Pretoria – Cape Town – Independent Media on Tuesday announced the resignation of Pretoria News editor, Piet Rampedi, effective 1 February 2023.
Rampedi has had more than 20 years of mainstream media experience in both print and broadcasting and has worked for titles and media organisations such as Sunday Times, City Press, The Star and the SABC.
Rampedi joined Independent Media in March 2019 as head of its investigative unit.
Later that year, he was appointed as deputy editor of the Sunday Independent.
In January 2021, Rampedi was appointed editor of the Pretoria News.
“Independent Media thanks Rampedi for his service and wishes him well in his future endeavours,” said a statement released Tuesday by Aziz Hartley, editor-in-chief, Independent Media.
Rampedi was the author of the Tembisa 10 – the disputed story of a woman who gave birth to a record ten babies – which to this day he insists was an accurate story.
RELATED: Family Admits 10 Babies Story Was A Lie, SA Editors Peeved – The Bulrushes
“Pretoria News stalwart, Kennedy Mudzuli, takes over from Rampedi at Pretoria News in an acting editor capacity,” said Hartley.
All indications are that circulations figures at the Pretoria News and other Independent Media titles have been tumbling.
In another development, Dr. Iqbal Survé, chairman of the Sekunjalo Group, and non-executive chairman of Independent Media – the owners of Pretoria News recently revealed in an interview with Alec Hogg that he wants out of the media sector.
Hogg is the founder of Biznews.com, and presenter of podcasts for Biznews Radio.
During the interview, Survé says that Independent Media makes up only 3% of his Sekunjalo Group’s assets.
Watch the full interview below:
