Women’s month is a time to remember and acknowledge the women who died fighting to break barriers and ensure that we have the opportunities we have today. It is also a chance for us to appreciate the women still working hard to change the way society perceives women.
Here is a list of women who are currently making moves in the South African media industry:
FERIAL HAFAJEE
Hafajee is a media legend, former editor-in-chief of both Mail & Guardian and the City Press, and currently an associate editor at the Daily Maverick. She has produced some groundbreaking stories, including the tales of “disappearing data” from various cellphone networks, and various goings-on between members of parliament and the Gupta family.
DEVI SANKAREE GOVENDER
Govender is known as an investigative journalist on Carte Blanche, making her an undisputed media legend. Her career has seen her go from reading the news and presenting music shows on radio to hosting her own radio talk show on Lotus FM. From there, she only went from strength to strength, gaining a reputation for her straightforward approach to dealing with sensitive topics. In 1996, she made the move from radio to television, becoming a presenter for Eastern Mosaic, and, eventually, she moved to Carte Blanche in 2002. Govender has numerous awards under her belt for her investigative work, covering stories like corruption at the Medical University of South Africa, the health crisis in the Eastern Cape, and the Oscar Pistorius trial.
KHADIJA PATEL
Patel has an incredibly impressive record. She is the co-founder of The Daily Vox and throughout her career has produced work for some big-name media houses including Sky News, Al Jazeera, the Guardian, Quartz, City Press, and the Daily Maverick. Khadija is currently the chair of the International Press Institute and the former editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian. She is also an associate researcher at the Witwatersrand Institute for Social and Economic Research.
KATY KATOPODIS
Katapodis is one of SA’s most well-known and well-respected journalists and editors. In 2018, after spending a massive 21 years at Primedia Broadcasting, Katapodis made the decision to leave her position as editor-in-chief of Eyewitness News. She started her own media company along with 702’s Phemelo Motene and eNCA’s Penny Peppa.
GLENDA DANIELS
A media legend across the board, Daniels is currently working as an associate professor of media studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She is also the commissioning editor at Fesmedia on media freedom and the chair of the South African National Editors Forum’s diversity and ethics committee. On top of all of that, Daniels is a former journalist at the Mail & Guardian and the author of Wits Journalism’s State of the Newsroom in 2012 as well as the co-author of SANEF’s Glass Ceiling 2018 study.
PIPPA GREEN
Green is a renowned South African journalist, author, and editor. She is the new Press Ombud, as appointed by the South African Press Council. Prior to that Green worked at the Research Project on Employment, Income Distribution and Inclusive Growth (REDI), a national independent research project investigating poverty, inequality, and unemployment. She also served as the head of the journalism programme at the University of Pretoria, and has received numerous awards including the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. She is not only an academic, but her CV also includes working as the deputy editor of The Sunday Independent and Pretoria News, and as head of radio news at the SABC.
NWABISA MAKUNGA
Makunga is a South African journalist who has cemented herself as a pioneer for women in media. In 2016 she became deputy editor of the Herald and its Saturday publication, the Weekend Post, and in July 2018 became editor of the Herald and Weekend Post. She left the Herald and Weekend Post at the end of February 2020 to take up a job as editor of the Sowetan, a position she stepped into as the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic were starting to be felt in South Africa, proving herself a force in the media space.
CHERI-ANN JAMES
James is currently the editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, based in East London. Since joining the Dispatch team in 2007, Cheri-Ann has held a number of positions including assistant news editor, news editor, managing editor, executive editor, and deputy editor. She was appointed the editor of the newspaper in July 2020. With James at the forefront, The Daily Dispatch continues to produce journalism which has brought local and international recognition for the newspaper and its website.
