Sanef to Announce Winners of the Nat Nakasa Awards 2024
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) calls on the people of KwaZulu-Natal to reflect and honour the profound legacy of one of their own, the late, world-renowned journalist, Nat Nakasa. On Saturday, 14 September 2024, Sanef, in partnership with Sanlam, will host the 2024 Nat Nakasa Award for Courageous Journalism at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Umhlanga, Durban.
This prestigious event, now in its eighth year of Sanlam’s sponsorship, celebrates the unwavering spirit of the courage that Nakasa embodied.
A panel of esteemed judges, including former Press Ombudsman, Joe Thloloe, former editor of The Star, Peter Sullivan, Crystal Orderson, a producer for Al Jazeera and contributor to The Africa Report on Talk Radio 702, and Moipone Malefane, the founder of Vutivi Business News, will honour the exceptional individuals that demonstrated remarkable bravery in defending community rights and holding authorities accountable. Among these deserving winners will be those who receive the Nat Nakasa Award for Community Media, as well as the recipient of the overall Nat Nakasa Award for Courageous Journalism.
Each year, Sanef also presents the Stephen Wrottesley Award, recognising a dedicated Sanef member whose hard work and commitment reflect the same spirit of service to the profession.
Nat Nakasa was a journalist whose powerful words fuelled the fight for liberation in South Africa. His voice, silenced too soon, continues to echo through the ages. In 1965, Nakasa died in New York while on a Nieman Fellowship, having been forced into exile under a one-way visa, a consequence of his opposition to the apartheid regime. Despite the years and miles that separated him from his homeland, his final wish was to return to the soil where he was born.
In 2014, through Sanef’s tireless efforts, in collaboration with the Nakasa family and numerous other stakeholders, Nat’s remains were brought back to South Africa. He was laid to rest at the Chesterville Heroes Acres, a place of honour in his childhood suburb outside Durban. It was a long-awaited homecoming for a man who paid the ultimate price for his commitment to truth and justice.
As we gather once again to celebrate the courage of today’s journalists, let us remember the towering legacy of Nat Nakasa. His sacrifice, his dedication to speaking truth in the face of oppression, and his unwavering belief in the power of the written word will continue to inspire generations to come.
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 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:
- Nwabisa Makunga – Chairperson (082) 555-1972
- Tshamano Makhadi – Deputy Chairperson (082) 223-0621
- Dr. Glenda Daniels – Secretary-General (083) 229-9708
- Sbu Ngalwa – Treasurer-General (073) 404-1415
- Makhudu Sefara – Media Freedom Chair (079) 177-2134
- Katy Katopodis – F Journalism Safety and Wellness (082) 805-7022
- Judy Sandison – KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
- Rochelle De Kock – Eastern Cape Convenor (072) 969-8028
- Sisanda Nkoala – Western Cape Convenor (073) 138 5564
- Reggy Moalusi – Executive Director (071) 682-3695
