by Dzudzie Faith Netshisaulu

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), in partnership with Sanlam, on Saturday announced the winners of their highly esteemed 2024 Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism held at the Radisson Blu, Umhlanga in Durban.

The awards celebrate journalists who have demonstrated bravery in their work, often in the face of great personal and professional risk.

For the first time in the history of the awards, the main Nat Nakasa Award for courageous journalism has been jointly awarded to three outstanding journalists, each of whom has made a significant impact with their fearless reporting:

News2’s Kyle Cowan was awarded for his investigative feature on the brutal and gruesome assassination of the Murray family, meanwhile, Jeff Wicks, also fron News24, was honoured for his relentless reporting on the assassination of whistleblower “Babita Deokran”, a story that uncovered corruption in the health department.

Theo Jeptha, a photojournalist from Media24, was awarded for his powerful coverage showing everyday struggles communities face, particularly in accessing basic rights such as education. This piece was published by the Daily Dispatch in 2023.

These three journalists epitomise the spirit of courageous journalism, risking their safety to shine a light on critical issues and expose injustices, said Crystal Orderson Judge.

Nwabisa Makunga, SANEF chairperson, challenged the media fraternity to be not “deaf to the call of accountability; without fear or favour, nor be lethargic in our response to the abuse of power and injustice”.

“This moment demands that we step up the challenge of history; that we are even more vigilant to the insidious nature of the abuse of power by those who claim to want the best for this nation,” Makunga said.

She said this moment demanded high standards of integrity from editors, a standard to which they must hold themselves as individual media practitioners, media houses, and of SANEF as an organisation.

The Nat Nakasa Community Award, honouring journalists who amplify local voices and foster community engagement, was awarded to Ms. Vicky Abrahams.

According to the judges, the quality of entries in this category was exceptional, but Abrahams stood out for her compelling series on blind students who were subjected to inhumane conditions, including being forced to eat food crawling with ants.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            These stories, which exposed racism, exploitation, and unfair labour practices faced by deaf and partially blind students at PCD College in  Pretoria, were described as “deeply impactful” and “courageous.”

The Stephen Wrottesley Award, given annually to a SANEF member for exceptional service to the organisation, has been awarded to Ms. Slindile Khanyile, head of Digital Publications and co-director of Likhanyile Tutoring and Media, as well as the editor of online publications Umbele and Umkhanyisi in Durban.

The Stephen Wrottesley Award, given annually to a SANEF member for exceptional service to the organisation, has been awarded to Ms. Slindile Khanyile, head of Digital Publications and co-director of Likhanyile Tutoring and Media, as well as the editor of online publications Umbele and Umkhanyisi in Durban.