Ferial Haffajee is the editor of the City Press newspaper and previously the editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper. She was the first Coloured woman editor of a major newspaper in South Africa.
Haffajee is a Board Member at the IWMF (International Women's Media Foundation).[1]
Ferial was appointed to the board of the International Press Institute on 7 October 2011.
Haffajee was a cub reporter at the Mail & Guardian and has acted as its associate editor, media editor and economics writer at various times. Before taking up the editorship she held jobs at state broadcaster the SABC, as a radio producer and television reporter,[2] and at the Financial Mail magazine, where she was a senior editor responsible for political coverage and the managing editor.[3]
Haffajee was appointed editor of the Mail & Guardian in February 2004,[4] two years after control of the paper was acquired by Zimbabwean publisher Trevor Ncube.[5]
In 2005 the paper became one of the few publications, after the regime change of 1994, interdicted from publishing specific stories.[6] In 2006 the paper was again interdicted, and Haffajee threatened, after republishing controversial cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.[7]
In March 2009 the Mail & Guardian announced Haffajee's resignation, saying she would take up the position as editor of City Press in July.[8] Previous speculation had identified her as a potential appointee as head of news at the SABC.[9]