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Across Boundaries – A life in the media at a time of change

Vosloo’s story is not just one of newspapers and politics but also one of singular business and commercial success as the Naspers Group evolved from a print group to an electronic company with significant investments across the world.

Across Boundaries – A life in the media at a time of change

by Ton Vosloo

Ton Vosloo’s remarkable career in the media spanned nearly 60 years in South Africa’s history. During this turbulent time, South Africa went through the transition from Afrikaner Nationalist rule to an ANC government. At the helm of the leading press group founded in 1915 to support nascent Afrikaner nationalism, Vosloo’s story is not just one of newspapers and politics but also one of singular business and commercial success as the Naspers Group evolved from a print group to an electronic company with significant investments across the world.

In 1983 Vosloo was appointed managing director of Naspers and set about vigorously transforming the group. On the ideological front, it was a fight to the death with the old Transvaal’s predominantly right-wing Perskor Group for the soul of the Afrikaner. On the commercial front, Vosloo established the pay television network M-Net. In 1992, Vosloo became chairman of Naspers with Koos Bekker later succeeding him as CEO. The story of Naspers’ successes in investing in Chinese internet company Tencent and in establishing a footprint in 130 countries is a continuing one, but one begun under Vosloo’s stewardship.

In Across Boundaries, Vosloo gives his account of these momentous times with wry humour and a journalist’s deft pen.

About the Author

Ton Vosloo, born in 1937 and brought up in Uitenhage, started writing sports reports for local newspapers while still at school. He worked as a parliamentary correspondent and in 1970 he was awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. He was the editor of Beeld newspaper from 1977-83. In 1983 Vosloo became managing director of Naspers, and he served as executive chair from 1992 to 1997. He was the non-executive chair of the board of Naspers from 1997 to 2015. Vosloo is today the Chair of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra Trust and has been awarded three honorary doctorates.

ISBN 9781868428885 | Publication date: September 2018

Publicity enquiries

For a review copy or interview enquiries please contact Jean-Marie Korff via e-mail or phone on 021-469 8940.

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Ook beskikbaar in Afrikaans as:

Oor Grense – ‘n Lewe in die media in ‘n tyd van verandering

deur Ton Vosloo

Ton Vosloo is een van die mees gerekende koerant- en sakemanne in Suid-Afrika. Gedurende sy loopbaan van sowat sestig jaar het Suid-Afrika op politieke front ’n drastiese ommekeer ondergaan: die Nasionale Party het plek gemaak vir ’n ANC-regering, wat gelei het tot transformasie op sosiale, ekonomiese en sakefront.

In 1983 is Vosloo as die besturende direkteur van Naspers aangestel en het hy hom dit ten doel gestel om dié groep – wat in 1915 as mondstuk van die Nasionale Party gestig is – te vernuwe. Vosloo het die maatskappy deur diep, onstuimige waters gestuur: op ideologiese vlak was dit ’n geveg tot die dood toe met die regse Perskor-groep om die steun van Afrikaners te wen.

Naspers moes ook op kommersiële vlak moderniseer. Dit het uiteindelik gelei tot die stigting van M-Net, Suid-Afrika se eerste betaaltelevisiekanaal.

In 1992 word Vosloo voorsitter van Naspers met Bekker as sy opvolger. Onder Bekker se leiding het Naspers belê in die Chinese internetmaatskappy Tencent, en vinnig ontwikkel tot ’n groep wat vandag finansiële belange regoor die wêreld het. Dít sou nie moontlik gewees het sonder die fondasie wat Vosloo in die vroeë tagtigs vir sodanige vernuwing gelê het nie.

Oor Grense is Ton Vosloo se memoir oor sy lewe in die koerantwêreld in ’n tyd toe Naspers nog baklei het om die posisie as markleier, ’n tyd toe die koerante binne sy stal baie na aan die politici van die dag gestaan het. Met sy eiesoortige humorsin en styl as gesoute joernalis vertel Ton Vosloo die storie van Naspers en van sy uiteenlopende ervarings as koerantman en sakeleier.

ISBN 9781868428861 | Publikasie datum: September 2018

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