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Independent Media, which owns titles such as The Star, Isolezwe, and Cape Times, has introduced a raft of changes to its news and management structures, including a new editor-in-chief for its newspaper division and new acting CEO.
Sekunjalo head Iqbal Survé, who from August 2022 had held a non-executive chair role at the group, will also return as executive chairperson.
Internal correspondence sent to staff this week said that Takudzwa Hove was stepping down as CEO to pursue an MBA at the UCT Graduate School of Business.
Hove, who oversaw the retrenchments of over 100 staff members last year amid falling advertising and circulation figures, will remain within the broader Sekunjalo Group. He had been in the top job since August 2022 before previously holding the COO role from 2019. CFO Mohamed Hoosain has been named the group's acting CEO.
Adri Senekal de Wet has been appointed the new editor-in-chief of Independent Newspapers following the retirement of Aziz Hartley in December. Senekal de Wet was previously editor of Business Report. She also becomes an executive editor of the Independent Media board.
Independent Media confirmed the changes, also telling News24 that Philippa Larkin had been appointed acting editor of Business Report.
Survé said in the correspondence that Sekunjalo had always made a point of rotating its executives to "expose them and the businesses to new philosophy and ideation as part of our design thinking approach to business".