Drum Magazine Editor GONE — Mag Looking For A Replacement

After just 3 years at the helm of the iconic Drum Magazine as an editor, Makhosazana Zwane-Siguqa is out. Yep "Khosi and her Drum" is no more. Media24 is currently looking for Khosi's replacement and they hope to have found one by February 20th.

Khosi, who worked at DRUM as news editor before being appointed as editor of Move! magazine three years ago, started her career in journalism as journalist and then editor at Media24 community newspapers.

At the time of her appointment Willem Breytenbach, publisher of DRUM, said her appointment was a coup for DRUM.

He lauded Khosi as having the ability to "convert market trends and analysis into relevant content and increasing sales."

Esmaré Weideman, editor-in-chief of DRUM, YOU and Huisgenoot, said Khosi’s appointment was a significant milestone in the history of DRUM.

“It signifies a new start for a magazine that has obtained iconic status in the South African media industry, which has gone from strength to strength over the past few years and that holds a very special place in all our hearts,” she added. 

“Given Khosi’s brilliant career at Media24 thus far, and knowing her passion for DRUM as a brand, we have complete confidence in her ability to take DRUM to new heights,” concludes Weideman. 

Well it seems all that has changed as now the lady they clamored to have lead this iconic brand is being dethroned.

The ad for Khosi's replacement reads;

Africa’s leading publishing group, Media24, is seeking a talented, highly motivated individual to drive editorial excellence and commercial performance of DRUM magazine. The role is to create, develop and manage editorial content, direction and substance of the publication. Reporting to and working closely with the General Manager to deliver a leading consumer title, ensuring that content is continually improving to drive readership, the incumbent will be responsible for breaking stories and covering current happenings, while also maintaining the brand’s authority and point of view. 

As the Editor, you will also be responsible for managing the editorial team, driving ideas, new content, setting up partnerships and associations and producing the weekly edition. The ideal candidate is tireless and passionate, has exceptional skills as a writer, editor and reporter, with extensive knowledge of and contacts in the target market.

 The caviate at the end of the advert for the job was a duzi, apparently the job "can end at anytime for operational reasons", which I read to be; when you get this job SAVE SAVE SAVE because you could be dumped anytime and be unemployed.

Khosi and her legacy ...

A friend asked me what I thought Khosi's legacy at DRUM would be and I quite honestly said I did not know. Not that she did not do a good job. She tried and can be created for bringing DRUM to the new digital era. With her at the helm the brand has been great at interacting with it readers on all platforms not just wth the magazine.

DRUM's constant social media updates has made it relevant at a time where people can not wait for a specific day to read about something while everyone is already talking about it on social media. With this the magazines was able to tailor their stories based on the interest of the readers guided by the conversation they have with them social media. This helped in getting the journos to write about parts of the story that the readers would be interested in.

A negative would be that, with Khosi at DRUM, the magazine got more tabloidish. We all remember the Teko Modise and wife stories.

That said, she needed to push sales. DRUM might have built a brand as a magazine with inspiration stories of triumph over adversity for personalities they feature, but now people are interested in Mgozi. It was inevitable that for her to push sales she would embrace those sensationalist stories and covers.

Whatever the reasons are for Khosi to leave DRUM, she leaves with one accolade of being a former DRUM editor. That is huge given the history of the magazine. Good luck to her in her next endeavor.