The Limpopo Mirror and Zoutpansberger made the Vhembe region proud once again by winning several top prizes at the annual AVBOB FCJ Excellence Awards. The prestigious award ceremony, which honours achievers in the community-press industry, took place at the Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town last Friday night.
The Forum for Community Journalists (FCJ) hosts this annual competition, which is considered the most important and prestigious event in the community-media sector. Journalists and photographers from leading local newspapers across the country submit their work for consideration.
This year's competition was highly competitive, with a record-breaking 527 individual entries received. Most of the entries came from major publishing groups such as Media24 and Caxton. The Limpopo Mirror and Zoutpansberger are part of the Zoutnet group, which is one of the few independent publishing groups that participated in the competition.
"The adjudicators were impressed with the quality and sheer number of entries received – many more entries were received than the previous year. With so many entries, the judges faced a difficult task to select the winners. The overall quality was impressive, and to be a finalist is a significant achievement, as winners in this competition truly represent the best of the best," said André Gouws, the convenor of the panel of judges.
In one of the most competitive writing categories, the Hard News category, the Zoutnet group had three of the top 10 finalists: Maanda Bele, Elmon Tshikhudo, and Andries van Zyl. Andries van Zyl clinched the trophy for the second consecutive year, with Maanda coming in third. David Savides from the Zululand Observer in KZN took second place.
A surprise winner of the night was Victor Mukwevho, who won the Column Writing category. Victor's column, "Vic's Views," in the Limpopo Mirror made a significant impression on the judges. They remarked, "[He is] in touch with his community, engaging, authoritative, and insightful. Perfectly links the local with the bigger picture. Good writing."
In the Investigative News category, Vhembe-based journalists once again demonstrated their expertise. Anton van Zyl (Limpopo Mirror), last year's winner, secured second place, with Andries van Zyl (Zoutpansberger) in third. The trophy was awarded to Estella Naicker from the Northern Natal News and Newcastle Advertiser.
Andries van Zyl was also a finalist in the Journalist of the Year category, while Victor Mukwevho made the top ten in the Human Interest category.
In the section for independently owned newspapers, the Limpopo Mirror and Zoutpansberger achieved a clean sweep. The Newspaper of the Year trophy was awarded to the Limpopo Mirror, with Zoutpansberger in second place. The judges praised their "impactful design, good pictures, and excellent coverage of important local issues. Very strong investigative stories, covering issues that affect the community. Good mix of more serious and softer stories. This is a newspaper that serves its community well!"
In the Best Frontpage competition, Zoutpansberger claimed the trophy, while Limpopo Mirror secured second place. The other three finalists in this category were Witzenberg Herald, Pondoland Times, and Mangaung Issue.
Like last year, the awards function was sponsored by AVBOB. CEO Mr Carl van der Riet highlighted AVBOB's deep connection to the communities it serves and applauded community journalism for keeping communities informed and empowered. He emphasised the critical role of the media in giving marginalised communities a voice and empowering them with information, contributing to the building of a transparent and free society.