Mondi Shanduka – 2008 Awards

The judges did not necessarily endorse the sentiments of the controversial "Rape of Justice" cartoon, but acknowledged it is an outstandingly powerful visual statement that had been deliberately designed to elicit enormous reaction."

Prince Chauke studied law (B.Proc) at the University of Durban Westville.  He started his journalism career as a freelance journalist for the Sowetan in 2006 and joined the Sunday Sun as a senior showbiz writer in 2007.

He is awared the Popular Journalism award his stories "The Faker" and "How do you COPE with 'Doctor' Willie?"

"The winning entry could truly be said to be worth a thousand words as, in one frame, it said so much about the madness of xenophobia. The inclusion in the shot of children laughing mockingly at an older woman refugee from the other side of a red fence adds a poignancy and despair about the next generation," said the judges.

Few journalists working at the Mail & Guardian will easily forget the last week in May 2008. As a weekly paper, it seemed strange that on a Monday, only a few staff members on the sub-editors and newdesk were around. A muted somberness hung in the air. Most of the staff were fanned out in different parts of Gauteng trying to "capture" a huge breaking story of mob-styled violence engulfing the province.

As colleagues slowly made their way back to the office later the afternoon, a spontaneous group collected outside the editor, Ferial Haffajee's office. An abiding image was, one of her on the floor, typing notes vigorously, while journalists relayed their experiences. One word encapsulates the "story behind the story" of the paper that week: teamwork.

   Later that week, the task from a presentation view, was to package and depict the network of violence and anger that emerged: using a range of perspectives gathered by the writers and photographers. These ranged from official sources (Absent Mbeki critised over violence, SA knew of xenophobia threat:Kasrils) to exploring the theories of how the violence started (No third-force: Manuel, Caught in the hostel trap) to outlining the first-hand experiences of both "victims" (Tell them we're from here, ‘You can't image the pain) and "perpetrators" (Inside the mob) of the violence as well as the humanitarian crisis that ensued and those who sought to deal with it (Where to from here, An angel who started cooking).

     The editor gave us a brief to utilise photographs as boldly as possible, which in itself became a story-telling method. We used thicker borders than usual around the photographs, with a slight drop-shadow, which created depth to each page. The strap at the top of each page, made by our graphic artist John McCann, was used as a unifying element for the section. "Inside the mob" seemed more appropriate than the initial blanket "xenophobia" title, especially when the diverse nature of the violence emerged, without reinforcing the "us" and "them" dynamic.

The most severe xenophobic attacks erupted on Sunday, May 11, 2008 when residents of Johannesburg's oldest township, Alexandra, began attacking foreigners. The victims were the poor, many of them illegal immigrants from Mozambique and strife-torn Zimbabwe.

It would be the start of two weeks of xenophobic violence, the greatest challenge to South Africa's young democracy since 1994.When it was over, at least 62 people lay dead and tens of thousands were left homeless.

These photographs serve as a record of that violence, from Alexandra where angry mobs hunted foreigners throughout the night, often going house to house in their pursuit. The rioting and killing became more brutal as machete wielding crowds began burning and hacking their victims. Those who escaped fled to police stations, which overnight became refugee camps filled with the displaced, while others slipped back across the border to their neighbouring countries.

As an over extended police force continued their fight to quell the unrest, the riots spread from Pretoria, where they first manifested, to Johannesburg and then to Cape Town. It was only with the deployment of the South African army that the worst of the unrest subsided, leaving a humanitarian crisis, the extent of which South Africa had never seen.

‘'Faces of Xenophobic hate''

Date: 12/05/08. Time: 10:35am.  Location: 4^th Avenue, Alexandra Township

‘'Alex up in flames''

Date: 13/05/08. Time: 20:33pm.  Location: Alexandra Township, extension 7.

‘'Stop These Flames''

Date: 18/05/08.  Time: 17:13pm.  Location: Primrose informal settlement.

‘'Think roots and wings''

Date: 20/05/08.  Time: 9:28am.  Location: Ramaphosa informal settlement.

"McBride reads the riot act"

Date: 20/05/08.  Time: 12:26pm.  Location: Ramaphosa informal settlement.

On May 18, 2008 Johannesburg was up in flames. For more than a week the fires had ben burning all around the city, starting in Alexandra where locals targeted a group of foreigners.

By Sunday morning the wave of xenophobic violence that would eventually sweep like a runaway fire throughout the entire country would engulf much of Joburg. Myself and photographer Shayne Robinson were sent to Ramaphosa, a township on the East Rand where a number of shacks belonging to foreigners had already been razed.

A mob 100 meters down from the main entrance into the township had gathered at the traffic circle, armed with pangas, knobkierries and even an umbrella, taunting the large and heavily armed police contingent up the road. When police eventually moved in on the mob, with us handful of journos using the cover of their armoured vehicles, it would prove extremely dangerous with some inexperienced and visibly shaken police firing wildly at the rubble raining down on them and the haze of teargas adding to the confusion.

After the short skirmish we lingered halfway between police and the quickly reformed mob. With those taking advantage of the lull in fighting came the word- they were killing the Shangaans.

Without waiting for police we raced towards the mob. By the time we got to their gathering point they had dispersed. But not without leaving a chilling example of their handywork. A burning man.

Joe Thloloe named Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards lifetime achiever

After almost 50 years in the media, veteran journalist Joe Thloloe has been awarded the Alan Kirkland Soga Lifetime Achiever accolade in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to newspaper journalism in South Africa.

The current South African Press Ombudsman was applauded for the role he has played in the industry at the eighth annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards in Johannesburg on Wednesday, May 6.

"This year the award was renamed after Soga, a historic editor from the late 19^th century whose credo was, ‘Gainst the wrong that needs resistance; for the good that lacks assistance'," said chief judge Professor Guy Berger.

"Thloloe's life personifies this motto. He is possibly the most respected South African journalist and a professional with an unparalleled wealth of courage, compassion and commitment that dates back almost 50 years in the media."

Thloloe has worked for The World, Rand Daily Mail, Golden City Post and Drum magazine, and is a former deputy editor of Sowetan. He was also editor in chief of both SABC News and e.tv News.

A journalist in the apartheid struggle, he was convicted for his part in the 1960 Anti-pass Campaign that led to the Sharpeville Massacre, detained for four months in 1976 following the students' uprising of that year; detained in 1977 for 18 months under the Terrorism Act; banned in 1981 for three years under the Suppression of Communism Act; and detained, tried and jailed for 19 months between 1982 to 1984.

Thloloe is a former chairman of the South African Editors' Forum, deputy chairman of the Southern African Editors' Forum and president of the Union of Black Journalists and Media Workers Association of South Africa.  In 1988, he was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

Other recipients of this lifetime achievement honour include the late Dr Aggrey Klaaste, David Hazelhurst, Raymond Louw and Mathatha Tsedu.

"It was noteworthy that the best range of pictures came from a wide range of sports, including the minor ones."

The Beeld collected 94 points.