On Saturday,22nd August, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) honoured all journalists and media professionals with the 2020 Nat Nakasa Award in recognition of their service and commitment to their craft and to keeping South Africans informed while on the frontlines during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In celebration of the award and the brave work of our media, SANEF commissioned and aired a documentary special (view here) across leading news broadcasters and online news platforms.
Following the documentary, SANEF hosted a webinar on Wednesday, 26 August 2020, as a follow-on from the documentary to discuss the key issues raised in the film.
The webinar, “Media and journalism under threat: What can civil society and corporate SA do?” provided a platform for key individuals to debate and discuss the main challenges currently faced by our media, including: the severe threats to the media that existed before Covid-19 and how they have now been further exacerbated; the implications of a weak media sector for our democracy, as well as addressing the role of the media in our society; the need for corporate and private sector support; and the impact that the pandemic has had on an already weakened industry.
“The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has awarded its coveted Nat Nakasa Award to South Africa’s entire body of journalists.
The announcement was made on Saturday 22 August with the airing of a documentary commissioned to commemorate the vital role journalists play in our society – especially, in light of the harsh circumstances journalists as individuals find themselves in during the coronavirus pandemic.
The documentary, which was filmed in recent months while the country still remained under national lockdown regulations, shone a light on the courageous work done by South African journalists on the frontlines in a time of great unease and continued stress due to the global pandemic.
Following the documentary, SANEF hosted a webinar on Wednesday, 26 August 2020, as a follow-on from the documentary to discuss the key issues raised in the film.
The webinar, “Media and journalism under threat: What can civil society and corporate SA do?” provided a platform for key individuals to debate and discuss the main challenges currently faced by our media, including: the severe threats to the media that existed before Covid-19 and how they have now been further exacerbated; the implications of a weak media sector for our democracy, as well as addressing the role of the media in our society; the need for corporate and private sector support; and the impact that the pandemic has had on an already weakened industry.
“The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has awarded its coveted Nat Nakasa Award to South Africa’s entire body of journalists.
The announcement was made on Saturday 22 August with the airing of a documentary commissioned to commemorate the vital role journalists play in our society – especially, in light of the harsh circumstances journalists as individuals find themselves in during the coronavirus pandemic.
The documentary, which was filmed in recent months while the country still remained under national lockdown regulations, aims to shine a light on the courageous work done by South African journalists on the frontlines in a time of great unease and continued stress due to the global pandemic.”
Sbu Ngalwa elected new SANEF chairperson at the AGM on Saturday 22 August 2020
22 August 2020
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) at its AGM on Saturday 22 August elected Newzroom Afrika Politics Editor Sbu Ngalwa as its new chairperson for the next two years.
Adriaan Basson (News24) is the new deputy chairperson, Mahlatse Mahlase (EWN) is secretary-general and Nwabisa Makunga (Sowetan) the new treasurer.
The AGM applauded the bravery journalists have shown during their coverage of the Covid-19 crisis. It was again confirmed that the Nat Nakasa Award would be given to the entire industry.
Says Ngalwa, “Journalists have been at the forefront of telling the unfolding story of South Africa’s response to Covid-19. They have gone into the heart of the storm, risking injury and infection. We’ve lost some colleagues due to Covid-19 and we’ve had scores of other journalists contract the virus, in the line of duty. Sanef thought it important to recognise the brave efforts of each and every journalist in this country who continue to work under these challenging conditions”.
SANEF will be celebrating the award with a documentary that will be screened tonight on eNCA and Newzroom Afrika at 8pm and will be screened on SABC tomorrow morning at 9am as part of its Media Monitor Programme. The programme will also be streamed on EWN and on News24, also at 8pm today.
The AGM further celebrated the fact that it had been able to raise approximately R3.25m from corporates, individual citizens and journalists to assist fellow journalists who have lost their jobs and income. The first round of funding of R5000 each to 227 grantees will be distributed early next week. A further round of funding will then be announced, later next week.
The meeting also got an update on the progress made as regards SANEF’s Ethics and Credibility Inquiry. The Inquiry was launched as part of SANEF’s 2019 AGM. The AGM was informed that the Panel report from Judge Kathleen Satchwell would be released at the end of September 2020. The recommendations will then be debated and an industry action plan drafted. This will then be adopted at an industry conference that will be held early next year.
In terms of other leaders elected, SANEF is proud to announce that it has a new 25-member Council including the following people from the following media houses:
Adriaan Basson – News24
Amina Frense – SANEF Founder Editor
Angie Kapelianis – SABC
Chiara Carter – Arena Eastern Cape Publications
Dianne Hawker – Newzroom Africa
Dunisani Ntsanwisi – Community Media
Glenda Daniels – Wits
Izak Minnaar – SANEF Founder Editor
Janet Heard – Daily Maverick
Judy Sandison – SANEF Founder Editor
Katy Katopodis – Newzroom Africa
Mahlatse Mahlase – EWN/Primedia
Makhudu Sefara – Sunday World
Mary Papayya – SANEF Founder Editor
Mia Malan – Bhekisisa
Monica Laganparsad – New Frame
Nicki Gules – Sunday Times
Nwabisa Makunga – Sowetan
Phathiswa Magopeni – SABC
Qaanitah Hunter – News24
Sbu Ngalwa – Newzroom Africa
Sheldon Morais – News24
Sipho Kings – M&G
Sthembiso Msomi – Sunday Times
Tshamano Makhadi – TUT
The following people were elected as sub-committee chairs and regional convenors:
Media Freedom – Mary Papayya
Education and Training – Tshamano Makhadi
Ethics and Diversity – Monica Laganparsad
Digital and Broadcasting – Sheldon Morais
Access to Information and Media Policy – Izak Minnaar
Community – Dunisani Ntsanwisi
Gauteng Regional Convenor – Katy Katopodis
KZN Regional Convenor – Judy Sandison
Eastern Cape Regional Convenor – Chiara Carter
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.
The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) will be awarding its coveted Nat Nakasa Award to South Africa’s entire body of journalists who have been covering the coronavirus story. The announcement will be made on Saturday 22 August with the airing of a documentary commissioned to commemorate the vital role journalists play in our society – especially, in light of the harsh circumstances journalists as individuals find themselves in during the coronavirus pandemic.
The documentary, which was filmed in recent months while the country still remained under national lockdown regulations, aims to shine a light on the courageous work done by South African journalists on the frontlines in a time of great unease and continued stress due to the global pandemic.
“Set against the backdrop of a country plagued with corruption and economic inequality, the coronavirus lockdown and a world in crisis, SANEF set out to lift the veil and bring to life the heroes that stand behind the headlines as we honour the media with the 2020 Nat Nakasa Award,” says SANEF Chairperson, Mahlatse Mahlase.
Journalists have continued to work everyday, despite the risk of themselves being infected and also in some instances facing a precarious future. The industry has faced mass retrenchments, massive salary cuts and closure of media houses.
Sanlam Chief Executive: Brand Sydney Mbhele said, “This acknowledgement to journalists collectively as winners of the Nat Nakasa Award not only reflects their brilliance on holding powerful individuals and institutions in society accountable on the unprecedented and complex social impact of the coronavirus, it also honours their on-going dedication to promote an informative and free press. Our support for the awards and SANEF reflects our commitment to support journalism and media initiatives that reflect a boldness and transparency that helps make our world an open-minded, enlightened place to live, thrive and play.”
The award is traditionally presented to a single South African practitioner in newspapers, magazines, broadcasting and online media and whose reporting celebrates freedom of speech and media integrity. It recognises integrity, fearless reporting, commitment to the service of the people of South Africa, the tenacity to maintain reporting despite significant obstacles, in resistance of censorship, and having shown courage in making information available to the public.
“Our journalists have played a vital role on the frontlines in 2020 as we face the pandemic head on, and will be honoured with a collection of true contemporary stories shared by so many of our countries’ most seasoned journalists and media voices as they unmask (literally) the day-to-day struggles faced in their plight to provide us with unbiased and in-depth coverage of current affairs.”
The SANEF management committee and independent judges took the decision that all journalists working tirelessly across the country and in our communities deserve the Nat Nakasa Award for the courage that they have displayed.
“For many it is tough to listen to the news, let alone the toll it takes on those who are experiencing, dissecting and reporting on the current realities faced by our country and the world as a whole,” says Mahlase.
“Disease, poverty, displacement, hunger, brutality, GBV, corruption, looting, and the rising covid-19 death toll are just some of the headlines we’ve come to read – and expect – each day as we open our eyes in South Africa. But in this we forget that it is often about people, and that these stories are brought to us by people – all while managing very personal experiences such as risk to their own families through exposure to the virus, police brutality as well as the very real and very harsh impact of a loss of income and their own livelihoods. Journalists have continued to do what they do, often with a window on the world that is as real for them as the people they are documenting,” she says.
The documentary honouring the media with the 2020 award will air on most national news channels on Saturday, 22 August 2020, after which it will be available to stream on the official SANEF YouTube page.
Notes to Editors:
Nat Nakasa was a South Africa journalist who died in exile at the age of 28 after a brief but dynamic career characterised by his journalistic courage and integrity. In 1964 Nakasa left South Africa for the US to take up a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. In doing so, he relinquished his South African citizenship. After moving to New York the following year, he suffered increasing homesickness and isolation, which contributed to his suicide on July 14 1965.
Recent award recipients include; include Qaanitah Hunter (2019), Branko Brkic (2018), Sipho Masondo (2017), and the SABC8 (2016).
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of legendary sports editor, S’busiso Mseleku on Monday night.
According to family spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, Mseleku died aged 59 in Midvaal Private Hospital in Vereeniging from a short COVID-19-related illness.
Mseleku’s distinguished journalism career spans an incredible 33 years. He had recently started his online company S’busiso Mseleku Sports also using the Facebook platform.
His former colleague City Press football writer Timothy Molobi‚ currently the editorial manager for news and sports‚ described Mseleku as, “The one who put City Press on the map for football”.
“I’m still shocked by the passing of one of the best storytellers in the country. Personally, I learnt a lot from him as he took me under his wing when I started working with him at City Press. He taught me the values of journalism. He was a good mentor and motivator. Sports journalism, in particular, is lost without him.”
“Condolences to the Mseleku family, especially his wife and children and friends. May his soul rest in peace,” Molobi said.
Filmmaker, producer and creator of popular SABC soapie Muvhango, Duma Ndlovu‚ who was also a close friend took to social media announcing Mseleku’s passing. He wrote: “Last night I lost a dear friend, a brother and cousin, Sbu Mseleku. The veteran sports journalist succumbed to COVID -19 around 9 pm last night and his family is still trying to come to terms with his passing.”
Ndlovu said South Africa had lost another giant to the Coronavirus as S’bu’s life and work spoke for itself. He said, “I think for me the message is that we as a country should take the Coronavirus very seriously‚ and observe all the protocols‚ because we should not be losing figures such as S’bu to this disease”.
SANEF extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
A True Sports Legend Has Rested
By Dominic Chimhavi
I first met Sbusiso Mseleku in 1995 at the Sowetan when it was still operating from the Industria area. He was already a senior sports reporter and I had just joined from the now-defunct New Nation.
He left Sowetan in 1998 to become the Sports Editor of the Drum but we were to unite again at City Press later on.
When he left the Drum, he formed his own Lumumba Sports company which was feeding several media outlets with football information.
In 2001, he joined City Press as the Deputy Sports Editor.
Together with me as the Sports Editor, Pule Mokhine, Sifiso Cele, Daniel Mothowagae and Linda Rulashe we formed a ‘deadly combination’ in making the Sunday newspaper the true gospel of South African sports with a considerable bias on football.
Because of Sbu’s incisive and probing stories, City Press was nicknamed the ‘Bible of South African football.
Together (me and Sbusiso) we alternated in writing a weekly column called Pressing Issues which touched on all sports administrators and football role players. We didn’t have a holy cow and we literally ‘walked where angels fear to tread’ and this earned us successive Sports publication of the year awards in 2004 and 2005.
Before FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced South Africa as the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 15 May 2004 in Zurich, the previous day (on 14 May 2004), Sbusiso who had travelled to Switzerland to cover the event on behalf of City Press, correctly predicted the voting patterns between those of South Africa and Morocco.
Sbusiso covered several events from the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, the 2006 World Cup in Germany and played a pivotal role in the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first-ever on African soil.
He is the last of the golden generation of true investigative sports journalists and was not afraid of writing about the so-called untouchable officials.
Even when he left City Press, he continued to do some work for SAFA through his online sports company Sbusiso Mseleku Online Sports Channel.
A true sports legend has rested. RIP legend.
#Chimhavi is the SAFA Spokesperson. He writes in his personal capacity.
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.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of legendary broadcaster, Bob Mabena on Monday 10 August 2020.
Mabena was POWER 98.7’s breakfast show host. According to the radio station’s management, he died on Monday from cardiac arrest. He was 51 years old.
Mabena started his career in 1989 at Radio Bop. He also worked on radio stations such as Metro FM, Kaya FM and Highveld Stereo. He took South Africa by storm as the host of popular Studio Mix with Melanie Son (now Bala). He was the programmes manager for the MSG Group which includes Capricorn FM in Polokwane.
Barely two weeks ago, Mabena released his 12-track compilation album, “Jammers House Volume 1” in honour of his wonderful career.
SANEF extends condolences to his family, friends and multitude of fans.
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.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned that 2020 has become a dark period for media freedom worldwide considering the increase in the number of journalists jailed in various countries since the COVID-19 crisis.
SANEF joins the African Editors Forum (TAEF) in condemning the new anti-media freedom regulations signed by Tanzanian president, John Magufuli which have eroded the gains made by the Tanzanian media in the past four decades.
Tanzania has over the past months shut down several media outlets and ordered the seizure and closure of newspapers critical of his government. It has also put in place repressive laws that restrict media freedom and threaten journalist safety in the country. These laws include the Electronic and Postal Communications Act, adopted in 2018. This requires anyone with a blog or a website to pay hefty license fees. New rules have forced media companies to reapply for operating licences on a more regular basis, further restricting critical voices in the local media.
SANEF also expresses its solidarity with the World Association of News Publishers and the World Editors Forum, in condemning the continued detention of Hopewell Chin’ono, a Zimbabwean journalist; the increased jail time for Al Jazeera journalist, Mahmoud Hussein in Egypt; and the arrest in Hong Kong on Monday of Jimmy Lai, the founder and publisher of Apple Daily.
Last week, the Zimbabwean courts denied bail to Chin’ono, a 2010 Nieman Fellow, accusing him of stoking violence ahead of planned anti-government protests. Chin’ono has been actively exposing corruption in Zimbabwe.
On Sunday, the Egyptian authorities extended the detention of Al Jazeera journalist, Hussein, for another 45 days. He has been in jail since December 2016, surpassing the legal limit of detention without trial. Egypt has ignored calls by the UN for it to end this detention.
Lai, his two sons, and six executives of Apple Daily’s parent company, Next Digital, were arrested under new national security laws early on Monday and some 200 policemen raided the Apple Daily offices. The laws, which were adopted by China for the city at the end of June, criminalise secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces – the charge levied against Lai.
Warren Fernandez, President of the World Editors’ Forum, has noted with concern the rise in detention of journalists. He has called on all journalists to stand with editors on the African continent in calling for the release of Chin’ono and urged regional powers to put pressure on the Zimbabwean government to stop criminalising critical journalism. “We also believe that Mr Hussein should be released, particularly in light of the worsening health conditions in Egypt’s jails,” he said.
According to the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), “the number of countries regarded as safe, where journalists can work in complete security, continues to decline, while authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media”.
The Index, which evaluates the situation for journalists each year in 180 countries and territories, suggests that the next ten years will be pivotal for press freedom because of converging crises affecting the future of journalism. These factors include a geopolitical turmoil due to the aggressiveness of authoritarian regimes; a technological turmoil due to a lack of democratic guarantees); a democratic crisis due to polarisation and repressive policies; a crisis of trust due to suspicion and even hatred of the media; as well as an economic crisis impoverishing quality journalism.
RSF secretary-general, Christophe Deloire warns that, “the public health crisis provides authoritarian governments with an opportunity to implement the notorious ‘shock doctrine’ – to take advantage of the fact that politics are on hold, the public is stunned, and protests are out of the question, to impose measures that would be impossible in normal times.”
Deloire said, “For this decisive decade to not be a disastrous one, people of goodwill, whoever they are, must campaign for journalists to be able to fulfil their role as society’s trusted third parties, which means they must have the capacity to do so,”.
According to the Index, the African continent has suffered significant media freedom reversals, in the forms of prolonged arbitrary detention and online attacks. It also notes that it is the Asia-Pacific region that saw the most significant rise in press freedom violations. Hong Kong is among areas on the radar of suppressed media freedom because of its treatment of journalists during pro-democracy demonstrations.
SANEF is concerned that the absence of appropriate regulation in the era of digitalised and globalised communication has created information discord. Propaganda, advertising, rumour, and journalism are in direct competition. The growing confusion between commercial, political, and editorial content has destabilised democratic guarantees of freedom of opinion and expression. It has encouraged the adoption of dangerous laws which – on the pretext of restricting the spread of fake news – facilitate harsher crackdowns on independent and critical journalism.
SANEF was co-signatory to a letter to Cyril Ramaphosa as chair of the African Union – calling on him to demand the release of Chin’ono and other jailed journalists who have been essential workers during the COVID-pandemic. To date, more than two weeks later, there has been no response to the letter despite the urgency in the situation.
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.
The African Editors Forum (TAEF) and the Southern African Editors Forum (SAEF) are greatly concerned about the continued harassment and arrest of journalists in Zimbabwe by the government. TAEF and SAEF call on the Zimbabwean government to immediately release Hopewell Chin’ono who is in remand prison and was denied bail on charges of “inciting public violence” in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July 2020 after police agents raided his home in Harare without a search warrant as required by the law. Again, on 30 July 2020, police raided and ransacked the home of online publisher ZimLive editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo looking for “subversive material” supposedly linked to yesterday’s (31 July 2020) planned protests.
We wish to remind the Zimbabwean government that Journalism is not crime and therefore demand that all charges against Mduduzi and Chin’ono be unconditionally dropped immediately to allow them to continue reporting without fear. We are deeply concerned about the deliberate abuse of journalists by Zimbabwean security forces which of late has resulted in a sharp increase of their arrest and unlawful detention, especially since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The Zimbabwean government should allow journalists to do their work freely without any hindrance and we demand a guarantee for the safety of all media personnel in the country. We would like to urge the Zimbabwean government to engage media within the country to find a common understanding with a view to end the harassment and arrests of journalists. This should not be happening in a democracy which Zimbabwe has declared to Africa and the rest of the world that it is. TAEF and SAEF remain committed as well as ready to assist both the Zimbabwean government and media in finding a lasting solution with a view to end the harassment and arrest of journalists.
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