Ferial Haffajee is one of South Africa’s most respected journalists, renowned for her unwavering commitment to media freedom, public transparency and fact-driven reporting. With a career spanning newspapers, digital platforms, investigative centres and research institutes, she has shaped national conversations through sharp political analysis and a principled approach to storytelling.
She currently serves as Editor-at-Large at Huffington Post South Africa, Editor for the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), and a researcher at the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI). Her previous leadership roles include Editor-in-Chief at both the Mail & Guardian and City Press, where she broke new ground as one of the first women to lead major South African newsrooms.
A frequent analyst across radio, television and policy forums, Ferial is recognised for her deep insight into governance, state institutions, inequality, and the shifting dynamics of South Africa’s democracy.
Ferial Haffajee is a South African editor and journalist. She is currently editor-at-large, Huffington Post SA and also editor of the African National Centers for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR) and is a researcher at the Public Affairs Research Institute.
Previously, Ferial was editor-in-chief at the Mail and Guardian and City Press. She is a regular analyst and commentator on radio, television and elsewhere.
Ferial Haffajee is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a member of the Africa Leadership Institute fellowship. She has won numerous awards for journalism and for her support of media freedom.
Born to clothing workers Ahmed and Ayesha Haffajee, she grew up in a disadvantaged area in Bosmont, Johannesburg. She grew up with two older brothers who she says were her “first political building blocks”. She matriculated from Bosmont High School and went on to study Law at Witwatersrand University as per her mother’s request.
However Ferial Haffajee ended up studying English and African Literature and graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her tenure as Editor at the Mail and Guardian, she worked with her husband Paul Stober, who was her Deputy Editor. She lists reading, meditation and travelling as her most valued recreational activities.
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In this 30 minute 10 second Investec Focus Talks conversation, Stephen Koseff speaks with Ferial Haffajee about her journey into journalism and her role in exposing state capture. She begins with her upbringing in Bosmont under apartheid, where as a young woman of colour her options seemed limited to factory or clerical work. Writing felt like her only route out, and she pursued journalism against her mother’s wish that she study law. After persistent applications, she secured an internship at the Weekly Mail, convinced that using her voice and writing was a way to change the country.
She recounts her early encounters with the Gupta family, initially through Essop Pahad, and how their influence grew from dubious mineral rights deals to a full patronage network. Haffajee explains how whistleblowers and journalists, particularly amaBhungane and Daily Maverick, interrogated the leaked Gupta emails that became known as the GuptaLeaks. These revelations underpinned the Zondo Commission and shifted public understanding of state capture. She stresses that the Guptas misread South Africans, assuming the country and its people were for sale, and expresses pride that civil society and the media resisted.
The discussion turns to accountability. Haffajee describes the hollowing out of the state and the National Prosecuting Authority under former president Jacob Zuma, and the immense challenge facing NPA head Shamila Batohi, who inherited what Haffajee calls a “house on fire.” She argues that while Batohi has focused on rebuilding structure and trust, the public now needs to see prosecutions to restore confidence and match the “festival of truth” from commissions with real justice.
They explore President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership style, his alignment with progressive global leaders, and the tension between his consensus approach and the urgency many South Africans feel. Haffajee notes his strong popular support but acknowledges the intense internal ANC resistance he faces.
The conversation also addresses fake news, disinformation and the targeted abuse of journalists, especially women, by trolling armies and political actors such as the EFF. Haffajee frames this as a growing threat to media freedom worldwide. Looking forward, she highlights “green shoots” in policy thinking, including Treasury proposals on private participation in energy, spectrum allocation, and youth employment initiatives. She closes by reflecting on CR17 funding, the need for a sensible political centre, and practical ideas for fixing Eskom and rebuilding state capacity, underlining that journalism and active citizenship remain vital to South Africa’s future.
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