Freelance producer, Bronwyn Nielsen, has been named as the 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year for a Carte Blanche report on Telkom's pricing and service delivery, according to a media release.


The Telkom media release reads:

At a glittering awards ceremony at Johannesburg’s idyllic Summer Place last night, eaders of the ICT and media industries turned out to accolade the cream of South Africa’s ICT reporters.

The event was the seventh annual Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year Awards aimed t encouraging and rewarding excellence in ICT journalism and to stimulate interest in the ICT industry.


Freelance producer, Bronwyn Nielsen, fended off stiff competition to emerge as overall winner of the 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year. She was also the winner in the Television category, one of seven categories for the Awards.

Nielsen was recognised for her insert relating to Telkom’s pricing and service delivery which was aired on Carte Blanche last year. As the overall winner, Nielsen walks away with a R40 000 cash prize and an all-expenses paid trip to an international telecommunications conference.


All category winners each win R15 000, with the student journalist of the year pocketing R10 000 in prize-money. Telkom realised the importance of promoting insightful, accurate and balanced industry reporting, especially considering the significant role that ICT plays in the economic development of our country,” said Lulu Letlape, Telkom’s Group Executive for Corporate Communication.

The added that the awards seem to have contributed to a progressive improvement in the quality of ICT reporting since its inception seven years ago. “The ability to unpack complex technological issues in a user-friendly manner would have also caught the attention of our expert panel of independent judges,” stated Letlape.

he theme for this year’s awards was “evolution”, and Telkom’s CEO Papi Molotsane emphasised that it was imperative that companies evolve and adapt to their business environment. “Companies that offer better goods and services survive better in the market-place and accumulate growing market share. Poorly adapting companies are forced out and will not survive,” said Molotsane.

e added that reorganising Telkom’s structure, changing the leadership team, balancing internal skills levels and entrenching comprehensive culture change programmes were just a few examples of the Company’s evolution and adaptation to a changing environment.

olotsane stated that the interests of employees as well as that of an increasingly sophisticated customer base were central to all of Telkom’s initiatives. "I believe that the media fraternity will one day report on yet a new Telkom, one that will drive South Africa’s evolution,” remarked Molotsane.

he Financial Mail’s Duncan McLeod, overall winner of last year’s ICT Journalist of the Year Awards, said that the awards have become much sought after amongst ICT journalists. “The awards are credible and is contributing to the improvement of ICT eporting,” stated McLeod.

he full list of the 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year winners, runners-up and special mentions are:
· Mainstream Newspapers Winner: Lesley Stones (Business Day)
· Mainstream Newspapers Runner Up: Thabiso Mochiko (Business Report)
· Mainstream Magazine Winner: Brian Bakker (Freelance Journalist)
· Mainstream Magazine Runner Up: Duncan Mcleod (Financial Mail
· Mainstream Magazine Runner Up: Helene Le Roux (Engineering News)
· Mainstream Magazine Special Mention: Steven Cholerton (GQ Magazine)
· Community/Citizen Journalist Runner Up: Nafisa Akabor
· Community/Citizen Journalist Special Mention: Nadine Spires
· Television Winner: Bronwyn Nielsen
· Television Runner Up: Sumitra Nydoo
· Television Runner-Up: Carol Albertyn & Victoria Cullinan
Television Special Mention: Kerryn Stapp
· On-Line Journalist Winner: Hilton Tarrant
· On-Line Journalist Runner Up: Damaria Senne
· On-Line Journalist Runner Up: Nicola Mawson
· New Journalist Winner: Dave Glazier
· New Journalist Runner-Up: Kimberley Guest
· Student Journalist Winner: Carly Ritz
· Overall Winner: Bronwyn Nielsen