Johannesburg – South African business mogul and media giant Dr Iqbal Survé appeared on Africa’s leading podcast, “Podcast and Chill with MacG”.
In the almost two-hour sit-down, Survé highlighted his decorated anti-apartheid activities along with a plethora of other topics close to his heart. Survé said Struggle stalwarts such as Nelson Mandela would ask him about medical matters.
He did, however, say that Madiba had his own team of medical practitioners that looked after his medical needs before he became president.
The renowned academic, doctor, and businessman said he didn't think that he would see freedom in his lifetime.
“I came from humble beginnings; I was not born into a wealthy family. I was a very good public speaker, and only because I was a very good public speaker, I became the president of the SRC, and because of that, I became politicised,” said Survé.
He detailed his student movement activities, but said that what impacted his passion for activism was when he witnessed poverty around him.
Survé said that at present there was political freedom, but that this was a mirage.
“We don’t have economic freedom, and what has happened in the last couple of years, particularly the last five or six years, is that we’ve seen the old apartheid structures re-emerge, whether it is in capital, in intelligence services, or in the media,” he said.
Specifically pointing out intelligence, Survé said that the state had reintegrated the people who used to work for the old apartheid structures.
Survé called President Cyril Ramaphosa a proxy for white capital.
“It’s sad because ordinary South Africans are not reaping the benefits,” he said.
He said the ownership of the media was very radicalised and that when there was a contested narrative and people were given the opportunity to make up their minds and decide what they thought was right or wrong, there was an ability to control society, the economy, intelligence, and politics.
“When the system comes for you, they really will come for you; they will tarnish your name; they will put up a photo of you that makes you look very ugly,” he said.
He said the reason this could be accomplished was because they were well funded.
“When I announced that we were going to buy Independent Media, I didn’t understand, you can touch anything, but don’t touch the media; the media is theirs, and Independent Media was theirs, and when I came in, it was largely a little white organisation. So I transformed it,” he said.
He said he had done away with glass ceilings.
“They don’t want to see black success because that goes against the narrative, which they have been running for decades, that black people can't have success,” added Survé.
The Star