Most South Africans are at least a little bit crazy about sport. We wear our green-and-gold fan-shirts, we yell and cheer and rant at the ref from our couches or the stands, we deliver our impassioned play-by-play analysis around the watercooler on a Monday morning. But Graeme Joffe is different. He’s a whole lot crazy about sport.
As a participant, spectator, commentator and reporter for CNN, Highveld 94.7, and now his own sports journal, SportsFire Daily, “Joffers” has been able to turn his love for sport into a multimedia career.
At the same time, as one of the few hardcore investigative sports reporters in South Africa, he has lifted the lid on the dark side of our obsession, bringing corruption, wasteful spending, and maladministration to light, and landing himself with a R21-million defamation suit from Olympic body SASCOC in the process.
Here Joffers chats with Ruda about the joys and challenges of living your life for the love of the game.
Transcript:
R: Welcome, once again, to the Change Exchange, where our guest today [is]… Graeme Joffe… radio man, sports man and all kinds of other things?
G: Athlete! Great to be here, Ruda.
R: Why journalism in the first place?
G: I’ll never forget it. I had a passion growing up as a kid. I used to watch Trevor Quirk every Saturday afternoon with my grandfather on the couch, SABC Top Sport was from 14:00 to 18:00 and I never got off the couch. And I just… I loved everything. As a kid I grew up playing every kind of sport, loved sport and when I finally got to make that big decision on what do you study after high school, journalism was a given. And at that time Rhodes University was the only place you could study journalism and it was the best three years of my life. Rhodes University, studying journalism, playing sport, living sport, even started journalism while I was at Rhodes University. And even before I went to Rhodes I actually started a school sport column for The Star Newspaper. So already it was going to happen. Sports journalism, for a guy that just loved sport and basically breakfast, lunch and supper was sport.
R: What is it about journalism? What I almost –and I teach little bits of pieces here and there and I always try and say this to the students – Why journalism? Why do we exist? What are journalists for?
G: Well not to make money, because it’s not a very well-paid profession! So if you’re getting into journalism and think you’re going to be a billionaire, good luck to you. But I love it! It’s like a hobby. When you wake up in the morning and as I do – I wake up at 5 o clock in the morning to do my SportsFire Daily newspaper…
R: It doesn’t feel like work?
G: No! It’s a hobby. It’s a passion. I love writing, compiling and putting it all together. Especially – and that’s what I tell a lot of people – if you have a job in life where you are passionate about it, there’s 80% of your problems solved, because that’s 80% of your life. It’s doing your work. And now, what I’m doing, investigative sports journalism, it’s fascinating. Digging up stuff, looking for dirt, and as a proud South African, I love it when South African athletes achieve on the international stage and what better to be able to write about it as well?
R: We’ll get to that. But let’s go pick up your story in the beginning. How did CNN happen? You went there in 1992 and you must have been barely out of university?
G: That’s correct. Graduated from Rhodes en of 1991. I went overseas to a sister’s wedding in Chicago, and while I was there I said: “You know what, let me spend six months, see if I can get a job.” Sent out probably 100 CVs, of which maybe I got three replies, one of them being CNN. I was in the right place at the right time. And the funny story is that when the guy – the head of CNN sport at the time was a guy called Bill MacPhail, and when he called me after sending out 100 CVs and only getting the odd reply you start getting despondent. Not realising that people are getting hundreds of CVs every day from around the world! And when Bill MacPhail called me, I actually thought it was my brother-in-law playing a prank on me. So I said to him: “Listen John, enough is enough. Bill MacPhail calls me from CNN – enough’s enough! I’m tired of your pranks and stuff.” And the guy says: “This is really Bill MacPhail. Would you like to call me back on this 404 number, in Atlanta?” So I got quite a fright! I was still in Chicago, so he probably thought: “Who’s this guy thinking I am a prankster?” But it was amazing. I got an interview with CNN and you must remember at that time, 1992, CNN international started to become the big thing. The Gulf War – CNN international … you were watching a war live on television for the first time.
R: They were the first international network?
G: Correct. And they needed international sports people. And on my CV luckily I had, plus the fact that I played cricket, soccer, rugby … I was a sports journalist and I really was in the right place at the right time.
R: And what was it like? The next 7 or 8 years?
G: If I take it overall… Incredible! It set me up for life. It taught me things about television that I knew nothing about. Graduating from Rhodes University, you learn certain skills, but I certainly didn’t have television skills. First two years very difficult. They threw me in the deep end. Suddenly I was anchoring, presenting, writing, editing ’cause in those days the sports bulletins were always recorded. So you had to do everything yourself. Sjoe, no, I drowned…
R: It was a training school.
G: No, it was. And it was a hard training school, because you’re going to millions of people around the world, and here I am – I know nothing about presenting. And I’ll never forget after about five or six months they actually pulled me off air and said to me: “Look, you know… we need to send you for some training. The Japanese people don’t understand you.” I mean, that was a good excuse. But I remember,r I went to the presenting trainee and the woman said to me: “You’re doing too much head dancing!” So I was so giddy, there I was on television bouncing up and down, thinking how my mother was telling how good I am. In the meantime I was awful! I had the other skills. I knew about sport. I was passionate.
R: So your content was good.
G: Content was good, but my presenting skills were woeful.
R: And why the decision to come back?
G: You never get Africa out your blood. As a proud South African, to be a sports journalist and never to be working in your home country would be a disaster. I’ve been back now probably 14 years, have absolutely no regrets. People used to tell me when I’m overseas and I talk about Ernie Els winning a tournament or Bafana Bafana doing well and the Boks doing well, they used to see a special smile. And they would say: “Okay, that boy is South African.” And that’s it for me. A sports journalist working in your home country is just … You know, the Chicago Cubs can do well, the Boston Bruins can do well – I’m not going to get that excited!
R: You don’t have a dog in the fight.
G: That’s correct. So being back, I have no regrets. I’ve done almost everything I’ve wanted to do with my career as a journalist.
R: Few people can say that.
G: I’m fortunate, because certain things have taken me on a different path. Now, what I’m doing now, I’m sure we’ll discuss it later, is tough. As an investigative sports journalist we don’t have a culture of investigative sports journalism in the country, so I’m fighting very much a lone battle, but as I say, no regrets.
R: Tell me about Highveld? What was that like, and the shift to radio?
G: Loved it! Everyone used to say to me: “You’ve got a face for radio.” So it was a perfect fit for me. Seven fantastic years. I mean, 94.7. Jeremy was the key. Jeremy Mansfield. Gave us all an opportunity to develop this kind-of family. Even though when none of us were close, we knew what the show was about. It was a kind of a theatre, but it was nice because you didn’t have to dress up. You didn’t have to put make-up on. You’re going to work with shorts and slops. Loved Highveld! Seven really, really good years. Times… waking up at 4:30 every morning can change your lifestyle quite dramatically, but it was seven really good years. We had so much fun, and the stuff that we did … And people to this day still come up to me with the Joffers-my-boy stigma, that Jeremy gave me. It stuck. Still today – haven’t been on Highveld for nearly three years, I still have people where I go to golf days and functions: “Joffers my boy, what are you doing now?” And Jeremy really was the catalyst for something really quite special for seven years.
R: How did the decision come about to go? Because seven years is not that long, actually?
G: Sure, I think it was more a case of my body couldn’t take it anymore. I just felt that – I tried when Whackhead and Sam took over – I tried for a couple of months and before that I already said to the guys I might have to go to the afternoon show. I’m just not coping in the mornings at 4.30. I was maybe trying to burn the candle at both ends. Doing golf days, having drinks, getting home at 23:00, waking up at 4:30. Even the McDonalds Drive Thru couldn’t cure those hangovers. But I just felt that it was time to move on. The show had kind-of evolved to a different, to maybe a different age group. It wasn’t… You know Jeremy and Whackhead are two totally different personalities. I just felt maybe it was a good time for me to go and again – I have no regrets about the timing of actually leaving Highveld.
R: But a change is always quite scary? It’s nervous-making?
G: Very. And again now it has become a scary reality for me in changing to become this investigative hard-core sports journalist and not knowing where your next rand is going to come from. It’s extreme. I had nothing when I left Highveld. I started doing bits and pieces of this. Luckily I still have a bit of MC work to keep the wolves away, but no – it’s daunting. Especially as a journalist in this country if you don’t find a niche or you don’t have a specific goal in mind… But I’m very driven and I’ve never been scared to work. I love… And as I say because it’s like a hobby, I’m not scared to do 20 hours a day of writing sports journalism. It’s a real passion.
R: You set up Sports Fire first on Radio Today.
G: Correct.
R: How did that happen?
G: Basically I was looking for an avenue. The only thing I haven’t done was talk radio. That was the last thing I wanted to do – was to do a sports show where I can have my own kind of niche, but be able to do what I wanted to do. And very few – because of the fact that a lot of the people are nervous about the controversial sports journalist; I just had to find a station where I could do something. And it was… Radio Today … they’re real radio people, lovely people! But unfortunately an AM station, trying to get advertising, being kind of a whistle blower. It wasn’t paying the bills. And I kind of also lost the passion, mainly because I’ve seen now for the last two-and-a-half years the corruption in South African sport, the misappropriation of funds, the maladministration. And it’s hard to have a passion and talk so positively about South African sport when you know what’s really going on behind the scenes. So I lost a bit of the radio passion, and as I say, it was just another step moving on to what I’m doing now.
R: Which is?
G: SportsFire Daily has now become my passion, which is basically a sports newspaper – Monday to Friday – where we send a digital newspaper to a database of over 100 000, where we’re sending out the SportsFire Daily, Monday to Friday, where you get your sports news. Whatever you need. Whatever stories, opinion, results, schedule, all this kind of stuff.
R: It’s personalised?
G: Very much personalised. If you’re only interested in tennis, you might only get the tennis stories. And those will be your top stories of the day. If you’re only interested in rugby, maybe you will only get the rugby stories. But I like to also cater for the minority sports. The sports that don’t really get the cover they deserve.
R: Women’s hockey?
G: Women’s hockey. Netball. Canoeing. I can name 20 sports that deserve so much more, because we’ve got incredible athletes. But because the sponsors aren’t there behind those people, you never really read about it in the main stream press either. So I’m focusing on that, but also hard-hitting, where I’m exposing the corruption from the Lottery to the Sports Ministry to the Olympic Bodies, to the Federations – it’s reporting without fear or favour. And sadly, as I said, there’s no – the mainstream press… You know there’s just no culture of investigative sports journalism in this country. And for good reason. A lot of the mainstream press – the likes of Sascoc, the likes of SA Rugby, SA Cricket, SA Football – they pay for a lot of these journalists to go on these different trips because these trips are too long. And the media houses can’t afford to send the journalists along for more than three to four weeks on a tour… they’re being catered for. You know, in an essence they’re buying favourable journalism, which just doesn’t sit well with me.
R: And are you finding an audience?
G: Slowly but surely the groundswell. I think people have had enough. Sport is no different to any other sector in this country where we have rampant corruption. And sport is the one thing in this country that keeps so many of us happy. The big smiles when Bafana win. When the Boks win. You know, on a Saturday night, after the South Africans win, the mood in the country is totally different. The hangover comes Sunday and Monday it’s back to the grindstone. If sport is the one thing that keeps us so happy, why can’t we clean it up? Why can’t we have clean sport? There’s enough other sectors where there’s rampant corruption. But sport, sadly, has a soft underbelly of where so much of the corruption is. And people don’t realise it. And millions, and millions is disappearing. And what I’m fighting for is the athletes. The athletes are silenced by draconian codes of conduct, the federations are silenced because they’re not going to get their money at the end of the day if they criticise the Olympic Body or the lottery or the Sports Ministry, so you have a vicious circle where everybody is silenced. They’ve tried to silence me – the Olympic Body Sascoc, I’m defending a R21 million defamation suit, it’s not fun and games anymore.
R: How does one make a living out of that?
G: Through advertising. And again, some people are reluctant to sponsor… they would love to sponsor whistle-blowers. Everywhere I’m going people are saying: “Joffers, we love what you’re doing, but sorry, we can’t help you.” The others now, that are… you know the advertisers are slowly… I’ve been going for three months. I’ve got four or five advertisers already, which is big for me. But it is scary – it is daunting because for the last year or so I’ve been blocked at every corner. From government level, from federation level, from Supersport level… It’s amazing how people, when they get exposed, they become vindictive. They don’t like, you know. And sadly the pool is quite small for sports journalism in this country, so a lot of people don’t want to touch me, and that’s fine. I love what I’m doing. I’m passionate about what I’m doing and people really need to know what is happening in South African sport.
R: Are there stories or a story that you regret about? That you think that maybe you’ve gone too far?
G: Not one. Sascoc had tried to silence me. The R21 million defamation suit for me… I’m defending it. I have nothing to hide, I’ve got… you know I’ve just got dossiers of information and sadly, what’s happened is a lot of athletes, coaches and administrators have confided in me, so for two and a half years I have collected all this information. Some of it is gut-wrenching. When I read some of the stories I have tears in my eyes. How we can have athletes in this country – top athletes – treated the way that they are treated? But they can’t say anything publicly, because immediately they are marginalised. Some of the stories are heart-breaking.
R: You’re driven by almost a feeling of loyalty to these people who entrusted you?
G: A loyalty to journalism, and a loyalty to South African sportsmen and -women that are not getting what they really deserve. And for a country – our country – for what we have in facilities, finance and talent, we should be getting 25 medals at the Olympic Games. We get five medals and we set up a parade to celebrate our five medals? Now we’re talking about Sascoc that talked about we’ll be lucky to get 10 medals at Rio. You know what? We have the athletes, we have the talent, but a lot of these kids give up, because… Not only because of transformation and quotas, but because the funding is not getting into the right hands. Of you look at the bank accounts and if we did lifestyle audits on sports ministry to Sascoc, to all these people, to the people that sit on the Lotto distribution board, it would be unbelievable. They’ve all formed this group together that you can’t… almost the untouchables of South African sport. And it hurts me to see what’s going on.
R: Can I go on to something completely different? Township TV… where did that come from? And what was it about?
G: It makes me sad, actually, because that was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever done. We put up 22 big screen televisions in the townships to give people free entertainment. It was over the time when football went from the SABC to Supersport. And we thought: “Wow.” A friend of mine came over and said: “Graeme, surely this is wrong? How do the masses that can’t afford DSTV end up watching football on a Saturday afternoon, on a Wednesday night or Friday night?” It was born after about six months. We put up our first big screen in Diepsloot and eventually we put up 22 around the country. They became Fan Parks 365 days of the year. The kids would come there and watch… We had to control the programming – we had the whole DSTV bouquet, so from 14:00 to 15:00 there would be cartoons, from 15:00 to 16:00 there would be National Geographic, 16:00 to 17:00 maybe Mzansi Magic, 17:00 to 18:00 maybe Supersport Blitz, and if there was a football game, it would be on until 22:00. People used to come to the parks, they used to congregate. I’ll never forget Day 1 when I arrived in the Diepsloot Park and did a Recce. There were no hawkers around the park. When we put up the TV, suddenly you had a shoe salesman, you had a hairdresser – it created jobs for the people. For the hawkers. We had 24 hour security. It created jobs – it actually makes my hair stand up.
R: How did you pay for it?
G: Through sponsors. So we had title sponsors. Initially it was MTN and it was Cell C, then it was DSTv. And the project is gone.
R: Why? Why did it run out of steam?
G: We got messed around. We got told this, we got promised…
R: Who?
G: By different individuals who I don’t want to name. You know, if you’re not in the advertising game and you’re not prepared to give backhands… If you’re straight shooter, life can be difficult. And sadly that’s what happened. We were made promises. There were people that were going to buy us out and take it to another whole level. It never materialised. To this day the equipment is sitting in storage. It breaks my heart that the people, the kids, the people… To this day people send me messages… They think the TVs are going to be switched back on. I’ve been let down. Johannesburg City Parks… They… You know, I wish… That’s what aggravates me more, is people in positions of power. Whether it’s the City of Jo’burg, the City Parks… wherever. Sponsors. Big Corporates. They should have a duty to look after what’s really important, and the people of this country. So I feel… I did it for seven years. I couldn’t fight with the municipalities anymore. We did something so good for the communities, but when you got costs of R500 000 or R600 000 per month and you’re not getting any funding for it, there’s little you can do. We have a case where the City of Jo’burg still owes us R1.7 million from AFCON 2013. Legal battle to try and get the money, but they’re not prepared to pay. Where has that money gone? R2.5 million was allocated to Township TV – R1.7 million is what we invoiced. That brought down the end of the company. I can’t cover those costs? Very sad. Very sad.
R: It’s hard to move on sometimes. You leave something behind you and say: “Okay, that’s it.”
G: I said to the lawyers yesterday. They said: “Graeme, are you prepared to fight?” They defend every motion. When it comes to government… if you sit in a roll call in a court. Everything is against the fund. The Fund. The Fund. The Fund. Government agencies don’t pay. The make promises. They get… You give them the services.
R:They have the deep pockets which the individual does not have.
G: They use the public money to sue. They appeal, they do this, they do that. Is it worth going for two or three years of my life fighting for when you may not even get the money? When you can spend close to that kind of money on just fighting it?
R: So your decision is?
G: I don’t know. Maybe. The guys say “Graeme, you’re still quite angry”. Let’s wait until January. But maybe my decision is to give up. And the same with Sascoc. They’re suing me, using public money. Money that should be going to our athletes. They spent over R1 million. We haven’t gone to trial yet. They’ve spent over R1 million, suing me, just to silence me. To bully me. It makes no sense.
R: Let’s talk about more peaceful things. Tell me about your home? Where do you live and how did you happen to arrive there?
G: I grew up in Highlands North, went to Highlands Boys… great. Those were my fond memories. As a kid growing up in Highlands North, walking to school… special times! Those were great. Lived in Atlanta for seven years, came back here. Lived in a townhouse in Rivonia, but for a bachelor too much admin. Things were breaking. I didn’t have a handyman. When a globe went I would have to get someone to come and fix it! So I gave up on a two or three bedroom townhouse in Rivonia and since then I live in an apartment in Morningside. Lock up and go. I love it! A rental – I don’t own anything. If anything goes wrong, I call reception and say: “Guys, come and fix this.” If the TV goes I say: “Guys, come and fix this.” I love it. It’s just an easy, very convenient to where I am. It’s a lock up and go two bedroom apartment – easy. Got a microwave – very important.
R: Is there something sentimental that you take with you? That makes it yours? Or do you just use it? Utilitarian?
G: Jis, very little sentimental… My golf clubs. Got to have my golf clubs – if I lose those… If anything gets stolen from me, it would be the worst thing you could steal from me. But I’m not a very… I’m working from home as well, so I’ve got to be comfortable, but there’s nothing of real sentimental value that I hold dear to me in my apartment.
R: And that’s the way you want to be? You don’t have a castle in the air of a dream house somewhere?
G: I keep thinking about having gone to Rhodes, the Eastern Cape is very close to my heart. I would love to maybe live in a place where I could just wake up one day and smell the ocean, have coffee sitting at a coffee shop and hearing the waves hit the rocks. Even though I’m not a big beach fan, I just think that will change… It’s a calming effect. Jo’burg has almost become quite… too tense for me. The Wild West, because of a lot of the bad experiences that I’ve now more recently had.
R: Well that is also what you focus on. That’s where your attention is.
G: Correct. And when you investigate so many different things, a lot of your mindset is negative energy. A lot of the time. But I love that part of it. I’m not worried about that, but maybe there’s a time for a change just to get out and live somewhere else for a while.
R: But it sounds as if three months will be enough? You can’t sit on the stoep or sit at the coffee shop and have coffee every day forever?
G: Valid. I was telling someone I was maybe going to move down to Port Alfred, and they said: “You’ll go off your rocker down in Port Alfred.” I said I work from home so I just need my desktop, and then I’ve got all the information in there. But I still play corporate functions that are due in Jo’burg – I still love it. I do so much for charity. If I go back down in the last ten years, how many charity functions did I do? And sjoe, it makes me feel good.
R: And the work is here. That’s the one thing about Johannesburg: It pulses.
G: Correct. No there is a great pulse, but maybe, who knows? Still young.
R: So I’m sure many people remember when 94.7 was looking for a wife. Were you really looking for a wife?
G: Sjoe, don’t remind me about that competition! You know, Jeremy and them were looking for avenues for more marketing budgets and make more money, whatever. One day I was at home and I was watching The Bachelor on TV, and I thought: “How’s this guy!” All these American bombshells throwing themselves at him! And I said: “Sjoe, help a poor oke like Joffers!” And I said: “Jeremy, how’s that for me?” So he says: “Ah, ja, ja.” I didn’t hear a word until about a month later when he comes back to me and says it’s sponsored. I said: “What’s sponsored?” He said: “Joffers, my girl!” I’m going: “You’ve got to be kidding me!” So there was no turning back, but I did warn them right from the beginning, I said: “Guys, please don’t model it right from the beginning that Joffers will marry the winner.” I mean please, I’ve been a bachelor for… At that stage I was 42… Don’t model it like Joffers, this is the end of Joffers. And you know what – the first couple of days were funny. It was different. But sjoe – after three weeks living with five girls in the Penthouse. One of you is enough! For them it was a party. I had to wake up every morning at 4:30 and still go to the station, but look, people still…
R: And then report on last night?
J: Correct. You know, luckily the girls all stayed in one apartment, and then I stayed in one apartment in the Michelangelo, and then the last week – that’s when we all stayed together in one apartment. For the rest I’ve signed a confidentiality clause. I can’t tell you anymore.
R: But you’re still… What are the pros and cons of bachelorhood?
G: You know, I think you want someone in your life. I’m reaching a stage now where I can’t be happy my whole life. I’m now 46, and I think it’s time to share… There were a lot of times where I wanted to share it with that special person, and look: I’ve become this kind of selfish individual where you’re very set in your ways, so it’s not easy to share with somebody. You need to find that special person and hopefully that’s something that will happen to me, and to be able to share your life with someone special. I think you do want that. Everyone will tell you there are a lot of pros being a bachelor. You don’t have to tell what time you’re going to be home, you don’t have to worry about this, cleaning this, or worry about that, or leaving the toilet seat up. I don’t know. I’ll learn fast I think when I do finally get into that serious relationship.
R: But that’s not a vacancy ad?
G: No, not at all. I’m not advertising that, no. But if you want to advertise on SportsFire Daily, yes!
R: Graeme, thank you so much. And all of the very, very best.
G: No Ruda, what a pleasure! And it brings back fond memories to see you and all the incredible journalism that you were doing on Carte Blanche in those days. For me it’s been a privilege and an honour.
R: Thank you. Go well.
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