Branko Brkic has stepped down as editor-in-chief of Daily Maverick, the news and analysis website he co-founded, after 15 years at the helm.
The site was founded by Brkic and CEO Styli Charalambous in 2009.
Daily Maverick reported on Thursday that Brkic was “relinquishing his day-to-day duties”, but will still be involved in “other aspects” at the company. His deputy, Jillian Green, will take over as editor-in-chief.
“It’s been an honour and privilege of my lifetime to serve people of South Africa. The Daily Maverick journey was from the first, and it will be to the last day, a period that has truly defined me,” Brkic was quoted as saying.
“After 15 years, it’s time for me to try other things in life, perhaps life itself too.”
He said he was convinced Green would be the “great next guardian of Daily Maverick’s incomparable legacy”.
Green said Brkic’s “leadership and vision have shaped Daily Maverick into a beacon of independent and inspirational journalism in our country”.
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“We will guard this legacy jealously even as we take Daily Maverick forward, championing muckraking journalism that not only informs but serves and empowers our readers to engage critically with the issues that affect their lives,” she said in the article.
Before founding Daily Maverick, Brkic launched ITWeb’s Brainstorm magazine, and the now-defunct Maverick and Empire magazines.
On Monday, News24 and the Daily Maverick reported on a joint investigation, which revealed Justice Minister Thembi Simelane took a loan of more than half-a-million rand from a company that brokered unlawful investments of R349 million into VBS Bank by the Polokwane Municipality – while she was mayor of the city in 2016.
