South Africa’s Catholic Newspaper Closing Up Shop after Nearly 100 Years of Publication

He added, “The bad news is that this will be accomplished with no full-time staff. As of July 31, all staff members of this newspaper will be retrenched, from the editor to the general assistant. That is 130 years of combined service going out of the door.”

In the editorial, “This is our Future”, Mr. Simmermacher went ahead to detail the blood, sweat and tears that had characterized the journey of the Southern Cross including financial struggles and finally, how COVID-19 dealt the final blow to the publication.

“Like so many other businesses and institutions, the coronavirus crisis and the resultant crashing economy have wrought havoc with our capacity to continue operation as before,” he said.

“Our financial reserves are exhausted, and with churches still not reopening, or doing so under heavy restrictions, there is no immediate prospect of assured income which might allow us to retain our staff,” said Mr. Simmermacher.

Asked whether there is hope that the situation of the Catholic newspaper could be salvaged, the editor said the publication was beyond saving.

“As a weekly newspaper, no,” he told ACI Africa about saving the newspaper.

“Three of us will carry on as freelancers, at a hugely reduced rate of compensation, to bring out the weekly newspaper digitally until we launch The Southern Cross as a printed and digital magazine,” he said in his Wednesday, July 15 interview with ACI Africa.

The Southern Cross has published every week, without fail, since 16 October 1920. That's very close to 100 years.

Over the years, initiatives have been undertaken to keep the newspaper afloat without reaching out to the members of the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) who own 51 percent in founder shares, according to the editor.

“We've always been self-sufficient, and in living memory never asked for or received a cent from the SACBC by way of subsidy,” Mr. Simmermacher told ACI Africa.

The editor decries lack of support to the newspaper, especially to its staff who he says were committed to their work and sacrificed to keep the newspaper going through four months of COVID-19 lockdown.

“The staff has struggled with a formidable spirit through these difficult months, even when influential voices explicitly withdrew their support just when we needed it most,” said Simmermacher.

He added, “Such ill-timed opposition, cruelly coming at a moment when our staff members were worried about the future, for themselves and for the newspaper they love, was offset by the signs of support offered by many others.”

The editor expressed gratitude to the SACBC members led by Bishop Sithembele Sipuka who sent a goodwill message to the publication. Other messages of goodwill, he said, had come from readers and friends of the publication where others sent financial support to try to salvage the situation of the newspaper.

In his Wednesday, July 15 interview with ACI Africa, Mr. Simmermacher said that staff at Southern Cross had been alerted about the imminent changes at the Catholic publication.

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Staff at the Southern Cross, he said, knew the moment when the churches closed in March that the newspaper would be at risk.

“At the time, we hoped that churches might be more or less operational again by August, but that won't be the case. I don't think anybody was taken by complete surprise, but everybody is hurting because we all love this newspaper,” Mr. Simmermacher told ACI Africa.

Even then, he said that plans were underway to transform the weekly newspaper into a magazine in 2021 after its centenary.

“The pandemic speeded things up and robbed us of all staff. We hope that the magazine will be viable, to allow re-employment of staff,” he said.

All is not lost for South Africa’s only newspaper, which will be selling a monthly magazine and publishing Catholic news content on its website (www.scross.co.za) and on its social media platforms.

The magazine task is a heavy one, according to Mr. Simmermacher who joined The Southern Cross in January 1995 and has served it as editor-in-chief for the past 19 years, since 2001.

“The magazine project is a huge task,” he said, and added, “The new monthly magazine has to be conceptualized, designed and populated with virtually no budget and in record time. Happily, I like a challenge and I think I have the capacity to spearhead the creation of an attractive Catholic magazine.”

The anticipated magazine’s plan is to raise the funds to cover its reduced budget amid plans to launch it in September.

“Our bishops can't help us, because due to the closure of churches they've lost all income from their annual Lenten Appeal,” Simmermacher told ACI Africa July 15, adding that generous readers have tried their best to keep the publication alive.

Asked about his next move as a Catholic communicator, the editor said, “Of course, should a job offer come in, I would have to strongly consider it. But my hope is that the magazine we are planning to launch in late September will be a success.”