South Africa’s top newspaper journalists, photographers and graphic artists were announced at the 10th annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards at Johannesburg’s iconic Turbine Hall tonight (10 May 2011). They were chosen from a total of 706 entries and 42 finalists across the 13 categories.
This year saw an impressive increase in entries from last year, coming from a total of 37 newspapers. The category with the most entries was News Photographs with 125 submissions, while Presentation received the least with 22. The publications with the most winners this year are Beeld and Mail & Guardian.
Prof Guy Berger of Rhodes University convened a judging panel consisting of former editors and senior journalists with prominent records in South African journalism: Peter Sullivan, Mike Siluma, Adrienne Sichel, Pippa Green, Jodi Bieber, Joe Latakgomo, Tyrone August, David Wightman, Juby Mayet, Liesl Louw, Mathatha Tsedu, Tumi Makgabo, Paula Fray and Arrie Rossouw.
And the winners are:
HARD NEWS
Stephan Hofstatter and Mzilikazi wa Afrika – ‘Cele lied say his generals’; ‘The R4m luxury home Cele made you pay for’; ‘Bheki Cele’s R500m dodgy rental deal’ (Sunday Times)
Finalists:
- Omphitlhetse Mooki – ‘Tale of SA’s underworld characters’ – Agliotti’s hitman hated him – series (The Star)
- Gloria Edwards – Panjo series – ‘Hond is Panjo se tier’; ‘Panjo: “Ons is nou weer ‘n familie”’; ‘Panjo gaan eie Zingela kry’ (Beeld)
- Angelique Serrao – ‘Lifestyle Audit’ – Malema’s millions (The Star)
Commendations:
- Fanie van Rooyen – ‘Sy wou Blou Bull vermoor’ (Beeld)
- Kathryn Kimberley and Xolisa Mgwatyu – ‘In God’s name’ (Daily Dispatch)
- Adriaan Basson, Babalwa Shota and Julian Jansen – ‘The Dewani Dossier’ (City Press)
Judges’ comment: “Choosing the best of the best hard news reports was difficult. While rewarding a report made the judges feel good, having to discard superbly written, carefully crafted and skilled reports – of which there were scores – made them feel awful.”
ANALYSIS, COMMENTARY & ENTERPRISE NEWS
Samantha Reinders and Mara Kardas-Nelson – ‘Blood, sweat and water’ series on acid mine drainage (Mail & Guardian)
Finalist:
- Ingi Salgado – ‘Umgeni – crocodile farm’s meat tip reveals loopholes in Waste Act’; ‘Dusi guts is sure sign of sewage system problems’; ‘Sand mining takes its toll on pristine Inanda valley’ (Business Report)
Judges’ comment: “In this category it is nowadays hard to find well-researched and well-written articles that make a real difference in our understanding of a complicated and multi-faceted issue. But every now and then a story appears in the newspaper that clearly stands head and shoulders above the rest. The winning entry is one of those outstanding pieces of journalism on a difficult subject, and exactly what South Africa needs more of.”
FEATURE WRITING
Dana Snyman – ‘Ons roep hom Sello’ (Beeld, Die Burger and Volksblad)
Finalists:
- Charl Blignaut – ‘Yum yum, bubblegum’ (Sunday Times)
- Niren Tolsi – ‘Fear and loathing in Obamaland’ (Mail & Gaurdian)
- Willemien Brummer – ‘Waar jou naelstring lê’ (Die Burger)
Commendations:
- Murray la Vita – ‘Kuns=lewe=kuns’ (Die Burger)
- Beauregard Tromp – ‘10 today... ‘Miracle’ Rosita is still a ray of hope’ (The Star)
- Shaun Smillie – ‘A story of two boys’ (The Star)
Judges’ comment: “We looked for good choice of subject for a feature story, a strong introduction that was both apposite and grabbed readers, a strong focal point, and a variety of voices in the story. This we found in outstanding form in Dana Snyman’s entry, which went way beyond catchy Malema headlines by doing the legwork to meet the community that raised him, and to present their experiences with dignity, respect and writing flair.”
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Matuma Letsoalo – ‘Mrs Vavi, the pension fund and the R40 000 bribe’; ‘Vavi-linked firm in new bribe scandal’; ‘Car given to Vavi’s sidekick’; ‘Company hit by new scandal’; ‘Police set to probe M&G ‘briber’’ (Mail & Guardian)
Finalists:
- Mzilikazi wa Afrika and Stephan Hofstatter – ‘Cele lied say his generals’; ‘The R4m luxury home Cele made you pay for’; ‘Bheki Cele’s R500m dodgy rental deal’ (Sunday Times)
- Jacques Pauw – ‘We bust human trafficking ring’; ‘Unlikely nexus of evil’; ‘Women for sale - at R5,000’; ‘How girls are lied to’; ‘More sex ring members bust’; ‘Misused, exploited, violated’ (City Press)
- Herman Scholtz – Frozen chicken horror – ‘Die hoenders hou straks gesondheidsgevaar in’; ‘Ou vleis, herverpak’; ‘As Kiepie net ’n bietjie vriesband het, gaan sy terug mark toe’; ‘Verwerking van vleis na vervaldatum heel wettig’; ‘Chicken horror: new ‘rotten’ wings claim’; ‘Hofbevel snoer oudwerker se mond’; ‘Supreme will nog ’n werker muilband’; ‘Supreme se verkope styg’ (Rapport and City Press)
Commendations:
- Julian Rademeyer, Jacques Pauw and Andrew Trench – ‘ANC’s mines grab’ (City Press)
- Antoinette Pienaar – Series of investigations into ‘Simply Slim’ products (Beeld)
- Craig McKune – ‘Gaston Savoi and government officials corruption probe’ series (Cape Times)
Judges’ comment: “There was an overall high standard of investigations with a good spread between consumer probes, local government inquiries, and political investigations. The winning entry demonstrated that even outside of an investigative team, an individual journalist can win honours by diligent persistence and high ethics.”
Letsoalo also scooped the prestigious South African Journalist of the Year Award.
CREATIVE JOURNALISM
Willem Kempen and Louis Kruger – ‘As Mev. Ples op FB was...’ (Beeld, Die Burger and Volksblad)
Finalists:
- Nikiwe Bikitsha – ‘Hanging up my wig’ (Mail & Guardian)
- Willem Kempen – ‘Sewe dae by die Kunene’s: Aand 1’ (Beeld)
Commendations:
- Phumla Matjila – ‘Big Pimpin’ in the township’ (Sunday Times)
- Katy Chance –‘Pornography of poverty isn’t pretty’; ‘Sticking to the rhythm of the new disorder du jour’ (Business Day)
Judges’ comment: “This category failed to ignite much excitement among the judges. In this generally disappointing offering, Willem Kempen and Louis Kruger provided some relief with their creative contribution. We had asked for innovation and creativity – and Kempen and Kruger provided it. This was a fine example of how humour can be used in creative writing.”
EDITORIAL CARTOONS
Wilson Mgobhozi – ‘4 million babies!’; ‘Self demolition’; ‘ET’s final fall 1944-2010’; ‘One man, one wife’; ‘Madiba’s African Dream’ and other entries (The Star)
Finalists:
- Jonathan ‘Zapiro’ Shapiro – ‘Zumaglue’; ‘Feel it ... it is here!’; ‘Evolution of Democracy’; ‘Aids message’; ‘On second thoughts’; ‘Baby shower’ (The Times and Mail & Guardian)
- Bethuel Mangena – Various entries, including ‘Cape Town toilet controversy’ (Sunday World)
Judges’ comment: “On the whole, we found the quality of entries excellent with a good variety of style. The country was also well-represented geographically, with all sectors represented. The winner’s entries were clean, clear in their imagery, and original in their thought. They were funny and topical but above all, introduced new ways of rendering a subject that many others had also treated.”
GRAPHICAL JOURNALISM
Rudi Louw – ‘2010 – All the newsmakers’ (City Press)
Finalists:
- John McCann – ‘Cronin’; ‘Horsemen’; ‘Freedom under threat’ and other entries (Mail & Guardian)
- Morne Schaap – Various (Media 24)
Judges’ comment: “The winning portfolio of Rudi Louw showed variety in presentation – but all added value to the text, was easily understood and proved attractive to the reader. His review of 2010 gave the reader an overview of an event-filled year in an attractive and well thought-through format that clearly displayed the advantage of graphical journalism in distilling a lot of data into easy-to-understand bites of information.”
POPULAR JOURNALISM
Yolanda Barnard – ‘Liefdeskind’ (Sondag)
The entries for which Prince Chauke achieved finalist status were withdrawn by Sunday Sun.
Judges’ comment: “Yolanda Barnard writes with typical tabloid flair and pushes all the popular Afrikaans language buttons to draw her readers into this on-going family intrigue.”
NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS
Judy de Vega – ‘Pensioners caught in protest crossfire chaos’ (The Herald)
Finalist:
- Felix Dlangamandla – ‘Delivery’ – ’n Man lei skool kinders verby klipgooiers tydens ’n diens leweringsbetoging in Orange Farm, suid van Johannesburg’ (Beeld and Rapport)
Commendations :
- Paballo Thekiso – ‘Rescued babies’ (Saturday Star)
- Cornel van Heerden – ‘Panjo’ (Foto24)
- James Oatway – Haiti (Sunday Times)
Judges’ comment: “The judging process was not an easy one as there were many strong photographic stories and single images. The winning photograph by Judy de Vega not only captures the news event itself and reflects the incredible closeness and courage of the photographer, but also shows that in situations which might feel life-threatening, we all feel the same fear and vulnerability, and are stripped of prejudice around age, race and religion.”
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHS
Cornel van Heerden – ‘Hier is ET doodgekap’ (Foto 24)
Finalists:
- Herman Verwey – ‘Piet se laaste dossier’ (Beeld)
- Phill Magakoe – ‘Knights of the city – Pretoria’s heroes in blue’ (Pretoria News)
- Alon Skuy – ‘Back to nature’ (The Times)
- Theana Breugem – ‘Ratte’ (Beeld)
- Deaan Vivier – ‘JZ moes dalk kantoor soek in die mis’ (Foto 24)
Commendations:
- Alet Pretorius – ‘Mnr & Mej Dwergiefees’ (Foto 24, Beeld, Die Burger, Volksblad and Rapport)
- Cornel van Heerden – ‘SA Rodeo’ series (Foto 24)
Judges’ comment: “We made our selection by looking beyond the surface of the photograph. The picture by Cornel van Heerden of the bedroom of murdered right-winger Eugene Terre’blanche was selected as the winner even though there are no people in this photograph. It is incredibly descriptive in its detail – thereby leaving space for the viewer’s imagination ... the stain on the bed ...the walking stick ... the broken material of the chair.”
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHS
Alon Skuy – ‘Hand of devil’ (The Times)
Finalists:
- Herman Verwey – ‘Rand van ewigheid’ (Rapport)
- Antoine de Ras – ‘Just for kicks’ (The Star)
- Deaan Vivier – ‘Totaal verslae’ (Foto 24, Beeld, Die Burger, Volksbald and Rapport)
Judges’ comment: “In this category, we were not only looking for the significant action moment or the traditionally photographed sports events, we were also looking for the most powerful or somewhat quieter moments. The winning photograph by Alon Skuy is an incredible photograph capturing a moment which had such significance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup: Luis Suarez’s notorious ‘hand of devil’ save for Uruguay against Ghana in the tournament’s quarterfinal.”
PRESENTATION (LAYOUT AND DESIGN)
Andries Gouws – ‘Bafana at the World Cup’; ‘It was here’; ‘Diego’s dance’ (Beeld)
Finalists:
- Debbie van der Merwe – ‘Student word meester’; ‘Padkaart van die lewe’; ‘Kleur jou lewe groen’ (Rapport)
- Nina Clark – ‘How Australopithecus Sediba fits in’ (The Star)
“The winning portfolio entry by Andries Gouws combined compelling headlines with the use of strong pictures – well-chosen and defining moments of the story – to develop a narrative in support of the text,” said the judges.
JOURNALISM TWENTY-TEN
Sameer Naik – ‘The best World Cup ever’ (Saturday Star)
Finalist:
- Niren Tolsi – ‘Field of shattered dreams’; ‘Lebo M’s non-performance’; ‘Tale of Two Cups’; ‘Mainlining the rainbow’ (Mail & Guardian)
“Sameer Naik won for dealing with the soccer spectacle in the way that covered a wide area of the phenomenon that 2010 was,” noted the judges. They found that Naik not only went out and spoke to people, but did analysis and backgrounders on different areas of the Cup. “It is a body of work that truly speaks of the spectacle that 2010 was, and accordingly deserves to win.”
EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTION TO NEWSPAPER JOURNALISM
In addition to the Allan Kirkland Soga Lifetime Achievement Award, a special tribute was made to the late Andriette Stofberg, Beeld’s former deputy editor, for her extraordinary contribution to newspaper journalism. Stofberg, who had been with the paper for 15 years, was highly respected for her commitment to quality and truth.
Her outstanding journalism often set a new benchmark for quality hard news features in Afrikaans. During her tenure as news editor at Beeld, Stofberg opened her readers’ minds to the world of South African politics during the political transition period of CODESA and subsequently the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“This award was born from a special request by her colleagues who felt that they had for many years neglected to nominate her for the Lifetime Achiever Award, although she was a fitting candidate,” says Berger. “She passed away in March after a brief but brave battle with liver cancer. This award, albeit posthumous, is a tribute to her contribution to newspaper journalism and society.”
Mondi Shanduka Newsprint
Mondi Shanduka Newsprint is a leading supplier of newsprint and telephone directory paper in South Africa and selected export markets. Mondi Shanduka Newsprint was formed in 2004 following Shanduka Resources acquisition of a 42% interest in Mondi’s integrated South African newsprint business.
Newspaper Association of South Africa
Newspaper Association of South Africa (NASA) - formerly known as the Newspaper Press Union was founded in November 1882 making it the oldest communication industry association in South Africa. NASA membership comprises 43 urban and metropolitan daily, weekly, twice weekly and monthly newspapers, published in English, Afrikaans and Chinese. It represents all the titles of South Africa's four major newspaper publishing groups - Avusa, Independent News & Media (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Media 24 Ltd and Caxton & CTP Publishers & Printers Ltd. NASA falls under the Print Media South Africa (PMSA) which seeks to represent, promote, express interact and intervene in all matters concerning the collective industry and matters of common interest to members.
Photographs available:
Awards evening (10 May 2011) and judging session (March 2011)
Queries:
This release was issued by Frog Communications on behalf of Mondi Shanduka Newsprint and the Newspaper Association of South Africa.
Malesedi Dlamini | 011.551.9605 | malesedid@printmedia.org.za
Thobile Zulu | 011.894.1901 | thobile@frogcomm.co.za
A full copy of the judges’ statement will be available from 11 May on www.mondishanduka.co.za or by request from Thobile Zulu on thobile@frogcomm.co.za
Championed by Print Media South Africa (PMSA), the accolade honours individuals for their integrity, determination and dedication to the betterment of the South African newspaper industry.
