African investigative journalist of the year Dewald van Rensburg says investigative journalism remains specialised and underdeveloped on the continent, and that awards like these help encourage journalists to pursue more in-depth work.
Van Rensburg was named African investigative journalist of the year for an exposé into Johannesburg’s multibillion-rand illegal gold trade, which implicated a flamboyant pastor and a fugitive.
An investigative reporter at the AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, Van Rensburg says the story partly drew on information provided by a source in Namibia.
The award was announced on Thursday at the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC) in Johannesburg, attended by delegates from across the continent.
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The investigation, titled ‘City of Gold’, uncovered an interconnected network of alleged illicit financial flows, tax fraud and money laundering linked to South Africa’s gold sector.
“Not enough attention is given to investigative reporting, and these awards have helped establish it as a recognised genre.
“They have created an aspiration among journalists to become more conscious of pursuing it.
“I am happy to have won. The awards have become quite prestigious very quickly, despite only being around for about three years,” he says.
In 2019 Van Rensburg has also reported on money laundering in the SME Bank case, on a story titled ‘How an SA bank killed SME Bank’.
SECOND AND THIRD
The Gambia’s Mustapha Darboe won second place for his investigation, titled ‘The Assets of Former Dictator Go for a Song’.
The story investigated how the process of recovering the assets of The Gambia’s former exiled president, Yahya Jammeh, whose wealth was estimated at more than a billion dollars (equivalent to the country’s gross domestic product in the year he was deposed), was marred by alleged corruption.
Jammeh’s assets, which were forfeited to the state following his removal from office, were allegedly sold to families of officials of the current administration at prices significantly below their value.
Ghanaian journalists Seth Bokpe and Edmund Boateng of The Fourth Estate won third place for their investigation, titled ‘Forest Invasion: The Scramble by PEPs to Acquire Mining Licences in Ghana’s Forest Reserve’.
The investigation uncovered that the government enacted a law motivating politicians to apply for and receive mining leases in some of Ghana’s prized forests, including globally significant biodiversity areas.
Veteran journalist and founder of the Namibia Media Trust Gwen Lister was the convener of judges of AIJC held at Wits University.
She says the future of journalism is confronted by a number of questions, including solutions to address the threats to sustainable journalism, as well as what innovative models can work for African media to survive.
“How can we ensure that artificial intelligence (works for us and not against us in critical investigative work? And perhaps the biggest questions of all are how to mitigate the erosion of trust and win back friends and allies for journalism, which fights the good fight for democracy’s sake, and how to regain the lost influence and ability to set out public opinion and debate,” she says.
Lister says this year’s panel of judges emphasised the need for journalists to integrate human voices and field work with factual data, rather than relying too heavily on research and administrative records.
“Leaks and open data sets can provide good leads, but the greatest story is the one that connects to real life. The voices of the people affected need to be heard and recorded. The reward for this is making your journalism, your good journalism, in which much groundwork has and will be done, more accessible to the audience.
“This must surely help build back trust in our craft,” she says.
Editor of the Nation Media Group Joe Ageyo from Kenya delivered the keynote address at the awards ceremony.
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He recalled how in the early 2000s it was unfashionable to promote environmental reporting. He said climate change coverage should continue.
Ageyo praised journalists on the continent for their brave, tireless work in pursuit of truth and accountability.
“The enemies of truth will always be with us. They will threaten, sue and surveil, but let us keep digging, muckraking, and shining the light. As long as we do, the darkness will never win,” he said.
The African Investigative Journalism Awards, supported by Absa Africa, are held annually to recognise and celebrate excellence in investigative journalism on the continent.
The awards are part of the AIJC, hosted by the Wits Centre for Journalism.
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