eNCA's Checkpoint investigation triumphs at Vodacom Journalist Awards
The national winners of the 2025 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards (VJOY) were announced at a ceremony in Johannesburg, where the event recognised the dedication, skill and courage of South Africa’s press.
Submissions
This year, we received over 1,330 submissions from journalists nationwide - an increase from previous years, showing growing engagement and prestige.
The title of 2025 Vodacom Journalist of the Year and R100, 000 in prize money is awarded to eNCA Checkpoint’s Sibusisiwe Sebe Buthelezi with contributors Sindisiwe Mpahlwa, Tshidiso Lechuba and Ashley Market for the searing exposé on the shocking state of KZN mortuaries, which also wins the Features category. The judges said the investigation, which revealed bodies stacked on floors, decomposed remains and families being handed the maggot-infested bodies of their loved ones, “combined courage, persistence and deep compassion to expose a hidden crisis, giving a human face to unbearable conditions and forcing accountability from those in power.”
Netwerk24’s Liza-May Pieters won the esteemed title of the 2025 Young Journalist of the Year Award. Having only been in the industry for two years, Liza-May has already impressed the judges with her strong general knowledge, understanding of the media landscape, and dedication to investigative reporting. Hailing from the Free State, she is recognised as one to watch and is already making her mark as a rising talent in South African journalism. She receives R50,000 to enrol in a course of her choice to further develop her skills and career.
“As our world evolves, so does the way we connect,” said Takalani Netshitenzhe, director of External Affairs for Vodacom South Africa.
“Technology has evolved to become a bridge that brings stories closer to more people than ever before. And yet, even in this digital age, what endures is the human spirit behind every story.
“In an era of AI and digital platforms, Vodacom consistently emphasises the importance of credible, ethical journalism. These awards highlight how traditional media holds power accountable and ensures transparency in society,” said Netshitenzhe.
“The role of the media in creating a platform for the vulnerable and marginalised in society to be heard is especially relevant as we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. Media have the power to catalyse change by speaking truth to power, bringing hidden issues and voices into the light, and Vodacom is proud to recognise and honour journalists with these awards,” Netshitenzhe said.
The judging panel, led by media veteran Ryland Fisher, ensures rigorous standards and meaningful recognition for journalists who make a difference.
The VJOY Lifetime Achiever Award for 2025 is bestowed upon Mathatha Tsedu, a colossus of South African journalism. From his early work exposing human rights abuses in rural Limpopo to leading major titles, Tsedu has consistently combined courage, integrity and vision. During apartheid, he was repeatedly detained, tortured, banned and barred from practising journalism, yet he emerged unbowed, championing press freedom. Beyond reporting, he helped establish the Union of Black Journalists, Sanef, the Southern African Editors’ Forum, TAEF and the Media24 Journalism Academy, mentoring generations of journalists.
“Tsedu’s extraordinary career exemplifies journalism’s power to hold authority accountable, protect democracy and transform a nation, reflecting a lifetime of courage in service of truth,” said Fisher.
The national category winners, winning R10,000, were:
Live reporting/breaking news: News24’s Tammy Petersen with contributors Marvin Charles and Noxolo Sibiya for "I am shocked’ – Booysen after underworld murder-accused Andre Naudé shot dead in Parow and 'They came to kill all of us’: Naudé’s co-accused tells how he survived AK-47 gunfire.
The judges said: The winning entry exposes South Africa’s harsh underbelly of criminality, bringing to the fore the fear and human cost of lawlessness to society when one gangster dies in a hail of AK47 fire and another is injured.
Investigative: A joint award between News24’s Jeff Wicks with contributors Sharlene Rood and Kyle Cowan for 9 Lives and Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley for Cartel country - South Africa and the impacts of global drug trafficking.
The judges said about entries in this category: Thirty years into democracy, South Africa continues to battle fraud, corruption and various forms of criminality on all fronts. Entries in this highly competitive category reflected both the efforts made by and the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies. Investigative journalism fulfils the profession’s highest purpose: exposing hidden corruption, forcing institutional accountability and defending the public interest. In a highly competitive field, two exceptional entries stood out for how they exposed criminal networks corrupting South Africa's institutions and communities.
For Nine Lives and Cartel Country, the judges respectively honour the News24 team of Jeff Wicks, Sharlene Rood and Kyle Cowan and the Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley for investigations that demonstrate investigative journalism's power to illuminate the darkest corners of state capture and organised crime.
Opinion: Daily Dispatch’s Lulamile Feni with contributor Sikho Ntshobane for BEHIND THE NEWS: Tragic aftermath of torrent will haunt me forever.
The judges were very impressed by the show of “presence in one’s community” manifested in the writing of the duo who win our national award. For this piece and another titled, “Nothing prepared me for heartbreaking memorial for young flood victims”, the writing truly captures the mood and state of the community caught in a helpless situation caused by the Mthatha floods and for not taking the easy way out of retreating behind professional distance, but embracing the dual role of journalists and compassionate human beings.
Lifestyle: News24’s Kaunda Selisho for News24 Life's Under Pressure series.
The judges said: Lifestyle stories should be captivating and enlightening – and a good lifestyle story draws attention to a significant issue, making the audience feel they are part of the story. The national winner shone a spotlight on the growing challenge of hypertension among 25- to 39-year-olds, unpacking the physical, lifestyle and psychological factors behind this critical, yet often overlooked, health crisis. This compelling body of work was based on extensive research and a series of interviews with sufferers, healthcare experts and dieticians.
Features: eNCA Checkpoint’s Sibusisiwe Sebe Buthelezi with contributors Sindisiwe Mpahlwa, Tshidiso Lechuba and Ashley Market for Mortuaries.
Photography: Cape Times’s Ayanda Ndamane for Caught in the crossfire.
The judges said: The national winner succeeded in capturing a meditation on both the past and present of South Africa in one image – a composition that frames the stark tension between innocence and turmoil, through burning barricades and shifting light. For this powerful image capturing a young boy cutting through smoke-wreathed violent protests in Dunoon, Western Cape.
Sport: City Press’s Tiisetso Malepa for Danny Jordaan and Safa CFO Gronie Hluyo to appear in court for fraud
The judges said: At its best, sports journalism transcends the game itself. It becomes a pursuit of truth, integrity and accountability. This year’s national winner exemplifies that higher purpose. Representing the principles of investigative reporting, the winning entry captured the moment when months and years of meticulous journalism delivered tangible justice to one of South Africa’s most powerful sports administrators.
Financial and Economics: A joint award between AmaBhungane’s Susan Comrie for Dirty Fuels and YOU’s Clyde Adams for Sweet taste of success.
The judges said: Good financial and economic journalism keeps politicians, civil servants, businesses and citizens well informed, so they make better choices to enhance our collective and individual decision making. The judges looked for in-depth features and investigations that combined excellent storytelling with illuminating insights into the stories underpinning financial and economic news.
The national winners exemplify the best of financial journalism in its public service role: accessible yet rigorous, analytical yet empathetic.
Politics: News24’s Sithandiwe Velaphi for She could not write her own name in Grade 3': Is this SA's worst primary school? and Eastern Cape municipal manager's hired car clocks 10 000km in 24 days, with R100 000 bill.
The judges said: Several of this year’s strongest entries revealed blatant abuse of power by South African government officials to fuel their lavish lifestyles, while the communities whose taxes the officials feed on cry out for services.
Our national winner produced two shocking articles, depicting contrasting responses to the dire state of poverty and issues of services delivery in much of the Eastern Cape.
Sustainability: City Press’s Lunga Henrietta Simelane for A threat to vultures is a threat to people: Inside Kruger’s vulture poisoning crisis.
The judges said: In the wake of COP30, many eyes are turning to the conundrum of how emerging continents such as Africa, Asia and South America can protect their valuable wildlife and wild spaces at the same time as enabling a better standard of living for their citizens by developing their economies without wrecking their atmospheres or earth.
This year’s sustainability entries anticipated this challenge and focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of these issues in South Africa. The national winner exposed how an agrochemical has been weaponised by Kruger National Park poachers, spelling death for already endangered vultures and wildlife and even for innocent human beings.
Innovation in Journalism: News24’s Jeff Wicks and contributors Alex Patrick and Sharlene Rood for Final Footsteps: The Kirsten Kluyts murder.
The judges said: True innovation in journalism is not about novelty for its own sake but about finding new ways to tell the story more completely, with greater depth, empathy and clarity. It demands technical courage, creative vision and an unrelenting pursuit of truth.
The national winner is an investigation that set a new benchmark for interactive storytelling in South Africa. Combining forensic data, 3D modelling, CCTV and drone imagery, the team built a vivid, clickable reconstruction of events that humanised a brutal crime while enabling audiences to explore the evidence themselves. Its combination of integrity, precision and pioneering spirit is a rare example of journalism that expands both the medium’s boundaries and the reader’s understanding – as well as rounding out the human dimension.
The Vodacom Young Journalist of the Year award overall winner will be able to enrol in a course of their choice, to the value of R50, 000 towards enhancing their craft and career prospects in Journalism.