Steve Kromberg is the new general manager of Grocott's Mail, taking over from Louise Vale, who will be leaving at the end of the year. Grocott's Mail reporter Khanyiso Tshwaku got to know more about him.
So where are you originally from?
Steve Kromberg is the new general manager of Grocott's Mail, taking over from Louise Vale, who will be leaving at the end of the year. Grocott's Mail reporter Khanyiso Tshwaku got to know more about him.
So where are you originally from?
I was born in Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal, then lived in Cape Town up until I was five. I went to school in Pretoria, from where I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Town. I then went to Wits University where I did my postgraduate studies and also lectured. I moved back to Cape Town in 1997, then I came here.
Is this your first time in Grahamstown?
No, but it is the first time I'm living here. I spent some time here when I was the president of the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) in the late 80s.
What do you like about Grahamstown?
I like the fact that it is human-scale. It is a microcosm of South Africa and is a very lively frontier town with huge social challenges.
What interests you and what makes your blood boil?
People and their infinite creativity, both in making a better life for themselves and expressing themselves. I am also interested in the connections between people and their environments. Cruelty and injustice make my blood boil, especially when human beings are responsible for creating poverty and inequality and when they are slow to take responsibility for changing these factors.
What other managerial and leadership roles have you handled?
The biggest task that I have taken on was working for the National Department of Arts and Culture. There I managed their RDP projects in all nine provinces and the development of their creative industries' growth strategies between 1995 and 2000. I also managed a number of non-profit organisations working in the publishing and media stream as well as being involved in running my own business, which was callled Turnstyle Media, and serving as a director on the board of David Phillips Publishers, which became Nu-Afrika Books.
Tell us something that we do not know about you?
I have been passionate about writing since I was a youngster, and that my father was a Presbyterian minister who fed my commitment to changing South Africa.
What challenges do you think you will face in Grahamstown and at Grocott's Mail?
My key challenge will be to improve the financial sustainability of the David Rabkin Project for Experiential Journalism, which owns Grocott's Mail, while at the same time enhancing its educational role and its commitment to social development in Grahamstown.
How big are the shoes that you are going to fill?
Enormous. Louise Vale and the staff of Grocott's Mail have achieved incredible results and established Grocott's Mail as the heart and soul of Grahamstown. Filling Louise's shoes is an exciting and daunting task but at the same time I want to bring my own creativity, commitment and leadership to the job.
