Jani Allan

At 71 years old, Jani Allan physical status not available right now. We will update Jani Allan's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Prior to becoming a journalist, Allan worked as a photographic model and an English and Art teacher at Wynberg Boys' High School, Bryanston High School and Sevenoaks Finishing School. Allan's first published work was a series of classical music reviews for The Citizen.

In 1980 Allan was employed by editor Tertius Myburgh to write a column for the Sunday Times 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. In 1986 she began publishing Jani Allan's Week in the main newspaper. She would report on glamorous assignments such as parties hosted by South Africa's elite and continue to interview famous figures.

A year later Allan was in Mauritius covering the Marlin fishing when the Helderberg South African Airways Flight 295 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.

Her strong public profile was emboldened when she was voted "the most admired person in South Africa" in a Gallup poll commissioned by the Sunday Times in 1987. Daily Maverick 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, she interviewed political players such as Eugène Terre'Blanche, Winnie Mandela, Denis Worrall, and Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

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.

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

In 1990, she also worked as an occasional society columnist for the London Sunday Times and interviewed personalities such as Charlton Heston for the newspaper and published opinion pieces for the newspaper.

She later worked for the SABC broadcaster and journalist, Cliff Saunders's London press agency and interviewed South African and European political figures such as Jean-Marie Le Pen. Allan was also published by the London Evening Standard where she published reports on her former inquisitor George Carman's latest case, in which Carman was defending The People against a libel case taken by Mona Bauwens. She also wrote for The Spectator where she described Carman as "a small bewigged ferret". Allan published opinion pieces in the Daily Mail and the British conservative magazine The Salisbury Review, and did research for and contributed to the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight.

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 and in the foreword she explained that she had written it because "I want to leave the past behind me." In 1995, she gave a primetime interview to SABC.

Allan's return to South Africa in 1996 was marked by an appearance on the cover of Style 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-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.,Rhodesian Premier Ian Smith and Faye Dunaway. The Mail & Guardian 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 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 SABC documentary film, Red Jacket to discuss the South Africa-based Russian 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 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.

Between 2004 and 2005, Allan wrote on a freelance basis for titles such as WorldNetDaily. As a personal interest, she also worked as a published astrologer. 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.

In 2013, Allan was approached as a subject for a magazine article following "yesterday's media icons". Recently Allan has increased her media visibility, joining Twitter 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 Mail & Guardian 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 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 Daily Maverick 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. 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 as 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 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. Allan wrote the column following the revelation of several spy allegations against Myburgh.

In August 2018, she wrote a cover story for the Weekliks supplement of Rapport and retold her experiences meeting the late Magnus Malan 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 and Mangosuthu Buthelezi. In 2020, Allan has written with more regularity for Rapport. The newspaper published Allan's obituary piece for Sol Kerzner and a piece she wrote about COVID-19 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 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, an iconic women's magazine in South Africa. On the weekend of 28–29 March, Jani Confidential was serialized by The Weekend Argus and by the Afrikaans-newspaper, Rapport on 29 March 2015. Serializations were also published by the Sunday Tribune and the Sunday Independent.On 30 March, The Star published an extract from the book.

Allan's memoirs were positively reviewed by Marika Sboros, an ex-Rand Daily Mail 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 continues by commending 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."

Radio 702 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 Daily Maverick described the book as "truly, truly fascinating."

Writing in the Daily Maverick Marianne Thamm echoed Sboros' sentiment that the affair allegations with Terre'Blanche were untrue. Thamm describes the interview with Terre'Blanche as "misunderstood", 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, Beeld and Die Burger. 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, Mata Hari, Marlene Dietrich and Camilla Parker Bowles". 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. 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 rubbishing the affair allegations against "a fascinating woman" [Allan] as "the humourless PC view."

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, "Terre’blanche was cut from the same cloth as you, Oscar." Allan continued to criticize Pistorius' lifestyle as "a wasteland filled with expensive toys and recidivist acts."

Allan's column went viral and was republished by the Daily Maverick, 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 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, Time, UPI and on Perez Hilton's website.

On 21 April 2014, Fox News 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, Spain's El País and Italy's La Stampa.

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."

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 and Fourie du Preez after the pair published a photo of a zebra they had hunted.

Allan's involvement in animal rights advocacy and journalism can be traced back to the 1990s when she was working as a Cape Talk presenter and Mweb columnist. On air she championed the cause of the Lipizzan when a local dressage school faced closure. She also worked for the Domestic Animal Rescue Group. She then educated her 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.

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

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