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Kyle Cowan, Nick Wilson, Azarrah Karrim and Betram Malgas from News24 with their Sikuvile awards. (Sikhonathi Mantshantsha/News24)
The News24 team scooped awards in three of the 12 categories at the Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards (SBSJA) on Saturday night.
Our award-winning journalists, Kyle Cowan, Azarrah Karrim and Sipho Masondo, who are based in the Johannesburg office, were declared the winners in the investigative journalism category for their brilliant series of articles, titled Mashatile Unmasked, which sought to unearth the apparently opulent and off-the-books lifestyle of Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Allegations that Mashatile has been at the centre of a group of friends and associates that have all benefitted from government posts and contracts have followed him for years.
The in-depth probe seeks to uncover the intricate web of individuals who have contributed to maintaining Mashatile's life of excess, and what they benefitted in return.
This includes undisclosed payments to romantic partners and stays in big-budget residences.
News24 business journalist Nick Wilson, who is also based in the Johannesburg office, won in the business journalism category for his exclusive story titled, "Convicted Health & Racquet fraudsters sub-let lucrative site to Virgin Active".
News24's Bertram Malgas, who is based in the Cape Town office, walked away with the award for the best sports photograph.
One of the outstanding images was taken during the Springbok-Ireland Rugby World Cup pool B clash in September 2023.
The other image was also taken during the Rugby World Cup when the Springboks thrashed Romania 76-0.
Other winners of the night were:
- Journalist of the Year is Lucas Ledwaba for "On a Quest for Healing Justice" and "Gold Mining Widows Battle with Trauma and Poverty".
- Juby Mayet Rising Star of the Year is Julia Evans, a journalist with under three years at the Daily Maverick, for her research-based piece on using electric vehicles in South Africa’s minibus taxi industry.
- The feature photography winner is Theodore Jeptha of the Daily Dispatch for his photography titled "We walked a mile in their shoes... And it was terrifying."
- The News Photography winner is Ayanda Ndamane, an African News Agency photographer, whose entry was titled "Pro-Palestine crowd clash with Police" for Cape Times.
- Thulani Ntsong, cartoonist for Maverick Citizen, was the overall winner for Visual journalism (Editorial cartoons & graphic layout).
- The category Columns or Editorial was won by Bhekisisa Mncube for "The contested legacy of Mangosuthu Buthelezi," published on LitNet.
- The Lifestyle category winner is Nomvuyo Ntanjana of SABC's Cutting Edge portrayed a snake keeper in Northern Cape, Bokamoso "Buru" Ntehelang.
- The Features winner is Lucas Ledwaba, who won unanimously for his poignant writing in "On a quest for healing justice" and "Gold mining widows battle with trauma and poverty."
- The Community service reporting winner is Hazel Friedman for her story called "Oukloof".
- Hlengiwe Ngwenya of SABC's Cutting Edge won Indigenous Language Reporting in Community Media.
- Hard News joint winners are Zikhona Tshona and Slindelo Masikane.
Lungisa Fuzile, CEO of Standard Bank SA, said in a world where social media is taking over, it is important to remember that journalism is more than just a profession.
Fuzile said while Standard Bank supports initiatives like the Sikuvile Awards to promote excellence in journalism, it is also reviewing other ways in which it can support local publications.
"Stories have the power to inspire, to inform and to ignite action. By capturing the essence of our people and their stories, you preserve our heritage and foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of our collective identity," said Fuzile
Fuzile added that press freedom was the cornerstone of a vibrant and functioning democracy.
