RaDical MiDDle - ColdType

74 | denis beckett
7
broke baronet
Pieter le roux opens his chapter in ‘a future South
africa’ by quoting the British philosopher anthony Giddins to
the effect that man does indeed shape his destiny, but not in
the way he thinks and not with the results he intends.
That sums up Frontline. I shaped it, alright, but into none of
the things I thought it would be, starting with prosperous.
The idea was a hangover from those long discussions with
John Marquard about de-racialising World. Frontline was going
to be the most raceless journal there ever was. It would reflect
and forge the new South africa where nobody would notice
complexion. It would be the meeting place for everyone from
crimplene Grieta in Brakpan to Sophie Mthetwa at the mealiestand.
It was going to deal objectively and non-racially with the
issues of the day, so clearly and readably that no South african
with half a brain could afford to miss it. It was going to be the
nucleus of the rising press barony – well, baronetcy anyhow – of
the eighties, and after a short spell of temporary belt-tightening