Anton Harber's speech, Taco Kuiper Awards 2013

7/28/2019 Anton Harber's speech, Taco Kuiper Awards 2013

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Taco Kuiper Awards, 5 April 2013

Speech by Anton Harber, Head of Wits Journalism, convenor of judges:

Judging the Taco Kuiper Awards is one of the highlights of my year. I get to survey some

of the most interesting reporting of the previous 12 months, and it reinvigorates my faith inour journalism. I am reminded of how good, by any international standards, is the best of

our journalism and how misinformed are those who make sweeping generalisations and

quick and easy criticisms of the work of our reporters and editors.

This year we had 44 entries from 20 different outlets in all media types: print, radio,

television and online. Apart from the regular big-hitters, such as the Sunday Times, City

Press, MNets Carte Blanche programme and Mail &Guardian, it included small community

papers, like The Eye News of the Batlhabine Community of Tzaneen, and the Lowvelder; a

freelance photographer; the student team known as Roving Reporters based at the

Durban Institute of Technology; and our first ever entry from the SA Medical Journal.

We were presented with a diverse array of stories. Apart from the high-profile ones about

corruption - both in the state and private sector - there were investigations into social and

educational conditions, health services, the abuse of the drug tik, fights over conservation

and the environment, including one over turtles, police death squads, internet scammers;

the Boeremag trial, the Marikana massacre, the earnings of municipal managers,farmworker conditions and child prostitution. Our watchdogs have their eye on corruption

and abuse of power, for sure, but also on almost every aspect of South African society.

The range and depth of stories we looked at was truly inspiring. This is a festival of

muckraking.

Today we celebrate the quality of the best of South African journalism. We salute the

journalists who show dogged determination and enormous courage to reveal what some

try to hide, to unnerve the complacent, to challenge those with impunity, to ensure thatthose with power and authority are held to public account, often swimming against the

public tide. We hail those editors and publishers who invest in, support and protect the

reporters on the frontline. And let us not forget the sub-editors, designers and illustrators

who bring it to life. We challenge those who have little good to say about our journalism to

study our shortlist and tell us this is not up there with the finest in the world.

This is particularly pertinent at a time when there are direct threats to the freedom we

enjoy to do this important work. It is true that investigative journalists can be persistent and

pesky, and their close scrutiny can sometimes make it uncomfortable for those who have

to tackle the difficult tasks of government, but - as you will from the stories we highlight


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today - the value of this kind of work far outweighs the cost and irritation. And we are here

today to celebrate the contribution these journalists make to our society.

We have a two-stage judging process. First, a distinguished panel vets the entries,

nominates any obvious candidates who have not come forward, and draws up a shortlist.

This panel consisted of:

Former editor Paula Fray

Sarah Carterof CBS renowned 60 Minutes programme

Ed Linington, for many years editor of SAPA

and my colleague Prof Franz Kruger, also an editor and journalist of many years

experience.

They produced a shortlist of 9, so that the second panel could focus their discussion onthe top contenders. These judges were:

Former editor and writer, analyst and commentator Justice Malala

Paul Fray again

Margaret Renn, another international representative and our holder of the Taco Kuiper

Chair in Investigative Journalism

Tom Cloete, judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal and represetative of our funders, the

Valley Trustand myself, as convenor of the panel.

It is a formidable bunch of people who take their task seriously, leading to hours of intense

debate and discussion, and they have our special thanks.

The initial panel shortlisted 9 of the entries, and they are, in the order in which they arrived:

Malcolm Rees of Moneyweb for Garnishee and Unsecured Lending Abuse

A strong and original story that exposed the loan and debt systems which plague workers

and contributed to conflicts like the one in Marikana. This work was thoroughly researched

and impactful: it led to banks changing their handling of these issues and talk of legislation

to outlaw garnishee orders.

Msindisi Fengu of the Daily Dispatch for Hostels of Shame

East Londons newsp2aper has identified a way of taking one small item - in this case a

remark by an MEC that prisons were far better than the Eastern Capes rural school

hostels - and turning it into a major investigation. Msindisi set out to visit 70 school

hostels. Forty of them turned out be ghost hostels, and did not even exist, and those they


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saw over two months allowed them to document horrifying conditions. Powerful, original,

relentless slog-work, strongly presented in paper and online.

The judges in this case also wanted to mention the photographer Yandisa Monakali, who

took brilliant photographs that brought this story to life.

Joy Summers and Susan Comrie of MNets Carte Blanche for Aurora

This was a running story on BEE abuse and exploitation which t3his team took to a new

level, putting the Bhana family at the centre of the crookery and using court action to

secure exclusive access to liquidation hearings. Everyone got a voice in the piece - from

mineworkers to liquidators - and the result was effective storytelling of a well-executed

investigation.

Phillip de Wet and Matuma Letsoalo and the Mail & Guardians AmaBhungane teamfor Nkandla

M&G broke the first story of what would evolve into a national scandal around the

presidential home. Their focus at this stage was on what they called Zumaville, the

development of the surrounding area, but it was the story that launched a thousand

stories. A multi-facetted report involving strong on-the-ground reporting, with follow-up on

what President Zuma knew and the abuse of the Key Points Act to try and cover it up. It

stands alongside the next on the shortlist:

Adriaan Basson and Paddy Harper of City Press for Nkandlagate

City Press is commended for breaking the story of the cost of the presidential home

upgrade, a well-researched and strongly presented story with high impact. Certainly, it is

the story that hung over the Mangaung conference and seems likely to feature in the

coming elections. The City Press team carried the story over five strong front page leads.

Stephan Hofstatter, Rob Rose and Mzilikazi waAfrika of the Sunday Times for

Nothing for Mahala

The complex and detailed story of the dubious dealings of the deputy presidents partner

was well-researched and well-told, and cast the first doubts on the clean image of the man

who was then a presidential candidate.

The same Sunday Times team again - Hofstatter, Rose and waAfrika - for Its Just

Not Ayoba

This story homed in on a sensational misuse of public power and private money by

Minister of Communications Dina Pule. They drew on a number of sources to show how

her alleged boyfriend had been given free access to money raised for a summit, and used


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it to her and his benefit, including buying her a pair of red-soled shoes, hilariously

highlighted in a front-page picture. Establishing the critical link between Pule and her

boyfriend was not easy, but they dealt with it thoroughly and carefully.

And again, this Sunday Times team has another on the shortlist: for Cato Manor

Death Squads

This story of a rogue police squad carried over from the previous year but again it mixed

well-researched fresh evidence with effective storytelling. This horrifying story is of

particular importance because it provides the backdrop to the current concerns over police

violence.

The 9th and final story on the shortlist is from Greg Marinovich of Daily Maverick for

Marikana

It is not often that a photographer makes an investigative breakthrough but Marinovichsdetermination and passion led him to find evidence that everyone else was missing, and

pointing to an entirely new explanation of what happened on that fateful day that claimed

the lives of 34 miners. The writing and editing was unconventional, but the strength,

originality and importance of the story shone through.

What a range of stories, and what a powerful demonstration of the richness of our

investigative reporting. Sunday Times has three stories in the shortlist; Adriaan Basson,

who has featured in two previous winners, and one runner-up, is again in the running. Andit is notable that print, television and an online story are among the final candidates. There

is not one on that list that is not a contender for high recognition and reward.

This is the hardest part. Everyone on this list has done excellent work and all would be

worthy prizewinners. We want to encourage and recognise them all, and urge them to

keep going, but in the end we have to get to just one winner and one runner-up.

After much deliberation, the judges settled on four on the short shortlist, the final finalists.

But first, they have asked me to make special mention of some outstanding pieces of work

of the sort they wish to encourage:

-City Press Faces of Marikana, in which they sent a team around the country to find thereal faces, families and feelings of all the victims of Marikana . It was a fine example of

enterprising and creative work to drive home the brutal human impact of those terrible

events.

-Neels Jackson of Beeld went undercover to get a first-hand account of shelters set up toexploit the needy and divert assistance for themselves.


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So, it is the final four. They are:

Hostels of Shame from the Daily Dispatchs Msindisi Fengu and photographer Yandisa

Monakali

Ndandlagatefrom City Presss Adriaan Basson and Paddy Harper

Cato Manor Death Squad from the Sunday Timess trio Stephan Hofstatter, Rob Rose

and Mzilikazi waAfrika

Marikana, from Greg Marinovitch, published on Daily Maverick

So, 44 entries, 10 shortlisted, four finalists - and we have to settle on a winner and runner

up.

In fact, we could not choose between two runners-up, so we split this prize. Sharing the

R100 000 are:

Greg Marinovitch for his Marikana expose

and

Stephan Hofstatter, Rob Rose and Mzilikazi waAfrika for Cato Manor Death Squad

And finally, the 7th Taco Kuper Award for an outstanding example of investigative

journalism - and the R200 000 that goes with it - goes to:

Msindisi Fengu of the Daily Dispatch for Hostels of Shame

This was not a story that arrived in an envelope or the result of a lucky leak. It required

many weeks on the road, visiting each school across the length and breadth of the

Eastern Cape to document the appalling conditions in which students had to live. His

persistence, determination and rigour together led to a most important story, powerfully

told. And powerfully illustrated by photographer Yandisa Monakali. As a result, at least

one official was suspended and the provincial authorities were booted into action. As one

of the judges said, there can be no more important story than neglect of our

schoolchildren, and no more valuable role for journalism than forcing a provincial

government to do their duty by these youth. Well done to Mndisi and the Daily Dispatch.

(ends)

Anton Harber's speech, Taco Kuiper Awards 2013

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