Why the Media Must Stop Misrepresenting Dr Iqbal Survé's Role in AYO

By Tonja van der Spuy

A recent article by journalist Ann Crotty, published on Currency News under the headline “AYO’s Legal Headaches Mount”, once again illustrates a concerning and persistent pattern in parts of South Africa’s financial media: the undue personalisation of corporate reporting, and in this case, the consistent and incorrect targeting of Dr Iqbal Survé in relation to AYO Technology Solutions.

At the centre of this latest report is not just the content of the article – which rehashes ongoing legal and regulatory issues related to AYO – but the image choice and repeated framing. Prominently featured is a photograph of Dr Survé, despite the fact that he is not a direct shareholder in AYO, nor has he issued any public statement on the matter discussed. 

Dr Survé is also not on the Board of the company now involved in its daily management.

It is important to clarify the facts. AYO Technology Solutions is a publicly listed company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Its majority shareholder is Sekunjalo Investment Holdings, in which Dr Survé holds an interest. But to continually depict him as though he were the de facto or singular controlling party of AYO, and to visually associate him with every perceived controversy, is not only misleading - it is disingenuous and potentially defamatory.

It is standard practice in financial journalism to refer to company directors, executives, or shareholders when they make statements, take material actions, or are legally central to the story. In this case, none of that applies. Dr Survé has neither commented on the issues raised in the Currency News article, nor has he taken any visible action that would warrant his inclusion in the narrative.

Yet, this is not an isolated incident. Over the past several years, there has been a trend in which Dr Survé’s name and image are used - at times gratuitously - in coverage relating to AYO or other Sekunjalo-linked entities. Whether motivated by personal bias, political pressure, or a desire to sensationalise, the effect is the same: a distortion of reality and an erosion of media credibility.

Let’s be clear: media freedom is a cornerstone of democracy. But with that freedom comes a duty of accuracy, fairness, and responsibility. When the same individual is repeatedly cast in the spotlight without clear factual basis, it undermines not just that individual’s reputation but the integrity of journalism itself.

We, as the public, must demand better. South Africans deserve financial reporting that is clear-eyed, nuanced, and free from personal vendettas or proxy battles. To use a person’s image to represent a company they do not directly control, without evidence of their involvement in a particular matter, is to mislead the public.

AYO Technology Solutions, like all listed companies, must be held to account when necessary - but it should be done objectively and without unnecessary personalisation. The media’s role is to inform the public, not to vilify individuals based on assumption or association.

It is time we called this out for what it is - and called for a return to the principles of balanced, evidence-based journalism. Ann Crotty should know better.

* Tonja van der Spuy is an independent writer. 

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.