Jani Allan (born 11 September 1952) is a South African journalist, columnist, writer and broadcaster. She became one of the country's first media celebrities in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1980, Allan became a columnist for the

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...

newspaper, the ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', South Africa's biggest-circulating weekly newspaper. She published columns such as ''Just Jani'', ''Jani Allan's Week,'' and ''Face to Face''. The newspaper commissioned a

Gallup poll Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its bu ...

in 1987 to find "the most admired person in South Africa" and she came first. In 2015,

Marianne Thamm Marianne Thamm is a South African journalist, author and stand-up comedian. She is the assistant editor of the ''Daily Maverick'' and has written several books. In 2016 she released the memoir, ''Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me''.

of the ''

Daily Maverick ''Daily Maverick'' is a South African daily online publication and weekly print newspaper, with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Its readership is spread across South Africa and the world, with approximately 8 million readers per month. I ...

'' described Allan as having been "the most influential writer and columnist in the country." She later became the subject of press interest over the nature of her relationship with an interview subject,

Eugène Terre'Blanche Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche (, 31 January 1941Terre'Blanche's year of birth is alternately given as 1941 or 1944. The majority of sources indicates 1941; sources that claim 1944 as his year of birth includ''The Star''Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

over

Nick Broomfield Nicholas Broomfield (born 1948) is an English documentary film director. His self-reflective style has been regarded as influential to many later filmmakers. In the early 21st century, he began to use non-actors in scripted works, which he cal ...

's documentary, ''

The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife ''The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife'' is a 1991 British feature-length documentary film set during the final days of the apartheid in South Africa, particularly centring on Eugène Terre'Blanche, founder and leader of the far-right A ...

''. Broomfield denied raising affair allegations and a team of witnesses was flown in from South Africa to support both sides. Allan lost the suit, with the judge declining to state that anyone had lied in court. After a brief stint working at her newspaper's London bureau, she began writing freelance columns for British publications and published a regular column for ''

Scope Scope or scopes may refer to: People with the surname * Jamie Scope (born 1986), English footballer * John T. Scopes (1900–1970), central figure in the Scopes Trial regarding the teaching of evolution Arts, media, and entertainment * Cinem ...

''. She returned to South Africa in 1996, publishing a sponsored web column and presenting a radio show on Cape Talk. After an extended break she returned to the South African media frame in 2013. In 2014, she made headlines around the world after publishing an open letter to accused murderer Oscar Pistorius. Jacana Media published Allan's memoirs, '' Jani Confidential,'' on 16 March 2015. She began writing semi-regularly for ''

The Epoch Times ''The Epoch Times'' is a far-right international multi-language newspaper and media company affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement. The newspaper, based in New York City, is part of the Epoch Media Group, which also operates New ...

'' from 2018. In South Africa she continues to write freelance opinion pieces, with her work mostly appearing in the ''

'', '' Fair Lady,'' and more recently in ''

Rapport Rapport () is a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned are "in sync" with each other, understand each other's feelings or ideas, and communicate smoothly. The word stems from the French verb which means liter ...

''. In 2020 Allan began publishing opinion columns for RT (formerly Russia Today), the Russian broadcaster and news agency. Allan has lived in the United States since 2001.

Early life

Allan was adopted by a wealthy British-South African couple, John Murray Allan and Janet Sophia Henning, at the age of one month.Jani het van kleins af fantastiese verbeelding gehad, sê ma
Beeld. 27 July 1992 Allan's adoptive father, a former sub-editor of the Johannesburg daily ''

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

,'' died when she was 18 months old. Her mother was an antiques dealer with a store in

Randburg Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng, Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roo ...

. Allan was raised by Henning and her second husband, Walter Eric Monteith Fry. The family lived in Randburg before moving to Bryanston in Sandton. Allan attended Franklin D. Roosevelt Primary School as well as Blairgowrie Primary School where one of her contemporaries was the writer

Rian Malan Rian Malan (born 1954, in Johannesburg) is a South African author, journalist, documentarist and songwriter of Afrikaner descent. He first rose to prominence as the author of the memoir '' My Traitor's Heart'', which, like the bulk of his wor ...

. She later attended

Roedean School Roedean School is an independent day and boarding school founded in 1885 in Roedean Village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, England, and governed by Royal Charter. It is for girls aged 11 to 18. The campus is situated near the Sus ...

and graduated from

Greenside High School Greenside High School is a public co-educational high school in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Greenside High School (Top Public School in Gauteng 2007) is situated in the suburb of Greenside, Gauteng, Greenside. Academics The school als ...

. She is a trained

classical pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, recorded a televised piano concerto as a child,Streak, Diana. "Victim or Vixen?" nterview Fair Lady, 28 May 1997 and made her debut with Johannesburg symphony orchestra at the age of 10. She also attained a BA Honours degree in Fine Art at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

where she also obtained a H.E.D. Post-grad Teaching Diploma. Allan received a first for painting and design, and local gallery owner Trevor Coleman offered to give her a one-woman exhibition. British newscaster Michael de Morgan opened the exhibition that was attended by art critic and watercolour artist Richard Cheales.

Career

Prior to becoming a journalist, Allan worked as a photographic model and an English and Art teacher at

Wynberg Boys' High School Wynberg Boys' High School is a public English medium boys high school situated in the suburb of Wynberg of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Founded in 1841, it is one of the best academic schools in Cape Town, it is the ...

, Bryanston High School, and Sevenoaks Finishing School. Allan's first published work was a series of classical music reviews for '' The Citizen''.

1980–1989: ''Sunday Times''

In 1980, Allan was employed by editor

Tertius Myburgh Albert Tertius Myburgh (26 December 1936 – 2 December 1990) was a South African journalist and editor, best known as editor of the '' Sunday Times'' between 1975-1990.nterview

. 28 January 1990 to write a column for the ''

,'' then the nation's biggest-circulating weekly newspaper. Later, in the main body of the ''Sunday Times'' newspaper, she also began publishing ''Radio Jani'', her music reviews. She also had a nightly pop news spot on the David Gresham show on

Springbok Radio Springbok Radio (spelled ''Springbokradio'' in Afrikaans, ) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1986. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financia ...

. In 1986 she began publishing ''Jani Allan's Week'' in the main newspaper. She would report on parties hosted by South Africa's elite and continue to interview famous figures. A year later Allan was in

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

covering the Marlin fishing when the Helderberg

South African Airways Flight 295 South African Airways Flight 295 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan, to Jan Smuts International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa, with a stopover in Plaisance Airport, Plaine Mag ...

crashed east of the island. Allan and her colleague Geoff Allan were the first journalists at the airport. The ''Sunday Times'' published their joint report on the crash that killed everyone on board. She was voted "the most admired person in South Africa" in a

commissioned by the ''

'' in 1987. ''

'' writer Marianne Thamm supports this view, describing Allan as "once the most influential writer and columnist in the country." In 1988, her bosses replaced ''Jani Allan's Week'' with "Face to Face", a profile column with greater focus on political subjects. As South Africa became increasingly isolated in the international community because of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

, she interviewed political players such as

Eugène Terre'Blanche Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche (, 31 January 1941Terre'Blanche's year of birth is alternately given as 1941 or 1944. The majority of sources indicates 1941; sources that claim 1944 as his year of birth includ''The Star''Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She se ...

Denis Worrall Denis John Worrall (born 29 May 1935 in Benoni, Transvaal, Union of South Africa)Who's Who in Southern Africa ...

, and

Mangosuthu Buthelezi Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (born 27 August 1928) is a South African politician and Zulu traditional leader who is currently a Member of Parliament and the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family. He was Chief Minister of the ...

.Rooi Jani, die spy
Rapport. 20 February 2000

Assassination attempt and emigration

Following an assassination attempt on her life in 1989, secret service agents advised her to leave South Africa. She resumed work for the Johannesburg newspaper from their London office. In London, Allan launched a new column for the newspaper titled ''Jani at Large'' with the tag-line ''Jani Allan - Reporting from London''. After six weeks in London, Allan returned to work at the Johannesburg office. After a week back at work, Allan was asked to hand in her resignation as she had "become the story". Allan's tenure at the newspaper ended in September 1989.

1990–1996: London

By 1990 Allan had become a regular columnist for the South African weekly magazine, ''

'', launching the self-titled ''Jani Allan'' column from her base in London. At the peak of its success, ''Scope'' had the largest circulation of any English-language magazine in South Africa. An article written by Allan on 5 October 1990, volume 25, number 20 in the magazine was presented by the MP Dries Bruwer to the South African parliament in 1991 in support of a legislation issue. ZJuliet with Charlton Heston (cropped2)

In 1990, she also worked as an occasional society columnist for the London ''

,'' interviewing personalities such as

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

for the newspaper and publishing opinion pieces for the newspaper. She later worked for the

SABC The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

broadcaster and journalist, Cliff Saunders's London press agency and interviewed South African and European political figures such as

Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (, born 20 June 1928) is a French far-right politician who served as President of the National Front from 1972 to 2011. He also served as Honorary President of the National Front from 2011 to 2015. Le Pen graduated fro ...

. Allan was also published by the London ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' where she published reports on her former inquisitor George Carman's latest case, in which Carman was defending ''

The People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ' ...

'' against a libel case taken by Mona Bauwens. She also wrote for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' where she described Carman as "a small bewigged ferret." Allan published opinion pieces in the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' and British conservative magazine ''

The Salisbury Review ''The Salisbury Review'' is a quarterly British magazine of conservative thought. It was founded in 1982 by the Salisbury Group, who sought to articulate and further traditional intellectual conservative ideas. The ''Review'' was named after Robe ...

.'' She also did research for and contributed to the anti-fascist magazine ''

Searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...

''. The book that had been embroiled in controversy during the libel case because of its content was titled ''White Sunset'' and had right-wing groups in South Africa as its subject. It was alluded to in 1988 during her association with Terre'Blanche. In 1992 her agent described it to the British media as "a very serious look at the break-up of white society in South Africa" which features "fly-on-the-wall reportage". Several chapters had been seen and cover art had been developed but the project was ultimately not pursued. She had also completed ''Fast Cars to Ventersdorp'', a satirical look at her involvement with Terre'Blanche. It was compared to the style of

Tom Sharpe Thomas Ridley Sharpe (30 March 1928 – 6 June 2013) was an English satirical novelist, best known for his '' Wilt'' series, as well as ''Porterhouse Blue'' and ''Blott on the Landscape,'' all three of which were adapted for television. Life ...

and in the foreword she explained that she had written it because "I want to leave the past behind me."Wavell, Stuart. "The trials of Jani Allan", ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', 9 August 1992. p.5/1 In 1995, she gave a primetime interview to

1996–2001: return to South Africa

Allan's return to South Africa in 1996 was marked by an appearance on the cover of ''

Style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

'' magazine and an in-depth interview. In the same year she took up a position as a host on Cape Talk Radio, a

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

-based radio show, and launched her show ''Jani's World'', which aired on Friday evenings between 9 p.m. and midnight. Well-known political and entertainment figures appeared on her show including

Constand Viljoen General Constand Laubscher Viljoen, (28 October 1933 – 3 April 2020) was a South African military commander and politician. He co-founded the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Front) and later founded the Freedom Front (now F ...

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

n Premier

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

, and

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden ...

. The ''

Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cultu ...

'' praised the way in which the "no guts no glory" content creates a refreshing, witty forum". Soon after establishing the radio show in Cape Town, she was contracted by

MWEB Mweb is an Internet Service Provider based in South Africa since 1997. Mweb is a division of Internet Solutions Digital (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Dimension Data, and its headquarters are located in the Mweb Building in Parow, Cape Town. Hi ...

to launch the website "CyberJani" with a weekly column, letters page and live chatline. The stated mission of the column was to provide "all the truth that is unfit to print and equally offensive to the left, the right and the centre". Allan tackled a variety of subjects such as Affirmative action and gender issues. She also published a social diary. In 1998, Allan appeared in the

documentary film, ''

Red Jacket Red Jacket (known as ''Otetiani'' in his youth and ''Sagoyewatha'' eeper Awake''Sa-go-ye-wa-tha'' as an adult because of his oratorical skills) (c. 1750–January 20, 1830) was a Seneca people, Seneca orator and Tribal chief, chief of the Wolf ...

'' to discuss the South Africa-based

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n artist, Vladimir Tretchikoff known for painting the '' Chinese Girl''. In the same year she made another screen appearance as a Parisian model in the

Pieter-Dirk Uys Pieter-Dirk Uys (; born 28 September 1945) is a South African performer, author, satirist, and social activist. One of his best known roles is as Evita Bezuidenhout, an Afrikaner socialite. Background and early life Uys was born in Cape Town o ...

comedy, ''Going Down Gorgeous''. Allan's radio show, ''Jani's World,'' became one of the station's most popular, but attracted controversy in September 1999 when Allan interviewed American right-winger Keith Johnson of the Militia of Montana. Johnson expressed several controversial and offensive opinions. Allan distanced herself from Johnson's views and apologised for the offense caused to Jewish listeners. Due to the negative reaction from individual listeners and from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies the station was instructed to issue an apology two days later. Allan left the radio station in October 2000. In 2000–2001, she was a speechwriter for Buthelezi.

2001–2012: United States

Between 2004 and 2005, Allan wrote on a freelance basis for titles such as

WorldNetDaily ''WND'' (formerly ''WorldNetDaily'') is an American far-right fake news website. It is known for promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories, including the false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Th ...

. As a personal interest, she also worked as a published

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

. In 2006, Allan's controversial Terre'Blanche column was republished in the book ''A Century of Sundays: 100 Years of Breaking News in the Sunday Times''. The book included details of the libel case and reproduced reportage about the case. Jani Allan phones home

2013–present: ''Jani Confidential'' and freelance

In 2013, Allan was approached as a subject for a magazine article following "yesterday's media icons." Allan joined

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and publishing a new blog titled ''My Grilling Life''. She regularly wrote satirical pieces about her experiences in the restaurant where she once worked. In October 2013, she was the subject of a profile piece by the ''

'' newspaper titled "The Return of Jani Allan". Allan announced to the newspaper a new media project, an interactive biography project about her life and South Africa. In conjunction she launched a new self-titled website. On 16 October, Allan made a morning radio programme appearance on the Redi Thlabi show, broadcast on Johannesburg's

Radio 702 702 is a commercial FM radio station based in Johannesburg, South Africa, broadcasting on FM 92.7 and FM 106 to the greater Gauteng province. The station is also webcast via its website. It claims to be Johannesburg's number one news and talk ...

and Cape Town's Cape Talk. On 27 October, an interview with Allan was published in the Business Times section of her former newspaper, the ''Sunday Times''. In September 2014, ''Dekat'', an upmarket South African lifestyle magazine published in English and Afrikaans, featured a column by Allan. Allan's column was part of the magazine's 1980's edition and is a letter from Allan to her younger self. In October 2014, the ''

'' published Allan's column titled "I refuse to be the poster child of slut-shaming" in which Allan takes issue with comments made by City Press editor

Ferial Haffajee Ferial Haffajee (born 20 February 1967) is a South African journalist and newspaper editor. Haffajee was editor of '' City Press'' newspaper from July 2009 until July 2016 and was previously the editor of the ''Mail & Guardian'' newspaper. Haf ...

.I refuse to be the poster child of slut-shaming
''Daily Maverick''. 2 October 2014 Allan's column was supported by the respected journalist and sexual abuse victims activist, Charlene Smith. Smith described it as an "important, critical piece" and referred to Haffajee's reference as "thoughtless and cruel." Smith continued to describe Allan as "one of South Africa's great writers, and now ... one of South Africa's generations of brave women who speak up loudly and clearly about the harm they experience." Later that month the Afrikaans newspaper, ''Rapport'' published an interview with Allan. On 1 January 2015, her former employer the ''Sunday Times'' published her hopes for 2015 in a feature that focuses on the South African Twitterati, some of the most popular social media personalities. In June 2015, the ''Daily Maverick'' published Allan's op-ed piece on forgiveness. June also saw the publication of Allan's guest column in ''

The Big Issue ''The Big Issue'' is a street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. ''The Big Issue'' is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individ ...

'' South Africa that was marketed as the Just Jani Allan column on the front cover. In July 2015, Allan became a regular columnist at ''BizNews''. In November 2015, the ''Daily Maverick'' published Allan's op-ed piece on feminism in popular culture. Cape Town academic Rhoda Kadalie praised the "well-written" piece "on feminism because it is truly controversial in many ways. Jani deals with the nexus of race, sex, wealth and beauty as pertains to the entertainment industry and her critiques are valid." Allan's column for the special annual edition of the ''Big Issue South Africa'' was published in December 2015. In the same month the Daily Maverick published Allan's widely circulated open letter column to her former editor,

Tertius Myburgh Albert Tertius Myburgh (26 December 1936 – 2 December 1990) was a South African journalist and editor, best known as editor of the '' Sunday Times'' between 1975-1990.Magnus Malan General Magnus André de Merindol Malan (30 January 1930 – 18 July 2011) was a South African military figure and politician during the last years of apartheid in South Africa. He served respectively as Minister of Defence in the cabinet of P ...

in light of the Bird Island scandal. In October of the same year she wrote a long-form piece for ''Fair Lady'' magazine about her second marriage. In April 2019, ''Rapport'' published a guest piece by Allan for the upcoming 2019 South African general election. In the piece, Allan expressed support for

Helen Zille Otta Helene Maree (''née'' Zille ; born 9 March 1951), known as Helen Zille, is a South African politician. She has served as the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance since 20 October 2019. From 2009 until 2019, she w ...

and

. In 2020, Allan wrote more regularly for ''Rapport''. The newspaper published Allan's obituary piece for

Sol Kerzner Solomon Kerzner, (23 August 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a South African accountant and business magnate. He founded both of South Africa's largest hotel groups, the Southern Sun Hotel Group and Sun International. He was also the Founder, Chai ...

and a piece she wrote about

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

in the United States, both cover stories for the ''Weekliks'' supplement. She also wrote for the newspaper about Joe Biden sexual assault allegation and

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

protests in United States. RT (Russia Today) In April 2020 Allan began writing opinion columns for RT (formerly Russia Today), the Russian TV network and news agency. ''Jani Confidential'' An interview with Allan and an extract from her memoirs, '' Jani Confidential'' was published in the February 2015 edition of ''Fair Lady''. On the weekend of 28–29 March, Jani Confidential was serialized by '' The Weekend Argus'' and by ''Rapport'' on 29 March 2015. Serializations were also published by the ''Sunday Tribune'' and the ''Sunday Independent''. On 30 March, ''

'' published an extract from the book. Allan's memoirs were positively reviewed by Marika Sboros, an ex-''

Rand Daily Mail ''The Rand Daily Mail'' was a South African newspaper published from 1902 until it was controversially closed in 1985 after adopting an outspoken anti-apartheid stance in the midst of a massive clampdown on activists by the security forces. The ...

'' reporter now writing for BizNews. "Allan's memoirs are well written, punctuated with her characteristic style: the surgical journalistic precision, creativity, biting wit, bitchiness, and black humour aimed as much at herself as others." She continues: "There is an overwhelming unadorned, painful honesty and openness in her version of events and minutiae of the detail, a compelling coherence throughout". Sboros then commended the apolitical nature of the memoirs, citing the honesty of her privileged white upbringing: "She comes across as what she was at the time: not just a babe, but a foetus in the woods of South African apartheid politics."

journalist, Jenny Crws-Williams was also enthusiastic, saying that it "has to be a bestseller: tightly written, moving, funny & horrifying in one great cracker that keeps spilling out surprises." Allan's former ''Sunday Times'' colleague Gus Silber described the memoir as "A tragi-karmady of epic proportions. A tale of an epoch. So vividly & elegantly told." Rebecca Davis, a high-profile columnist at the ''

'' described the book as "truly, truly fascinating." Writing in the ''

,'' Marianne Thamm echoed Sboros' sentiment that the affair allegations with Terre'Blanche were untrue. Thamm describes the interview with Terre'Blanche as "misunderstood" and a tool in the "manufactured scandal." She praises the memoir as "searing in its honesty and insight, hilarious and unforgiving." Thamm continues: "It is a portrait of a time and a place, delicately (and often hilariously) captured by a woman who remains undoubtedly once of the most talented writers to emerge from that decade." Thamm concludes that "Allan herself is a survivor, one of those people who, in losing it all, gained herself and more." Allan's memoir has also been well received in the Afrikaans press. Herman Lategan's book review appeared in ''

Volksblad The ''Volksblad'' (English: People's Journal) is an Afrikaans-language daily newspaper published in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and distributed in the Free State and Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated ...

'', ''

Beeld ''Beeld'' (freely translated as ''Picture'' or ''Image'') is an Afrikaans-language daily newspaper that was launched on 16 September 1974. ''Beeld'' is distributed in four provinces of South Africa: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West, ...

,'' and ''

Die Burger ''Die Burger'' (English: The Citizen) is a daily Afrikaans-language newspaper, published by Naspers. By 2008, it had a circulation of 91,665 in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. Along with ''Beeld'' and ''Volksblad'', it is ...

''. Lategan wrote that Allan had been betrayed by "Judas friends" over jealousy and that she had been unfairly treated by a "patriarchal and chauvinistic media". He argues that Allan gave the conservative community ammunition as she was a target as an "outspoken" female figure in the public arena. She does not fit the mould of conservative women in South Africa as she is instead "a cosmopolitan mix of Sandton

kugel Kugel ( yi, קוגל , pronounced ) is a baked casserole, most commonly made from lokshen or Jewish egg noodles ( ) or potato. It is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish, often served on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. American Jews also serve it ...

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by ...

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and

Camilla Parker Bowles Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

". Lategan describes the memoir as "a journal of treachery, malice and a mirror on South African society". Len Ashton, Allan's former ''LifeStyle'' editor at the ''Sunday Times,'' reviewed Jani Confidential for the South African magazine, ''

Noseweek ''Noseweek'' is a South African tabloid published by Chaucer Publications that has appeared monthly since June 1993. It is best known for regular legal action against it, such as a failed bid at interdiction by banking group FirstRand (where editor ...

''. Ashton writes that ''Jani Confidential'' is "a page-turning memoir. Those who knew the columnist in her triumphant previous incarnation will be staggered by this tale of astonishing endurance. And wry humour." Ashton also mirrors other reviews by regarding the affair allegations against " llan,a fascinating woman," as "the humourless PC view."

Oscar Pistorius

On 14 April 2014, Allan published an open letter to Oscar Pistorius. Allan described the sports star as a "faux hero" and suggested that he had taken acting lessons in preparation for his court appearance. Allan also compared Pistorius with

Eugène Terre'Blanche Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche (, 31 January 1941Terre'Blanche's year of birth is alternately given as 1941 or 1944. The majority of sources indicates 1941; sources that claim 1944 as his year of birth includ''The Star''Daily Maverick ''Daily Maverick'' is a South African daily online publication and weekly print newspaper, with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Its readership is spread across South Africa and the world, with approximately 8 million readers per month. I ...

'', '' The Citizen'', ''Biz News'', and other news websites. The column was also reported on by other media titles such as ''Beeld''. Canada's ''

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' also reported on the effect of the column, publishing quotes and a link to the full text. The story has also garnered attention in the United States, with reports appearing in the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'',

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

, and on

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...

's website. On 21 April 2014,

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

broadcast an interview with Allan. Allan reiterated her belief that Pistorius had taken acting lessons and highlighted his alleged relationship with a 19-year-old in that year. A spokesperson for the Pistorius family has denied the claim that Pistorius took acting lessons. Anneliese Burgess, the media manager for the Pistorius family said the claims were "fictitious" and "totally devoid of any truth." Burgess continued "We deny in the strongest terms the contents of her letter in as far it relates to our client and further deny that our client has undergone any acting lessons or any form of emotional coaching." Allan's claims have been reported internationally, appearing in respected newspapers such as France's ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...

'', Spain's ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

,'' and Italy's ''

La Stampa ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...

''. Allan's piece also affected the case proceedings. Social worker Yvette van Schalkwyk said that she decided to testify in Pistorius' defence after reading what was said about the athlete in the media. Van Schalwyk alluded to Allan's column when she explained her motives: "What upset me was the fact that they said he had acting training, that he just put on a show and just started crying when it was needed."

Animal rights advocacy

On social media, Allan describes herself as an "animal rights activist." Her recent journalism reflects a concern for animal welfare issues. In November 2013, she focused attention on a controversial photograph of US TV personality and trophy hunter Melissa Bachman posing with a dead lion in South Africa. Allan was vocal about the photograph on social media and published an open letter to Bachman. Allan's piece went viral, garnering over 1 million page views. Later that month, the South African media reported on Allan's criticism of

Victor Matfield Victor Matfield (born 11 May 1977) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played for and South African rugby union captains, captained the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national team (Springboks) as ...

and

Fourie du Preez Petrus Fourie du Preez (; born 24 March 1982) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played as a scrum half for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup competition and the Bulls in Super Rugby between 2002 and 2011, and for Ja ...

after the pair published a photo of a zebra they had hunted. Allan's involvement in animal rights advocacy and journalism began in 1990s when she was working as a ''Cape Talk'' presenter and ''Mweb'' columnist. On air she championed the cause of the

Lipizzan The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( hr, Lipicanac, cz, Lipicán, hu, Lipicai, it, Lipizzano, sr, Lipicaner, sl, Lipicanec), is a European breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroque type, and i ...

when a local dressage school faced closure, then educated listeners on the devastating horrors committed against horses as part of gang initiation practices in the Western Cape. She has also discussed the work of the Cape Horse Protection Society and invited representatives onto her show. She also worked for the Domestic Animal Rescue Group. In Allan's memoir, ''Jani Confidential,'' she provides metaphors for the way we treat animals. She highlights the brutality of Marlin fishing, having reported on Marlin fishing events for the ''Sunday Times''. She is also critical of

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

, recounting her experience of being invited by an ex-boyfriend to the San Fermin running of the bulls festival in

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

Personal life

In 1973, Allan was a student at the

when she met her first husband, finance magnate and art collector

Gordon Schachat Gordon Schachat (born 25 January 1952) is a South African businessman and art collector. Personal life In 1973 Schachat met his first wife at university, the former '' Sunday Times'' columnist Jani Allan and married her in Mauritius in 1982.

. They married in

in 1982 and shared a home in Linksfield Ridge, an upscale Jewish area in Johannesburg's northern suburbs. Their two-year marriage ended in divorce in 1984. Allan attributed her burgeoning career as a factor: "I was obsessed with my column. I was intent on becoming the best journalist in the country."Allan, Jani. (2015). ''Jani Confidential''. Jacana. pp. 46 They remained friends and Schachat supported Allan's testimony in the 1992 libel suit she brought against

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Allan told a London court that eight years after their marriage breakup, Schachat was her closest friend and described their union as "the right people at the wrong time." Allan became a born-again Christian in 1994. She returned to South Africa two years later at the urging of her then-partner,

Mario Oriani-Ambrosini Mario Gaspare R. Oriani-Ambrosini (26 October 1960 – 16 August 2014) was an Italian constitutional lawyer and politician who was a Member of Parliament in South Africa with the Inkatha Freedom Party. Early life Oriani-Ambrosini was born in Rom ...

, an IFP MP and Italian expatriate. She emigrated to the United States in 2001. The following year she married Dr. Peter Kulish, an American proponent of biomagnetic therapy. The couple divorced in 2005. After their divorce, Allan worked as a waitress in New Jersey. In July 2017, Allan wrote a widely circulated column about her financial situation and ageism in the workplace. Her column was republished by BizNews and widely quoted in the South African press. Allan appeared on the front page of both the ''

'' and ''

'' newspaper. Her former newspaper devoted page three to their former columnist. In August, Huisgenoot published a profile on Allan. In response, Allan's fans rallied around her and started a

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...

to support Allan financially, raising over US$4000 for the columnist.

Eugène Terre'Blanche and libel case

In December 1987 she was asked at an editorial conference to "go and have tea" with the right-wing militant

Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (), meaning "Afrikaner Resistance Movement", commonly known by its abbreviation AWB, is an Afrikaner nationalist paramilitary organisation in South Africa. Since its founding in 1973 by Eugène Terre'Blanche and ...

leader

'' published Allan's interview with Terre'Blanche for Allan's ''Face to Face'' column. In the interview, Allan wrote of her fascination with Terre'Blanche: "Right now I've got to remind myself to breathe ... I'm impaled on the blue flames of his blowtorch eyes." Despite claiming that she became the "heroine of the newsroom" for her frankness, she later told the ''Sunday Times'' journalist Stuart Wavell that she regretted describing Terre'Blanche in these terms, not realising the political veneration that would be read into them. She pointed towards the lack of knowledge she had about

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's personality cult: "It sounds farfetched, but we are only taught South African history at school." Although Wavell identified that the words were not significant compared to her other material; "a perusal of her interviews shows a fondness for such extravagant language." Allan later told a journalist that "From the moment that interview was published, my life was over. It has destroyed my career in South Africa." Meanwhile, she accompanied the AWB to some of their rallies and reported for her newspaper at the behest of her editor, Tertius Myburgh. Two weeks after 31 January 1988 interview was published, she attended an AWB rally. The rally was also frequented by the world press. She was followed by television crews. Allan later relayed the significance of the episode: "I was an ordinary journalist attending an event with the world press; how come they had footage of me if I hadn't been set up? The cameras were on me the whole time." Again, she interviewed the AWB leader for the ''Sunday Times'' in November 1988, with an interview published by the Sunday after the Wit Wolf ( Barend Strydom) massacre in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. Her words in the January interview were relayed as there was speculation regarding an affair when they were photographed together at the Paardekraal Monument in

Krugersdorp Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west ...

on 27 December 1988. Following the meeting, Terre'Blanche allegedly rammed his BMW through the Paardekraal Monument's gates. The crash prompted police and media appearances, and Allan and Terre'Blanche were photographed together on the Paardekraal monument steps. On the first Sunday of 1989, the ''Sunday Times'' published a front-page article by Allan with the headline "The REAL story of me and ET and the SAP". In the article, she denied affair allegations and claimed that she and Terre'Blanche had arranged to meet with a media crew at the monument and that she had been commissioned to do a feature on Paardekraal revisited for a London-based news agency. Terre'Blanche asserted that "My relationship with her is absolutely professional" and related to his co-operation for her book project. In the light of the controversy, Allan was the subject of a 1988

documentary produced by Pieter Cilliers. Allan discussed her life and addressed the affair allegations in an interview with ''

Carte Blanche A blank cheque in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefo ...

'' co-presenter, Ruda Landman. Allan's colleagues such as the film critic Barry Ronge were also interviewed to discuss their experience of working with Allan. Allan later spoke about the Paardekraal incident in an interview with the London ''

'', remarking that it resembled a "set-up". She explained to Stuart Wavell; "Fifteen police cars appeared and I don't know how many policemen. It was like the movies. I said, 'Am I on ''Candid Camera''?'". Later, relations between the pair cooled and an acrimonious battle ensued in the press with Allan taking legal action against Terre'Blanche because of repeated nuisance contact. A case of ''

crimen injuria ''Crimen injuria'' is a crime under South African common law, defined to be the act of "unlawfully, intentionally and seriously impairing the dignity of another." Although difficult to precisely define, the crime is used in the prosecution of ce ...

'' was laid against Terre'Blanche in March 1989 relating to the damaged gates, with Allan subpoenaed as chief witness for the state. Ultimately Allan was not required to testify, and Terre'Blanche was acquitted. In the early hours of 14 July 1989, the affair allegations and suspicions that Allan was a spy led Cornelius Lottering, member of breakaway AWB group Orde van die Dood, to place a bomb outside Jani Allan's

Sandton Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs, ...

apartment. The bomb exploded on a wall, abutting Allan's apartment and shattered all the windows in the apartment complex up to the seventh floor, but there were no casualties in the blast. Allan's newspaper reported in a front-page spread that the attack was a culmination of a campaign of intimidation against her that had included prowlers outside her apartment and telephone death threats. Lottering was subsequently convicted of the assassination attempt. In an article published by the ''Sunday Times'' on 23 July 1989, Allan recalled a significant episode when Terre'Blanche had drunkenly hammered on her flat door and eventually slept on the doorstep and that she had to step over him the next morning. Despite her objections, her editor, Myburgh, insisted on publishing answering machine messages allegedly by Terre'Blanche, accompanied by a denial by Allan of counter claims that he had made against her. Allan recounted conversations with her editor "After the bomb he said, 'Right, we'll publish the tapes.' I said I didn't think that would be wise, as the security police had told me my life would be in danger. He said, 'We're going to blow them out of the water.'" She had just emerged from a course of traction for her seized back and was then rushed to hospital with a bleeding ulcer because of the stress. Allan fled to Britain for security reasons in the same week that the transcripts were published. The tapes were the ''Sunday Times'' lead story published on 30 July 1989 with the front-page headline 'JANI: MY ET TAPES'. In retrospect, in an interview published by the London ''Sunday Times'' in 1990, Allan questioned whether her association with Terre'Blanche had been orchestrated by her editor,

Tertius Myburgh Albert Tertius Myburgh (26 December 1936 – 2 December 1990) was a South African journalist and editor, best known as editor of the '' Sunday Times'' between 1975-1990.National Party government plot to discredit the far right. Several South African journalists have alleged that Myburgh colluded with the Bureau of State Security in the 1970s and its successor intelligence agencies in the 1980s. In 1992, Allan sued

, the British broadcaster, for libel, claiming that in the documentary ''

'' by

she was presented as a "woman of easy virtue." Amid a montage of photographs from Allan's earlier days as a photographic model and ''Sunday Times'' quotes Broomfield claimed that Jani Allan had had an affair with Terre'Blanche. The documentary-maker and his crew were following the AWB and its activities for the documentary that was watched by 2.3 million Channel 4 viewers. During the court hearings,

denied the claim that they had suggested Allan had an affair with Terre'Blanche. Prior to the case, Allan had been awarded £40,000 in out-of-court settlements from the ''

'' and ''Options'' magazine over suggestive remarks made about the nature of Allan's association with Terre'Blanche. Allan was represented by

Peter Carter-Ruck Peter Frederick Carter-Ruck (26 February 1914 – 19 December 2003) was an English solicitor, specialising in libel cases. The firm he founded, Carter-Ruck, is still practising. Biography Personal life Carter-Ruck was educated at St Edward's ...

in the case and Channel 4 was represented by George Carman. Carman described the case as rare in that it had "international, social, political and cultural implications." The case sparked intense media interest in both Britain and South Africa, with several court transcripts appearing in the press. Allan famously told Carman, "Whatever award is given for libel, being cross-examined by you would not make it enough money." Several character witnesses were flown in from South Africa. Terre'Blanche submitted a sworn statement to the London court denying that he had had an affair with Allan, saying "All these attempts to exaggerate the extent of my relationship with Miss Allan will ultimately be seen for what they are - a pack of lies." Allan's case was dealt a heavy blow by the statements of her former flatmate, Linda Shaw, the ''Sunday Times'' astrologer. Shaw testified in court that Allan had told her that she was in love with Terre'Blanche and wanted to marry him. She admitted that she knew about the relationship early on and that Allan had described Terre'Blanche as a "great lay, but a little heavy." Allan rebuffed these claims in court, describing Terre'Blanche's physical appearance unfavourably: "I've always thought he looked rather like a pig in a safari suit." Shaw described how she had peeped through a keyhole and witnessed Allan in a compromising position with a large man. Allan's QC, Charles Gray, dismissed Shaw's "wildly unlikely" testimony and stressed the physical impossibility of her claim. He continued to express that her field of vision through the keyhole would not be sufficient to support her claim. Shaw also testified that four months later, in September 1988, she got drunk with Allan and accompanied her to a rendezvous with Terre'Blanche at one am. She alleged that she watched from a wall as the couple kissed, embraced, and fondled for half an hour in the back of Allan's car. Terre'Blanche denied having ever met Shaw. Allan alleged that Shaw had sinister motivations for testifying against her, saying "she has told people she was obsessed with me and that was the only way she could exorcise me. She was openly bisexual." She also agreed with the statement that Shaw was a "habitual liar" and continued "I disapproved of the number of men she had traipsing into her bedroom and suggested she should have a turnstile on her bedroom door." Andrew Broulidakis, a childhood friend of Allan's who also knew Shaw, brought into question the latter's character in a draft statement supplied to the court.

Sebastian Faulks Sebastian Charles Faulks (born 20 April 1953) is a British novelist, journalist and broadcaster. He is best known for his historical novels set in France – '' The Girl at the Lion d'Or'', ''Birdsong'' and '' Charlotte Gray''. He has also pub ...

remarked in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'': "What is it that makes George Carman worth £10,000 a day when plaintiffs witness Andrew Broulidakis was so easily able to wrong foot him." A witness also alleged that Shaw had disparagingly referred to Allan as a "frigid bitch" and it would be a "scream" to have her "nailed for gang-banging Nazis." Shaw also faced allegations that she had deliberately gotten pregnant to ensnare a boyfriend. Further testimony was given by AWB financial secretary Kays Smit. Smit testified that Allan had phoned her to come and remove a drunken Terre'Blanche from her flat early one morning because Allan was expecting someone and was anxious to get rid of him. Smit testified to finding Terre'Blanche on Allan's couch "naked except for a khaki jacket around his shoulders and a pair of underpants". Her description of Terre'Blanche's green underpants with holes in them became the source of much ridicule in the press. Additional testimony against Allan was given by former colleague Marlene Burger, who claimed Terre'Blanche had proposed to Allan in April 1989. According to Burger, Allan was thrilled and asked Burger to be her bridesmaid. Gray countered that the claims were "utterly unfounded and wholly untrue". On day 2, Allan's 1984 diary was delivered to Carman's junior counsel and used against Allan in cross examination. The notebook contained details of Allan's sexual fantasies about a married Italian airline pilot named Ricardo and it cast doubt on her professed celibacy. Allan told the court that her relationship with Ricardo only included "a degree of sexual foreplay". The judge said that any finding that Allan had lied about the extent of this relationship did not mean she had an affair with Terre'Blanche, whom she described as "a very different man". The diary's disappearance was investigated by the police, but it was found that the diary had been left in the home of an English couple with whom Allan had resided in 1989. Allan revealed: "I was in a traumatic state and I wrote down my worst fears and probably my worst desires," continuing "It was a way of dealing with my sexual problems. ..This notebook is deeply embarrassing. I wrote it when I was under psychiatric care." Later her former husband

provided evidence supporting claims Allan had made about her disinterest in sex, citing it as a reason for the breakdown of their marriage. Schachat also rebuffed perceptions in the media about her image: "her sexy public image is totally at odds with her real personality," continuing to describe her as "shy". He insisted she was neither an extreme right-winger nor anti-semitic. On day 11 of the case, Anthony Travers, a former British representative of the AWB and spectator of the court, was stabbed. A court usher received a call saying Peter Carter-Ruck, Allan's solicitor, had been stabbed. This stemmed from a message by Travers who was lying in an alleyway. He said to a passer-by "tell Carter-Ruck I've been stabbed." It quickly spread that Carter-Ruck had been stabbed, followed by speculation that he was the intended victim. During the court case, Jani Allan's London flat was burgled. She said that she received a death threat on a telephone call in the court ushers' offices. The hotel room of a Channel 4 producer, Stevie Godson, was also ransacked. Allan eventually lost the case on 5 August 1992. The judge found that Channel 4's allegations had not defamed Allan, although he did not rule on whether or not there had been an affair. The outcome received major media attention in South Africa and the United Kingdom, appearing on the front page of seven major newspaper such as ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'', ''

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

,'' and ''

''. Reports later emerged that Allan was considering an appeal and that Terre'Blanche was considering suing the broadcaster for libel. Following the verdict, Allan reiterated her stance "I am not, nor have I ever been, involved with Terre'Blanche". Taki Theodoracopolous paid £5,000 for the court records and gave them to Allan as he believed she had "been mugged". Soon after, several publications speculated about political forces at play during the case. ''The Independent'' published details of what it called "dirty tricks" used during the libel case. Allan suggested that pro-government forces in South Africa wanted her to lose the case so that Terre'Blanche would be "irreparably damaged" in the eyes of his "God-fearing Calvinist followers". Another interpretation is that the AWB wanted to steal a manuscript of a book she was writing about the organisation. The AWB countered these claims, although Travers described the book as "dynamite." The South African business newspaper ''

Financial Mail ''Financial Mail'' (or the ''FM'', as it is also known), is a South African business publication focused on reaching the country's leading business people. This weekly publication, which was launched in 1959, underwent a major "look and feel" ch ...

'' published a lead story on 6 August detailing the theory that F.W. de Klerk had orchestrated the libel case to discredit Terre'Blanche and the far right movement in South Africa. In the wake of the court case, Allan started a telephone service, with advertisements promising the journalist's insights into the lives and characters of defense witnesses, Linda Shaw, Marlene Burger and Kays Smit. The South African ''Sunday Times'' appealed to the ombudsman to discontinue the £1 a minute service. In March 1993, ''

'' reported that Allan was negotiating an appeal that was projected to be heard at the high court later that year. This was ultimately not pursued. In 1995, during an interview with Cliff Saunders broadcast by the

, she said "The facts of the matter are

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

I did not do any of the things of which I was accused by paid witnesses." She was soon interviewed by Lin Sampson for ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' and reinforced her disagreement with the defence witnesses. In the favourable article, Sampson described the rage against Allan as "the first public showing of what would become the new South African psychosis." ''Sunday Times'' defence witnesses were said to be irate that their shared publisher, Times Media, published the article. The newspaper proceeded to publish an extract of the interview to promote its sister magazine sales. In a lead story with the ''

Cape Times The ''Cape Times'' is an English-language morning newspaper owned by Independent News & Media SA and published in Cape Town, South Africa. the newspaper had a daily readership of 261 000 and a circulation of 34 523. By the fourth quarter of ...

'' published in 1996, she spoke about Terre'Blanche; "He is a political Tyrannosaurus Rex ... a henpecked husband who has to remove his boots before he is allowed to enter his wife's pristine kitchen; a

narcissist Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...

who carries a can of Fiesta hairspray in the pocket of his safari suit... ". In a 2002

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

film ''Get Carman: the trials of George Carman QC'', Allan's case was dramatised together with a number of other high-profile Carmen cases. Allan was portrayed by English actress Sarah Berger in the production starring David Suchet. ''

'' decried Berger's accent for the role as "crude" and "caricature"-like, unlike that of Allan's, described as "relatively cultured and by no means excessively strong South African accent". In 2012, Terre'Blanche's widow Martie denied allegations of an affair between her late husband and Allan. In March 2014,

Andile Mngxitama John Andile Mngxitama is a South African politician serving as the president of the Black First Land First party since October 2015. Formerly a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters, he served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Af ...

, a radical black consciousness activist with the Economic Freedom Fighters, addressed Allan in a column published by the ''Mail & Guardian''. Mngxitama wrote: "I believe she

llan Llan may be: * Llan (placename), a Celtic morpheme, or element, common in British placenames ** A short form for any placename . * Llan, Powys, a Welsh village near Llanbrynmair * Llan the Sorcerer La Lunatica Lacuna Lady Bullseye Lady De ...

was punished as part of the general white psyche designed to shirk responsibility by sacrificing one or two whites to absolve the rest from blame. Allan’s association with Terre'Blanche was used as a mechanism to claim moral superiority so that collective accounting for the oppression of blacks is removed from view. She is basically a scapegoat."

Spy allegations

In 2000, reports emerged that Allan's London employer and

journalist Cliff Saunders was in a pay dispute with South Africa's intelligence services over services rendered in the past. According to reports, Saunders had also recruited another journalist, revealed to be Allan, to spy on the activities of the

Inkatha Freedom Party The Inkatha Freedom Party ( zu, IQembu leNkatha yeNkululeko, IFP) is a right-wing political party in South Africa. The party has been led by Velenkosini Hlabisa since the party's 2019 National General Conference. Mangosuthu Buthelezi founded t ...

in 1995–1996. Allan responded to these claims in writing an article for '' The Sunday Independent'' where she admitted she had been an "unwitting spy" in London. Allan revealed that she believed she was working as a researcher and journalist at Newslink International, a news agency. Instead, she was working for Geofocus SA, a front company with a focus to spy. Allan became suspicious over the handling of money and for the concentration of her research on right wing political groups. Allan was able to break into Saunders' computer files when he was temporarily incapacitated and had not changed the code. Allan made copies of the files and provided them as evidence in her ''Sunday Independent'' story. The files revealed that he sought to infiltrate the IFP through Allan's friendship with

. Allan was also expected to cultivate a relationship with Buthelezi's chief adviser,

. In another printout, Saunders wrote to the intelligence services; "As far as she is concerned she is simply assisting me with one of my consultancy projects. Once she begins receiving money she is compromised... and will have to continue. This technique is the well-known one you guys taught me."

Bibliography

*'' Face Value'' (Longstreet, 1983) *'' Jani Confidential'' (Jacana, 2015)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, Jani 1952 births Living people People from Gauteng People from Johannesburg Alumni of Roedean School, South Africa Alumni of Greenside High School University of the Witwatersrand alumni South African journalists South African memoirists South African autobiographers South African non-fiction writers South African radio presenters South African female models South African feminists South African film critics South African people of British descent South African expatriates in the United States White South African people South African women journalists Animal rights activists Women memoirists South African women columnists South African adoptees