Hazel Friedman, Pieter Brewis, and Marc Mullenberg won an award for their thought provoking TV feature, Afterburn, for SABC current affairs programme, Special Assignment.

Afterburn is a story about burn survivors and communities living in informal settlements, for whom shack fires are a constant hazard. The feature focussed on the story of Michelle Motibi, who suffered burns to 86% of her body when a shack she was sleeping in caught fire. She was five years years-old at the time and was given little chance of survival. 

Simultaneously in Cape Town’s affluent southern suburbs, Andrew Meddick, a 15-year old student at Bishops College, suddenly contracted viral encephalitis and tragically died from the virus. Although he was an organ donor, all his organs had been infected by the virus, except for his skin. His mother, Shelley Mackay-Davidson, a Cape Town-based lawyer and musician, donated his skin to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital where Motibi was being treated. His skin served as a temporary covering while her burns healed. So Michelle’s life was saved, literally, by Meddick's skin. Meddick's mother, Shelley, subsequently reached out to Motibi, who now lives at St Joseph’s Home for chronically-ill children, and formed a bond with her.

The story also focussed on pioneering fire-awareness and prevention partnerships between UCT students and communities living in informal settlements. Special Assignment shared the TV Feature award with SABC's Matshwela Ngoveni (Cutting Edge) for the Lily Mine Tragedy.

SABC News journalist, Nkululeko Nyembezi was declared a winner for his story about the court case and sentencing of the king of the Abathembu. The winner in the Featured Stories for the genre of radio features went to Izak du Plessis, for SABC Current Affairs, RSG.

Other winners include:

Radio Feature winner:

Jayed-leigh Paulse. SABC Radio, Rhodes.

Sport winner:

Mcebisi Mgqina. SABC, School Rugby.

Television Feature winner:

Nontsikelelo Nohiya. SABC Cutting Edge, Stock vigilantism.

Television News winner:

Janine Lee. SABC, Killer Canals. 

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