Among the biggest disappointments of a blessed career was not supporting my long-time friend and colleague, the late Barry Sergeant, in an hour of his need. So, I have no intention of repeating that with another former colleague, Chris Steyn, whose integrity has been under siege after eye-popping disclosures in her book Lost Boys of Bird Island.
Barry was way ahead of the pack in nailing a stinky BEE deal at GoldFields. He was so sure of the case that he published before giving the miner a right of reply – breaking internal rules created after we’d lost millions on a similar event, and putting the business into a precarious legal position. It didn’t help that this happened while I was away on a semi-sabbatical.
With hindsight, I should have tried to mediate. Having worked for decades with the brilliant but eccentric Sergeant provided a unique insight into the way his mind worked. I should have drawn on that to defuse a situation that too quickly passed the point of no return. Barry’s strength was that he didn’t fit into any corporate box. I knew that. The others didn’t.
Another former colleague of mine, Chris Steyn, reminds me of Barry. Like him, she believes our trade to be one of honour. She is also obsessed with liberating uncomfortable truths, often at the cost of personal sacrifice. It’s appalling that pressure on her is so intense she felt obliged to take a lie detector test to show her Lost Boys of Bird Island book isn’t made-up fiction. She passed with flying colours. Of course. Knowing Chris, that’s just the start. Watch this space.
