DEAR Editor,-
I am quite amazed that you consistently publish negative stories and photos on the front page of your newspaper in respect of Margate.
The feeling amongst a number of business people who operate businesses or merely live in Margate is that you are deliberately giving Margate a bad name and doing more to trash Margate’s economy than the so-called ‘enlightened students’ who are trashing universities.
How is it possible that robberies and attacks which do not take place in Margate are incorrectly headlined ‘Robbery/Attack/ Rape’ and so on, in Margate?
I have been asked the following questions by various business owners and/or residents of Margate and Uvongo:
1 Is the Herald afraid to publish the same negative reports on Port Shepstone because more businesses from Port Shepstone and its environs contribute to your coffers, and bad front page headlines would cause you a loss of revenue?
OR
2 Are you intimating that the South African Police Services stationed in Margate are not carrying out policing and investigation as thoroughly as the Port Shepstone South African Police Services?
Quite frankly, I believe you should not be distributing your publication for sale in Margate or its neighbours, but should limit your sales to Oslo Beach and further northwards.
We, as a business community, who rely on positive feed to the public to enhance tourism for our area, have now had enough of your negativity, and unless your publication becomes more positive about our town and its neighbours, we will start a boycott against advertisements and sales in and about your publication.
IAN KALIL
Margate
Bevis Fairbrother responds.
DEAR Mr Kalil,
We certainly understand your distress and feel it just as much as you. We would dearly love to publish more positive things about the coast and Margate in particular at all times. We are really trying to balance the bad with the good. This week’s front page is a case in point.
However, we have many other businessmen who also approach us about the problems and beg for us to highlight them so that those in power can take the necessary action. Unfortunately, not all is rosy and we would not be doing anyone any favours if we merely buried our heads in the sand. Margate should be the gem of the coast, but there is no escaping the fact that things are deteriorating. If everyone turns a blind eye, perhaps the coast will have to kiss Margate goodbye in the not too distant future. And then your business would be in jeopardy.
BEVIS FAIRBROTHER
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