Anton Harber (October 27, 1958) is a South African journalist. He is executive director of the Campaign for Free Expression, director of the Henry Nxumalo Foundation an adjunct professor of journalism at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

, and the co-editor or author of five books.

Early life

Harber was born on October 27, 1958, in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, South Africa. He went to Carmel College, Durban, and graduated from the

Career

Harber started his career at the Springs Advertiser and worked at the Sunday Post, the Sowetan and Rand Daily Mail newspapers. He was political reporter on the Rand Daily Mail when it was closed in 1985. He was a founding co-editor of the ''Weekly Mail'', later known as the ''

Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'', formerly the ''Weekly Mail'', is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, loca ...

, 1985-1997.'' He was then chief executive officer of Kagiso Broadcasting (Pty) Ltd and executive director of Kagiso Media Ltd. He left to form internet company BIG Media (Pty) Ltd. Harber was appointed to the Caxton Chair of Journalism at his alma mater, the University of the Witwatersrand, as an adjunct professor. In this capacity, he launched the African Investigative Journalism Conference (formerly the Power Reporting Conference) since 2007, and hosted the 10th Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg in 2017. In March 2016, he became the editor-in-chief of

eNCA eNCA, also known as eNews Channel Africa, is a 24-hour television news broadcaster owned by e.tv that focuses on African stories and events. Launched in June 2008, the channel is South Africa's first and most-watched 24-hour news service. Th ...

for a period of 18 months. In 2021, he founded the Campaign for Free Expression, a non-profit dedicated to defending and enabling free expression for all in southern Africa. Harber also runs the Henry Nxumalo Foundation NPC, which provides support to investigative journalists. Harber was chair of the South African Conference of Editors in 1991, the chair of the National Association of Broadcasters in 1998, and the chair of the Freedom of Expression Institute in 2010. He serves on the board of directors of the

Global Investigative Journalism Network The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is "an international association of nonprofit organizations that support, promote and produce investigative journalism." The association is headquartered in the United States, and its membership ...

and the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ). He is the co-editor of three books about

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and

investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend m ...

in South Africa, and the author of Diepsloot (2011) and So, or the Record: Behind the headlines in an era of state capture (2020). Harber was awarded the Missouri Medal of Honour in 1992 and the Pringle Award for Press Freedom in 1987.

Personal life

Harber is married to Harriet Gavshon, a television producer and they have two children. He is related to the late investigative journalist Arthur Gavshon.

Works

* * * *Harber, A (2017). Southern African Muckraking - 300 years of investigative journalism that shaped the region. Jacana. ISBN 978-1-4314-2782-6 *Harber, A. (2020). So, for the Record: Behind the headlines in an era of state capture. Jonathan Ball. ISBN 978-1-77619-068-3

References

Living people 1958 births Writers from Durban University of the Witwatersrand alumni South African columnists South African investigative journalists Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand {{SouthAfrica-bio-stub