Media practitioners called to enter SADC media awards

South African media practitioners are invited to enter the 2024 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Media Awards competition by 29 February 2024. 

The awards were established in 1996 to recognise best media work in disseminating information inSADC to support the process of regional co-operation and integration. 

Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said: “To promote regional integration and cooperation (cross-border issues), the awards aim to recognise excellence in journalism in the area of print, photo, television, radio as well as to encourage media practitioners in member states to cover issues pertaining to the region.”

In 2023, Rinae Nemaungani (22) was among the winners of the national SADC Media Awards. She is currently an intern in the radio unit at the GCIS. She punched above her weight when she scooped the award in the radio journalism category ahead of seasoned professionals.

Nemaungani sees the award as a reward for hard work.

The title of her entry was Integration relationship between South Africa and SADC countries - South Africa to import power from other Southern African countries to overcome load shedding.

Her award-winning story was inspired by South Africa’s Energy Action Plan to begin importing the much-needed electricity into the country. She focused the story on how government is fighting to find possible solutions to load shedding plaguing the country. 

The National Adjudication Committee members selected this entry as one of the best.

When Nemaungani found out about the SADC Media awards, some of her colleagues who have been in the industry longer than her encouraged her to enter the competition. 

“When I started working at GCIS, I had an opportunity to meet the late Mr Mosotho Stone… during one of our conversations, I found out that he previously won the SADC media awards twice. I was encouraged to enter the competition because I needed something to launch my career because I had just completed my studies at university,” she explained.