Radio and newspaper journalists have excelled in the Western Cape Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards, with the Independent Newspaper group and SAfm each scooping two awards.
Candice Bailey of the Cape Argus won the Editor’s Choice award whilst Die Burger’s Elsabé Brits and Melanie Gosling of the Cape Times shared the Print Feature award.
Gosling was commended for her in-depth series on the transport crisis in the Western Cape and Brits won for her ‘fascinating understanding of science” said the judges.
SAfm’s Mercedes Besant and Lulama Dlepu took the radio feature and radio news awards respectively.
Besant’s entry focused on an almost forgotten community in the platteland and
Dlepu’s coverage of a parliamentary debate about the age at which sexually active teenagers should have access to contraception was described as colourful reporting from our legislative assembly.
The cartoonist award went to well-renowned cartoonist Jonathan ‘Zapiro” Shapiro for his ‘101 Uses for a Condom” piece published in the Sunday Times. The judges felt that the cartoon portrayed and analysed ‘yet another painful chapter in South Africa’s recent history.”
Other winners were:
- Finance/Economic: Bruce Cameron, Personal Finance – for his six-month investigation into financial services company, Alexander Forbes, which resulted in an investigation by the Financial Services Board, the repayment of major sums of money to retirement funds, a parliamentary finance committee public hearing and a statement by the National Treasury with regard to legislative amendments.
- Columnist: André le Roux of Afrikaans glossy Sarie, for his saucy, sassy column on the complexity of relationships.
- TV Feature: John Bailey, SABC2, Fokus for his piece on the SALT telescope.
- TV News: Natasha Landman, e.tv for her coverage of the Baby Jordan murder.
- Print News: Rowan Philp, Sunday Times for his well constructed articles on issues such as the collapse of the power supply to the Western Cape.
- Photography: Fanie Jason for his photographs ‘of unusual beauty and social intrigue.”
Each winner received a cash prize of R5,000 and a certificate from Vodacom. The winners are automatically entered into the national competition. The overall Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award winner will be announced on October 29.