The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) would like to remind journalists that the deadline for applications to our Media Relief Fund is Wednesday 30 September 2020. We encourage all journalists who have lost their jobs and income as a direct result of the Covid-19 national disaster to submit their applications with all relevant and supporting documentation.
Working in conjunction with the Social Justice Initiative (SJI), we wish to report that in our first round, we received 320 applications and approved 227 journalists for payments. Journalists received a small donation of R5000 each to purchase necessities like food and clothing.
SANEF opened the second round for deserving journalists on 8 September calling on everyone to spread the word, especially to journalists who lost their jobs in the hard-hit community media sector including print and broadcasting.
In terms of the criteria we have called for the following people to apply:
Practising journalists who have not received retrenchment packages, freelance or contract journalists. People need to have been retrenched or had their contracts cancelled from the date of the implementation of the national lockdown on March 26th 2020 – or thereafter – as a result of COVID-19. Photographers, print, broadcast and multimedia journalists are all included.
Please see a link to the application form here.
SANEF wants to warmly thank its corporate, donor and individual partners on this project. We received our first donation to kick-start the fund from MTN South Africa. This was followed by funds from First Rand, Yellow Woods, Allan Gray, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Open Society Foundation and Old Mutual. We have also received donations from concerned individuals, including several journalists and ex-journalists who have been worried about the plight of their colleagues. We have raised an over little R3 million so far.
Further, we would like to thank our team of industry stalwarts who have made up our independent panel of adjudicators – including Mathatha Tsedu, Joe Thloloe, Wandile Fana and Melody Emmett as well as Anlo Financial Services. The panel has played a critical role in adjudicating all applications and Anlo has played an important role in the initial processing of all documentation.
We again remind everyone that the deadline is 30 September.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
For more information please contact:
Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Chairperson (073) 404-1415
Adriaan Basson – SANEF Deputy Chairperson (082) 562-2113
Mahlatse Mahlase – Secretary-General (083) 399-2852
Nwabisa Makunga – Treasurer (082) 555-1972
Mary Papayya – SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
Katy Katopodis – SANEF Gauteng Convenor (082) 805-7022
Chiara Carter – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (082) 659-9162
Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404
Twitter: @SAEditorsForum
Email: [email protected] Website: www.sanef.org.za
