It’s not often journalists have the kind of lasting impact on society to the point where they are remembered long after their death.
Journalists die all the time; as readers you may not even miss the byline.
Journalists who don’t die, but leave the business of news media often fade into obscurity, becoming PR shills, or spokespeople, or corporate communications experts. Sometimes they found their own communications companies, but rarely do they leave a lasting impact on the industry.
There is one journalist who bucked the trend this week, as he was known to buck other trends during the span of his glittering career.
This week in Cape Town, we bid farewell to a giant among us in Jermaine Craig. A giant in both stature and impact. A kind soul. A genuine soul. A humble soul.
Jermaine’s impact spread beyond the world of journalism. Beyond news media. He impacted people’s lives positively.
A former colleague of mine, Jovial Rantao, mentioned to me at the Cape Town memorial for Jermaine on Wednesday night that it seemed every speaker who paid tribute to Jermaine had been handed the same script.
That is the definition of integrity - Jermaine was the same person in every circle, with every person he came into contact with.
His heart was as big as he was tall, and he stood head and shoulders above the rest of us, literally and metaphorically.
I first got to know Jermaine during his time as media manager for the organising committee of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I was a sports journalist covering the event from Gqeberha (at the time, Port Elizabeth), stationed there by broadcaster eNCA.
I got to know Jermaine a little more intimately when I joined one of my best friends Gasant Abarder at Independent Media. He and Jermaine attended the same high school in Salt River, and had followed each other between titles in Cape Town and Johannesburg in the Independent Newspapers stable - the Cape Times, Cape Argus and The Star. Both served as editors of these fine titles; Gasant jokes Jermaine was the meat in an editorial sandwich where Gasant was the bread. Jermaine’s editorship of The Argus fell slap bang in the middle of Gasant’s two terms as editor.
I got to know Jermaine’s wife, Michelle while working with her at eNCA, before I knew Jermaine well. They are amazing people, and I have no doubt their two boys will grow up to be just as honourable people as their fine parents.
Jermaine had a way of creeping into your heart, and when he asked a favour, you were honoured to answer the call. He could pull strings, make connections, organise and assist whenever you needed.
Jermaine genuinely made you feel seen and heard.
His memorial in Cape Town on Wednesday night brought together a congregation from all walks of life, his colleagues in the media, his friends, family and extended family. It was a gathering of media royalty; trailblazers all in their own right, those who had inspired, and been inspired by Jermaine, those who kicked down doors and created space for journalists of colour, and those who continue this legacy. A motley crew of misfits are we journalists.
Very seldom before had I felt the mutual love, shared respect, and deep mourning of a man taken from us far too soon, than I did in St George’s Cathedral on Wednesday night.
No-one mourns a journalist. But when Jermaine Craig died on December 4, 2023, his passing was felt across South Africa, Africa and beyond. We mourn a great man.
Farewell, Jermaine. Peace be the journey, bra.