran an article on Allan and Buthelezi's friendship, in which Allan and Buthelezi remarked upon each others' qualities. Buthelezi was also supportive following Allan's libel case against Channel 4 and was the first person to telephone Allan following her mother's death.[9]

[edit] Career

Prior to becoming a journalist, Allan worked as an English teacher at Wynberg Boys' High School and Bryanston High School. Tall and attractive, she also found work as a photograpic model.

[edit] Columns and publications

Allan began her media work at SAAN (South African Associated Newspapers) and got her break with the Sunday Times (South Africa) (where she would work for over a decade) when she was appointed gossip columnist with her Just Jani column. She frequently interviewed South Africa's celebrity elite and personalities in the entertainment world, as well as foreign celebrities such as Robert Moore. With her growing popularity and the volatile political situation in the 1980s in South Africa, Tertius Myburgh (then editor of the newspaper) appointed Allan as the leading columnist of The Sunday Times (then Africa's largest newspaper), with a new political column. Interviews in her political column, Face to Face ranged from guests such as Winnie Mandela to Eugene Terre'Blanche. She famously described Pik Botha as " A black-belt bullshitter".

Following security risks, Allan was advised to leave South Africa and she reloacted to London, where she worked as a correspondent for Britain's The Spectator magazine.

She returned to South Africa in 1996 (to look after her sick mother), having established a radio show, she became a columnist for internet website, MWeb in 1998.[10].

Between 2004-05 she contributed a number of columns to Christian and conservative publications and sites such as the Jeff Rense website, AfricanCrisis, WorldNetDaily and she also published a number of columns on her personal blog. [11]

Sections of the Just Jani columns published in The Sunday Times have been compiled into the wit/humour genre book Face Value by Jani Allan. [12]

[edit] Memoirs

She was recently approached by a publisher and is currently penning her memoirs. The auto-biographical account will be released at a currently unspecified date.

[edit] Radio

In 1997 she took up a position as a host on Cape Talk Radio, a Cape Town-based radio show and launched her show Jani's world, which aired on Friday evenings between 9pm and midnight. The show became one of the station's most popular, but became controversial in September 1999 when Allan interviewed American right-winger Keith Johnson of the Militia of Montana. Johnson made remarks about rabbinical teachings, Israel, Hitler and the Holocaust. As well as outlining global conspiracy theory, he denounced homosexuality, race mixing and former South African President Nelson Mandela. Although Allan distanced herself from these views, she offended a number of listeners in that she did not acknowledge it was a mistake to broadcast the interview [13] . The interview [14] gained a considerable negative reaction from listeners and she was instructed to issue an apology two days later. Her contract was terminated in October 2000 because of the right wing nature of the show and some of the continued negative feedback from listeners. When questioned about the reactions to Allan's show, the station manager, Lucia Venter stated "All the announcers receive positive and negative feedback. Allan does not necessarily get more than others." [15].

Since arriving in the Unites States, Allan has appeared on a number of radio shows-

On 17th June 2004, Jani Allan appeared as the guest on the Jeff Rense show. During the show, which had a listenership of 17 million, Allan accused the South African government of a genocidal campaign against white Afrikaners and she encouraged Americans to sponsor white Afrikaner refugees [16]. . Jani Allan later became the regular Friday-night weekly guest-commentator. The popularity of her interview with Rense also resulted in a repeat of the interview.

In January 2005, Allan appeared on the Flipside with Robby Noel, broadcast on Republican radio. She later became a regular weekly commentator on the Friday show. Jani Allan has also appeared on the Larry Pratt show, discussing gun laws in place in South Africa. Later that year, she was also a guest on the information corner radio in 2005.

[edit] Other

Following her unsuccessful court case in London, Allan began to work with former SABC journalist Cliff Saunders, who had a press agency in London. Yet Allan was unknowingly and allegedly working as a spy [17] for her boss. Allan, a personal friend of Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was unknowingly employed to gather information on the IFP and its actvities as well as its members. Allegedly, Saunders was a previous apartheid spy and was now working for the new ANC regime and the IFP's activities were supposedly of much interest to the ANC.

In her then local state of Pennsylvania, Allan was also providing horoscopes [18] from 2003 in local magazine 'NewHopePennsylvania' .

[edit] Causes

Since arriving in the United States, Jani Allan has been particularly vocal about the plight of Afrikaners in South Africa, particularly amongst the farming community. In 2004, she and Cindy-Lou Dale (a Belgian-based South African journalist and reporter) were involved in the 'African Crisis Angels' project. The project aims to increase international awareness, regarding farm murders. It also aims to provide a free service of introducing American sponsors to people in Southern Africa requiring political asylum.[19]

[edit] Present

Jani Allan now works as a freelance journalist and television producer/broadcaster. She is also said to be penning her own book regarding the break-up of white society in South Africa, which has the working title of 'White Sunset'.

On June 11th 2007, The Sunday Times (her former employer) ran an article [20] which was a short biographical account of Miss Allan's life since the 1980s. The article also commented on the elusiveness of Allan, as she seems to have been absent from the South African media recently.

She is currently penning her memoirs, which will be released at a later date.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jani Allan (South African model and journalist. Adoption.com (2002).
  2. ^ a b c Rumblings on the Right. New York Times (07-10-1990).
  3. ^ TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION. South African government (1998-03-23).
  4. ^ George Carman, Libel suit Whiz, dies. New York Times (2000-01-08).
  5. ^ The gloves come off. The Guardian (2000-09-23).
  6. ^ Century of Sundays. Carte Blanche (2006-05-03).
  7. ^ JANI ALLAN - BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN. Sapa (1995-01-02).
  8. ^ Judgement day. New Statesman (2002-04-08).
  9. ^ HOW WE MET -Jani Allan and Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The Independent (1997-08-06).
  10. ^ East dust Winnie Mandela. Mail&Guardian (Daily entertainment section of the Mail & Guardian) Online (1998-02-12).
  11. ^ Previous columns (2004-2005).
  12. ^ Allan, Jani. Face Value. Longman. 
  13. ^ Lawrence Grossman, David Singer, (2000). American Jewish Year Book 2000. Amber Jewish Committee. 
  14. ^ Station to apologise for Jani's gaffe. IOL (1999-11-03).
  15. ^ Radio station fires Jani Allan. News 24 (2000-10-24).
  16. ^ Whites are facing genocide, says Jani Allan. IOL (2000-06-20).
  17. ^ Allan claims she was an 'unwitting' spy. IOL (2000-02-27).
  18. ^ Faces and Places horoscope 'Heavens above'. New Hope Pennsylvania.
  19. ^ Response to the Plight of White South Africans. http://www.thebibleistheotherside.org.
  20. ^ They Used to Hog the Headlines. Sunday Times (South Africa) (2007-06-11).

[edit] External links