Entries open for 18th Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism

Calling all investigative journalists in South Africa – if you had strong work published in 2023 that revealed untold stories, held the powerful to account and questioned those in public and private life, you can again compete for the top prize of R200 000 in the 18th Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism. A second prize of R100 000 is also up for grabs.

The award can go to a journalist or team of journalists (which includes broadcast, online and photojournalists), and can be for a single story or a series of stories (please do not include pieces from earlier years, though where relevant they can be referred to in your motivation). The motivation is extremely important, as it should ensure the judges are fully aware of the work that went into the story, risks taken, its originality, context and impact.

Click here for more information and entry guidelines.

Wits Justice Project launches crime and court reporting training workshops

Supported by funding from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the WCJ's Wits Justice Project has launched a series of national training workshops focusing on crime and court reporting in South Africa. The workshops, which are being held in cities around the country, are aimed at introducing journalists to basic skills and tools for reporting on crime, policing, and criminal court proceedings. The training sessions include a discussion of crime categories, crime statistics, how to obtain permission to report in court, and also look at legal jargon. 

The final round of workshops will take place during February 2024. If you would like to find out about workshops in your area, or be added to a mailing list for future workshops, you can add your details here. Don't delay - there are currently only a few spaces left at workshops in provinces outside Gauteng!

South African journalists join together in solidarity for colleagues killed in Gaza

The Committee to Protect Journalists has confirmed that at least 83 journalists and media workers have been killed, 16 injured and 25 arrested in Gaza in the last three months. The government media office in Gaza estimates that the total number actually exceeds 100.

In showing their solidarity with colleagues killed in the ongoing conflict, South African journalists and media practitioners organised vigils in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Makhanda on the evening of January 28. Proceedings got underway with a coordinated national moment of silence.

Click here to read the full story.

Photo: Dinesh Balliah.

Africa-China Reporting Project hosts successful Journalists Forum at Wits University

The Wits Centre for Journalism's Africa-China Reporting Project (ACRP) recently held its annual Africa-China Journalists Forum at the Wits University Humanities Graduate Centre in Johannesburg, giving journalists and researchers an opportunity to engage on a diverse variety of investigations and reports that emerged from ACRP's capacity building and outreach programmes in recent years.   

This year's event also showcased the ACRP Photo Exhibition, which brought a collection of winning images from across Africa that best encapsulated applicants’ interpretation of Africa–China relations from a localised, "people-to-people" perspective. 

Click here to read the full report.

Pictured: Bongiwe Tutu (ACRP Project Coordinator), Justin Hui (ACRP Photo Exhibition Judge 2018, 2023), Bongiwe Mchunu (ACRP Photo Exhibition Judge 2023), Sandile Ndlovu (1st Prize Winner, ACRP Photo Exhibition 2023), Ihsaan Haffejee (2nd Prize Winner, ACRP Photo Exhibition 2023), Dr Sali Oumarou (ACRP Photo Exhibition Judge 2023). Photo: Thomas Lethoba.

• The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project is looking for an Africa Researcher with extensive knowledge of tracking down public records throughout the continent. The position is fully remote, but applicants should be based in sub-Saharan Africa. Deadline: 5 February. Click here for details. 

• Journalists who had strong work published or broadcast in South African news media between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 are invited to enter this year's Sikuvile Awards. Winner receives R15,000. Deadline: 29 March. Click here for details. 

• Call for papers: Ahead of the International Conference on Theory & Practice of Electronic Governance taking place from 1 to 4 October in Pretoria, you are invited to submit abstracts that speak to the theme: Trust and Ethical Digital Governance for the World We Want. Deadline: 24 April. Click here for details.