Opinion

Motoring journos need to take a stand against racism

Phuti Mpyane takes an incisive look at some of the curious goings-on within the local automotive journalists’ guild

27 May 2018 - 00:01 By Phuti Mpyane

In a nutshell, the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) is very much like any other union of like-minded members or individuals who work in a common space.
A guild’s role, under normal circumstances, is to govern groups, manage administration and, importantly, frame functionary policies.
The SAGMJ has all this in place… plus more. What’s the more? The bizarre truth is that vehicle brands are also members — with gold status for that matter.
And then there is a separate body made up of vehicle brand public relations officers, as part of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) PR Forum.
In 15 years as a motoring journalist I’ve never understood the role and mandate of this group, but seemingly it wields greater power than the metaphorical mighty pen of motoring journalism.
It’s important to point this out in order to give context to this piece — which is largely about a gross lack of transformation in the automotive sector — more so the media side.Unlike many other sectors such as mining or banking, our automotive industry is largely unregulated. In simple terms it can do as it pleases, and boy does it delight in that.
Take the forum as an example. It’s such fair game for the Competition Commission of South Africa. The last time there was a report on rival companies gathered in one room, it resulted in punishment for collusive practices.
Transformation issues in this sector are varied, hidden and largely brushed aside and by no stretch of the imagination, not complex.
In the past few months the reality of sour race relations in this sector reared its head publicly, first by the matter of industry doyen Mark Lamberti, who thought it well and fine to shout in full view of his colleagues that Adila Chowan — a black female chartered accountant — was nothing more than an “employment equity employee”.
We know of this episode and I shall not waste a minute longer on it.Then an article appeared in a recent issue of the Sunday Times about a veteran motoring journalist who made derogatory and racist comments, one of them centred on the typical “blacks are gorillas” narrative.
There is a great chance that these two gentlemen have met in the halls of the auto industry — Bernard Hellberg snr being an automotive journalist and Lamberti a former top-ranking official at Imperial Holdings; one of the largest vehicle sellers in the country.Power, a natural facet where cars are involved, is at the core of it all; power to appoint people based on personal, racial or other factors (have a look at the poor BBBEE scores in this sector). But critically, power to be at leisure with being racist.
Okay, so perhaps they’ve not been acquainted but both display the comfort and confidence supplied by the sector to unashamedly and publicly declare their white supremacy and male chauvinism twenty-four years into democracy, and smack in the middle of a sector that makes billions of rands out of the South African public — black, white, coloured, Indian, male and female.It’s not entirely their fault. The lack of accountability from the sector and general protectionism of the status quo feeds their egos and many other shenanigans that go on.
There are plenty of other shenanigans, from concerted anti-transformation structures to marginalisation of non-whites and even nepotism. All of it is there. It just needs automotive journalists who are interested in more than just the number of USB ports in a new vehicle.
So what was the catalyst for the story? It’s an elegant maze of whodunit, but in the end, Mr Hellberg snr wrote a racist comment on social media saying Indian people worship rats.A former motoring journalist, Thegandra Naidoo who himself was fired from his job and kicked out of the guild for tactless, rather than racist comments, approached the Human Rights Commission, which who agreed there was a case to be heard.
The current SAGMJ chairman, Mr Bernard Hellberg jnr, revealed that the SAGMJ investigated a case of racism brought against his father (yes, you read that right). It was not the first time such a complaint had been laid against Mr Hellberg snr.
Where the first case is concerned, the top structure of the guild responsible for adjudicating disputes — exclusively a right reserved for the chairman and/or vice-chairman — reportedly rapped him over on the knuckles. Presumably during a cosy dinner at home — and yet somehow the chairman and/or vice-chairman conveniently forgot to brief the complainant of the outcomes.In the end, like Mr Lamberti, the offending member did the professional thing and resigned before he could face a scheduled disciplinary hearing. He is within his rights and aware of his transgressions to pull off such a move as equivocally as he thinks he is entitled to voice out his opinions of black and Indian people.
Case closed, right? Wrong. Resigning from the SAGMJ doesn’t curtail practising your motoring journalism skills.
Enter the other realm of the PR Forum. Some vehicle brands have made the correct decision to disassociate from Mr Hellberg snr at all levels. This means they have severed any working ties with him and the businesses he is involved in, which despite his belief that blacks are apes, primates, includes involvement in a magazine published on behalf of a local airline.Some of vehicle brands — members of the same SAGMJ Guild which he resigned from — have not committed to remove him from their work circles. It’s a biblical mess.It seems that we as the aggrieved non-white journalists, thanks to the vehicle brands that have chosen to pardon him privately, have no choice and we will again interact in the same space as him.
 In doing so, we will be fully aware of exactly what he thinks of us — ditto the same black and Indian people who will unknowingly engage with his publications. This is our reality.
The SAGMJ, which allowed a non-white journalist to be chased out of the guild for making insensitive comments about the on-road behaviour of motorcyclists, chose to not lift a finger to intervene decisively in addressing a white racist.
I guess they expect us to do the usual thing despite all of the proof of racism; with double standards and lack of transformation dangling before our eyes, and quietly cower in fear of retaliation by banning.
The time has arrived to assert that we will not shut up about these matters.Q&A WITH BERNARD HELLBERG JNR: CHAIRMAN OF THE SAGMJ
Is it correct to assume that the guild’s top structure found Mr Hellberg snr not guilty on the first charge of racist commentary and allowed his membership to continue?
No, it is not correct. The “first charge” to which you refer is a complaint brought to the guild by Mr Thegandra Naidoo in December 2017, which contained a screenshot of two emoticons.
The guild never had the opportunity to test the veracity of the alleged racist commentary of the “first charge” as a disciplinary was not held due to a failure of procedure.This failure occurred at the first committee meeting of the year, where I was not present, which was subsequently chaired by the guild’s vice-chairman, Mr Eugene Herbert (who has since resigned). This communication failure has been addressed to ensure that the process does not fail us again.
Is there justification for the guild to rescind the membership of an individual accused of insensitive but non-racial comments yet pardon Mr Hellberg snr for his earlier, racially insulting comments?
Following from your first question, Mr Hellberg snr was not pardoned, so inferring that is not correct.
Mr Bernard Hellberg snr resigned from the guild after the guild brought a disciplinary action based on information gleaned from a Sunday Times report on April 15 2018.
The other disciplinary procedure to which you refer is that of Mr Thegandra Naidoo in February 2014, which process was concluded without a resignation taking place.
If Mr Naidoo had decided to resign from the guild back then, there would have been no further action taken against Mr Naidoo, who would have been free to rejoin the guild after one year. What is the current state of affairs when it comes to representation in the guild?
One of my first actions when I became chairman in 2015 was to create a transformation portfolio. This was chaired by Mr Leo Kok, but has been chaired by Mr Lerato Matebese since I asked him to join the committee in 2017.
Given the urgent need for transformation in the industry, Mr Matebese has been working on the guild’s policy, with the aim of developing measurable transformation goals. We see transformation not only as an historical imperative, but also as crucial to the future success of the guild and the industry. There have been calls for you to resign from your position as chairman. What’s your view on this, more so with reports suggesting that you neglected or opted not to follow proper procedure in lieu of the first offence?
I deny that I neglected or opted not to follow procedure. When the guild office received notification of a complaint in December, I responded to the complainant both in writing and by telephone. The process that failed us after that, as described above, has been corrected, and will be effected by an act of amendment to the guild’s constitution at the AGM.
Do you not think you should also “do the right thing”, so to speak, for the good and dignity of the organisation just as Messrs Hellberg snr and Mark Lamberti have done in light of their transgressions?
I don’t believe that it is fair to make these situations also applicable to me. I have always, as I still do, maintained a fair and equitable manner in dealing with all people.
I have made it very clear that I distance myself from any comments or actions made either by my father or anyone else, as I do not condone such actions.
I believe in transformation, and believe in the South African project, and made a commitment to serve the industry with that in mind.Q&A WITH CHRISTO VALENTYN: CHAIRMAN OF THE NAAMSA PR FORUM
What is the role and mandate of the Naamsa PR Forum in the greater scheme of automotive journalism?
The PR Forum was formalised as an official working committee of Naamsa (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa) towards the end of 2016.
The Naamsa PR Forum has, at its core, the objective and mandate to coordinate and promote the interests of the automotive industry, to serve as a conduit between the industry and the media for the enhancement of effective communication and improved understanding between parties on matters of mutual interest and concern.
Ultimately, the Naamsa PR Forum strives to protect the reputation of the industry and the individual brands its members represent, and, through the introduction of standards and guidelines, positively influence the level of professionalism throughout the automotive media in South Africa.
Is it normal industry practice for essentially consumer protectors to be a part of the same organisation as manufacturers of reviewed products?
The Naamsa PR Forum only comprises representatives from the various OEM [original equipment manufacturer] and importer members of Naamsa. There are no external members, and the Naamsa PR Forum operates separately and independently from the media.
If it had to investigate, are you confident that the Competition Commission will find the PR Forum as an organisation that complies with its core mandates and doesn’t breed corruption and collusion?
Naamsa PR Forum meetings, like all other Naamsa meetings, are conducted in a manner that is compliant with the Competition Act, 1998 as amended from time to time.
Deliberations are, at all times, in full compliance with South African and other relevant international legislation regarding anti-competitive actions and/or behaviour, whether directly or indirectly.
A copy of the Competition Law Compliance Guidelines for Meetings of Committees, Task Teams and Chief Executives held under the auspices of Naamsa is available on request.
Is it possible for the PR Forum to reach a unanimous decision on any matter where personal/professional preference ultimately wins the day, as per the recent saga?
The Naamsa PR Forum strives to operate on the basis of consensus, but respects the individual and often divergent views of its individual members. There is no constraint on individual members when expressing their individual views on any matters publicly.
In light of the recent saga of racist commentary from a member of the SAGMJ, what conclusion has the PR Forum reached and what steps will be instituted going forward?
The Naamsa PR Forum is opposed to racism in any manner, form or action, and all individual Naamsa member organisations are equally committed to transformation. We have conveyed our position on this to the SAGMJ...

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