The Listening Post on Al Jazeera on Saturday looks at whether and how South Africa's news media has transformed in the past two decades.

The Listening Post on Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) on Saturday (27 February) at 10:30 is looking at whether, and if so how, the news media has transformed in South Africa since the end of apartheid 20 years ago.

Nicholas Muirhead say media transformation was a key priority for the African National Congress (ANC) after it came to power in 1994 and on Saturday the show interviews various editors and media figures to find out how news media in South Africa changed the past two decades.

Nicholas Muirhead spoke to City Press editor Ferial Haffajee, who wrote the book, What If There Were No Whites In South Africa?

Ferial Haffajee warned of the "cappuccino effect" in South African industries – where the workforce is brown at the bottom, but with a white layer on top and a few chocolate sprinkles. She argues that newsrooms are now transformed in South Africa, but upper management and ownership remain an issue.

Rachel Jafta, chairperson of Media24 tells Nicholas Muirhead in The Listening Post that "I have the sense here that perception still has to catch up with reality. Of the four big media houses, Caxton remains the only one that in ownership hasn't transformed. Independent, Times Media Group and Media24 have black ownership. For Media24, it's 47%".

Then there's the SABC that critics say has been used as a government tool to dilute political output.

"Is the SABC serving the purpose for which it is conceived in the democratic era?" asks Songezo Zibi, the outgoing BusinessDay editor.

"My answer is it's got a very questionable performance. Is it therefore transformed from what it was or have we had one form of political culture being replaced by another? I think it's largely the latter.  And in that sense, SABC has not been transformed for me".

"Media reflects society and if the country has not transformed, then nor will the media," says Nicholas Muirhead.

South African journalists win in all their nominated categories at 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015; Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou wins top prize.

All four South African journalists nominated for the landmark 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 won their respective categories and took home trophies handed out at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Kenya, Nairobi on Saturday night where the Burkinabé journalist Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou won the top prize as the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year.

South Africans proved the strength of South African journalism by making a clean sweep and winning all the categories they were nominated in.

Photojournalist Herman Verwey from the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld in South Africa won the Mohamed Amin Photographic Award for his photos of the murder trial of the paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.

"When you look at Herman Verwey's work, for a second, you can wonder… The characters are so full of life, these pictures really give you a sense of their feelings. Herman's body of work gives also a proper idea of the high pressure that surrounded this trial, so important for the South African society," said the judges.

Sarah Wild writing for the Mail & Guardian newspaper in South Africa won the Technology & Innovation reporting Award for her story Robot to test health of ocean 'lungs'.

"Sarah Wild delivered an original report on a major innovation in research over global warming, conducted by a South African scientific team. It's an excellent reminder that there are African-led research programs at the forefront of the climate change issue. Sarah Wild transports the reader into the heart of the project, with the team deploying this new generation of sea-cruising robots," said the judges.

Julie Laurenz and Jacqueline Jayamaha working freelance for the e.tv TV channel in South Africa won in the Features Award category for their harrowing profile piece, Viola's Hope, about a mother addicted to woonga, the cut-price heroin spliced with household products.

"Tragic. Educative. Committed. The team which brought us this piece spent over a month putting it together and they stayed with their story which was well-shot, produced and written," said the judges of the TV story.

Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou was awarded the overall CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award for his story 'Room 143' which was published in the Burkinabé daily newspaper L'Observateur Paalga and covered the ousting of Blaise Campaore, who had ruled over Burkina Faso for 27 years.

The enterprising journalist was clever and booked a room in the hotel in room 143 to snoop as his feature article took readers to the night before when members of parliament attempted to win sufficient support to extend Campaore's term and met in the hotel.

"My story was about power and how people can fight against it – I'm so proud that the story has been told and will now be remembered," said Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou.

He was one of 32 finalists from 15 African countries who attended the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 held in Nairobi, Kenya for the first time since 2005. The competition drew over 1 400 entries this year from 39 African countries.

"Journalism can be very dangerous and can be very lonely," said Ferial Haffajee, editor-in-chief of the City Press newspaper in South Africa and the chairperson of the judging panel.

"Tonight's winners really demonstrated the very best of journalism – from powerful investigative journalism through to celebratory stories of hope and change," said Deborah Rayner, the senior vice president for international news gathering, TV and Digital, at CNN International (DStv 401).

"I've seen tremendously courageous reporting, brilliantly innovative reporting and highly entertaining reporting. The awards really do cover the full panorama of all that is good in journalism," says Tony Maddox, the executive vice president and managing director of CNN International.

Tim Jacobs, the CEO of MultiChoice Africa said the journalists "words and images reflect the reality of our world and attest to the important role the media plays in Africa's development".

"Our partnership with CNN gives us an opportunity to celebrate and help echo the voices of the best journalists and most compelling stories," says Imtiaz Patel, the CEO of video entertainment for Naspers.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Awards 2015 brought the previous years' winners together on stage for the 20th year and contained a beautiful retrospective insert looking back at how the continent's "Oscars for journalism" has grown over the past two decades.

It will be broadcast on AfricaMagic World (DStv 155) on 17 October with presenters Zain Asher from CNN International and Mark Masai from Kenya's NTV.

Four South African journalists make the shortlist as nominees for the landmark 20th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 set for Kenya.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 announced the shortlisted finalists in the various categories, with the continent's most prestigious competition for journalism on the African continent, now in its landmark 20th year, set to be held in Nairobi, Kenya in October this year.

After downsizing the number of categories in 2014 from 14 to 11, the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 once again expanded, keeping all 11 categories and adding a best features award as well as a technology and innovation reporting award to bring the award categories to 13.

Ferial Haffajee, editor of South Africa's City Press newspaper and the chairperson of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015 independent judging panel, announced the 31 finalists coming from 39 countries this year.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalists Awards 2015 once again has some South African journalists on the finalist list this year.

South African journalists nominated this year for their work include Julie Laurenz and Jacqueline Jayamaha working freelance for e.tv; Herman Verwey of Beeld newspaper and Sarah Wild for The Mail & Guardian.

Finalists will again converge for a four day media forum set for early October and the gala award ceremony, which this year will be held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in East Africa. With the landmark 20th year of the awards, winners from previous years will join this year's finalists.

In the past the CNN MultiChoice African Journalists Awards also handed out a Press Freedom Award - ironically, but poignantly - often to a journalist who can attend due to imprisonment or death suffered in the line of simply bringing people the truth and reporting the news.

This award could very likely be awarded this October in Nairobi to the Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed imprisoned in Egypt  and who were sentenced last month, together with journalist Peter Greste in absentia, to an even longer prison sentence.

"MultiChoice is delighted to once again be associated with these prestigious awards that give respect to the work done by journalists across the African continent," says Imtiaz Patel, MultiChoice group CEO.

"We congratulate all the finalists on their achievements and look forward to celebrating with the winners in Nairobi in October."

"We continue to be amazed by the resourcefulness and growth of journalists in the complexity and immediacy of the digital and online age of news and information," says Tim Jacobs, MultiChoice Africa CEO.

"That is why we remain committed to nurturing and growing African journalists who have a huge responsibility and role to play and where tech-savvy readers have the ability to follow breaking stories and are not shy to engage in dialogue on a number of different platforms."

"The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Awards have for the past 20 years provided a voice for credible journalism. As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, we can only commend the journalists for leaving no stone unturned in telling the important stories."

"The quality and breadth of entries in this, its 20th year, is testament to the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards' position as the most prestigious recognition for journalism across the continent," says Tony Maddox, the executive vice president and managing director of CNN International (DStv 401).

"CNN is privileged to be involved in this important initiative to honour the outstanding work across multiple platforms, topics and journalistic principles."

Here is the full list of finalists in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015:

Fiifi Essilfie Anaman, Freelance for zonalsports.com, Ghana

Benedicta Asiimwe, Freelance for Daily Monitor, Uganda

Femi Asu, Punch, Nigeria

Domingos Bento, redeangola.info, Angola

Thomas Naadi Bitlegma, Viasat1, Ghana

Sheriff Bojang Jnr, Freelance for West Africa Democracy Radio, Senegal

Ruth Butaumocho, The Herald, Zimbabwe

Ibrahima Diallo, Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise (RTS), Senegal

Adewale Olugbenga Emosu, tribuneonlineng.com, Nigeria

Chahinaz Samir Gheith, Freelance for Al-Ahram Hebdo, Egypt

Carla Gonçalves, A Nação, Cape Verde

Boldwill Hungwe, Zimbabwe Independent, Zimbabwe

Ibanga Isine, Premium Times, Nigeria

Paul Kelemba, Freelance for The Standard on Saturday, Kenya

Deo Gratias Tchédé Kindoho, Radio Bénin, Benin

Julie Laurenz & Jacqueline Jayamaha, Freelance for e.tv, South Africa

Petride Mudoola, Freelance for Sunday Vision, Uganda

Abubakari Akida Mussa, Mtanzania, Tanzania

Pedro Paxi Pereira Ndoma, TV Zimbo, Angola

George Oduor Otieno, Baraka FM, Kenya

Hyacinthe Boowurosigue Sanou, L'Observateur Paalga, Burkina Faso

Enock Sikolia & Charles Kariuki, NTV, Kenya

Arison Tamfu, Cameroon Journal, Cameroon

Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, Blogger at ktravula.com, Nigeria

Arukaino Umukoro, Punch, Nigeria

Bento Venâncio, Jornal Domingo, Mozambique

Herman Verwey, Beeld, South Africa

Kiundu Waweru, The Standard on Saturday, Kenya

Sarah Wild, Mail & Guardian, South Africa

'License journalists' says SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng as public broadcaster boss slams SA press as 'lazy' and 'not doing proper work'.

SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng remains adamant that all South African journalists should be licensed, slamming all journalists for being lazy and "not doing proper work".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said South Africa's print media makes it look as if there's "chaos" where there's "a black person in charge", saying "they portray as if black people can't run big organisations". 

The SABC boss told the audience in the discussion which was televised on SABC2 that president Jacob Zuma's current government can't be blamed for Eskom's load shedding.

Speaking at The New Age newspaper's latest breakfast briefing as a panelist with the topic State of the Media, the SABC's highly controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) said "our journalists are lazy; they don't do proper work".

The embattled Hlaudi Motsoeneng is embroiled in a protracted court fight after the Western Cape High Court has already twice ordered the SABC to immediately suspend him – a judgment he's appealing.

Last year the Public Protector in a damning report implicated Hlaudi Motsoeneng in maladministration and corruption at the public broadcaster, finding that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng should never have been appointed at the SABC" and that he should be suspended.

According to the Public Protector, Hlaudi Motsoeneng lied about having a matric certificate and made up symbols for a matric certificate he knew he didn't have and couldn't produce.

"I know Lumko [Mtimde, SABC board member] is sitting there. I'm calling all of them, who believe in me, and them, to make sure that we lobby for journalist to be regulated so that they take accountability," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng on Monday.

'Media needs to be regulated'

"Media also needs to be regulated," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. He also slammed journalism institutions and journalism academics for "poisoning" journalism students.

"At tersiary level. Who are the lecturers? They are wrong people."

"Lecturers at tertiary level is where they poison the mindset of young people. When they lecture all this people who are doing journalism or communication, they mislead them about their own country. Because they have their own views," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "So we need to check who are these lecturers."

"I see young people doing brilliant journalism work all the time. I think, personally, Hlaudi Motsoeneng is highly insulting to any number of brilliant journalism teachers and professors in the room here," said fellow panelist Ferial Haffajee, City Press editor.

Hlaudi: Zoom in for Nkandla

About the controversial Nkandla saga – president Jacob Zuma's over-priced private homestead upgraded with millions of taxpayer money with shoddy work – Hlaudi Motsoeneng said he instructed the SABC's head of news, Jimi Matthews, to zoom in with the camera to give the right Nkandla perspective.

"There were so many houses there. Long ago. But when the media talk about Nkandla, they portray the whole houses. As if those houses are new. Which is also misleading."

"I have been talking to Jimi there. To say Jimi but why can't you zoom on the new houses where government was involved. Because if you put them together, you are misleading the country."

Panelist and broadcaster Stephen Grootes, columnist and senior political correspondent for Eyewitness News (EWN) said media regulation is dangerous. "People who say they want to regulate have only one thing in mind: They want to control the media and that’s what we have to be aware of."

Stephen Grootes asked Hlaudi Motsoeneng: "Who licenses journalists? When do you remove a license from a journalist? What is a journalist in the first place? Is it someone who sets up a Twitter account called 'I am a Journalist'? Is that person not allowed to go and report? To analyse; report?"

"Is someone, somewhere, Big Brother perhaps, decided that you can't do that anymore because we're going to close your Twitter account because you don't have a licence?"

Media regulation talk 'alarming'

"To Hlaudi Motsoeneng, I find it alarming when a fellow journalist can sit on a panel like this and say 'we' should regulate the media," said Ferial Haffajee.

"The public broadcaster should be a thing that's owned by all of us as the public. When a colleague says we should regulate the media – and that person is the head of the SABC – that is a very difficult thing to hear. Any talk of regulation and a media tribunal is totally unneccesary."

'Some black people are lost'

"Sometimes we have black people, but they are lost where they are," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng talking about transformation, as the audience burst out in laughter.

"I have my own view about black people. Because some of them are black but they are white. Inside. Some white they are white but they are black," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"Most of the time when you read, especially print media. Where there is a black person in charge, for them there is chaos. They portray as if black people can't run big organisations."

"If you come to the Eskom, the issue that is raising about load shedding. Of course load shedding. You can't blame the current government. Example. You need to do your own research," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Riah will talk to SABC

The under siege national police commissioner Riah Phiyega was also in the audience and was asked specially asked by the SABC if she thinks she has been treated fair by the media.

"I will tell my story at some point. And I'm sure the SABC and those who are willing to hear about objective story telling about what happened, would be able to hear my story," after which she turned her head away from the microphone.