Many of the journalists who have received a
Sikuvile Journalism Award know exactly what these dangers entail, having encountered them when investigating important issues.
Sikuvile Story of the Year winners in 2016, Beauregard Tromp and James Oatway’s story on
The killing of Emanuel Sithole, in the
Sunday Times, proved to be one of those stories. But it did not deter the duo from bringing the story to the public’s attention. As Tromp says: “We can never forget what happened to Sithole so that we can stop this kind of thing from happening again in the future.”
City Press’ Sipho Masondo, has also experienced dangers, receiving death threats for the investigative story,
Watergate, that won him
Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalist of the Year 2017.
Masondo says getting the story was worth the challenge: “The cherry on top was being rewarded for it at the 2017
Sikuvile Journalism Awards. The work was very rewarding; and the recognition was wonderful.”
Mathatha Tsedu –
Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards judging panel convener and judge, adjunct professor in the Journalism department of the University of the Witwatersrand and an SABC board member – says these are why the
Sikuvile Awards are so important.
“The Awards are recognition of the sacrifice you (journalists) make every day. It is the opportunity for us to show our appreciation of the work you do," says Tsedu.
He encourages journalists to enter the Awards.
The winners take home of R15 000 cash, a trophy and a certifcate. The entry fee is per entry and is R160. A reduced amount can be considered if a freelancer motivates why they should pay a reduced fee. The
Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards will be presented at a prize-giving function on Thursday, 13 September.
For more information, visit
www.pdmedia.org.za. You can also follow the Awards on
Facebook or on
Twitter.