Gordin ran the Justice Project at the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Journalism and was a former Daily Sun and The Star editor as well as a former The Sunday Independent associate editor. He is best known for his biography of president Jacob Zuma, Zuma: A Biography.
Daily Maverick reports that a manhunt is underway following his murder after he was found on Friday, 31 March after his family unsuccessfully tried to contact him.
This was confirmed to the Sunday Times by his wife Deborah. "I don't have full details at the moment because I'm in Cape Town," she says in TimesLive.
Retired journalist Jeremy Gordin was killed during a robbery at his home in Parkview, Johannesburg (Gauteng Province). Rest in peace, Jeremy Gordin. It was great working with you at Media24. https://t.co/u6tPbmp12O
— BEAST OF NEWS (@BEAST_OF_NEWS) April 1, 2023
A case of house robbery and murder had been opened. "No arrests have been made yet, but an investigation and manhunt for the suspects are underway,” says police spokesperson Col Mavela Masondo in a statement.
“The family of the deceased was in Cape Town when they tried to contact him but he could not be reached," says the statement.
A family friend went to check up on Gordin. “Upon arrival, she found the back door of the main house locked and the key of the door was in the lock on the outside… she entered the house and discovered that it was ransacked,” adds Masondo in the statement.
Gordin was already dead with multiple injuries. A television and Gordin’s car were stolen.
“He was a big character, passionate about writing, literature and life, with a prodigious appetite for it all,” says Anton Harber, the executive director of the Campaign for Free Expression and Caxton professor of journalism at Wits University, quoted in the Daily Maverick.
Also in the article, Daily Maverick specialist foreign affairs writer Peter Fabricius, who worked with Gordin in previous years, says Gordin was a classic journalist, irreverent and fearless. “He wrote what he thought and felt, regardless of who he offended — that sometimes got him into trouble.”
The South African National Editors Forum's (Sanef) Reggy Moalusi ,who was once Gordin’s colleague says, “On behalf of Sanef, we are devastated…On a personal level, I worked with Gordin at the Daily Sun in my time as editor and he was nothing but a fantastic mentor and fantastic editor.”
Such sad and shocking news, on News24, about the death of Jeremy Gordin, journalist, poet, & author, in a home invasion. Aside from his brilliance as an editor & mentor, Jeremy was one of the finest and most sharp-witted comic writers this country has ever produced. RIP.
— Gus Silber (@gussilber) April 1, 2023
Gordin was also the co-author of two books of investigative journalism, The Infernal Tower and A Long Night’s Damage, and also wrote three volumes of poetry. He was the Mondi Shanduka Journalist of the Year in 2007.
Born in 1952 in Pretoria, and educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as well as Unisa, he began his journalism career in 1976.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their two children, Jake and Nina.
Police have appealed to anyone who might have information that can assist in the investigation to call the nearest police station or the Crime Stop line on 08600 10111. Information can also be given anonymously via the MySAPS App that can be downloaded from any smartphone
