Tanya Nefdt exits eNCA, joins Eclipse Communications PR agency.

by Thinus Ferreira

After 16 years the veteran South African TV reporter Tanya Nefdt has left eNCA (DStv 403) and has joined the Eclipse Communications public relations and communications agency.

Tanya Nefdt is part of an ongoing string of exits at eMedia's TV news channel.

eNCA is seeing an unrelenting loss of highly-experienced talent working on-screen and behind-the-scenes, with eMedia that gutted the Cape Town operations of its etv News division and with Jody Jacobs who just left as eNCA broadcast manager, eNCA anchor Shahan Ramkissoon who left at the end of May, and Lukhanyo Calata who just joined Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) as its political editor.

These reporters are just some of the high-profile names who are gone from eNCA and etv News within the past few months after years of working there, with many more rank-and-file staffers as well as managers who have either been retrenched or decided to leave just the past few years, from what they have described as a toxic and mismanagement work environment.

The bubbly and empathetic Tanya Nefdt, who started out as a weather presenter and switched to lifestyle and entertainment reporting as well as doing profile stories, is known for her stellar work over decades putting a human face on people involved with interesting things and achievements, interviewing celebrities within the fame-sphere and entertainment biz, as well as the down-trodden experiencing difficult circumstances and setbacks.

Besides her reporting work seen on eNCA and etv News, Tanya Nefdt also appeared on, and did voice-overs for eNuus, eNCA's nightly Afrikaans TV news bulletin produced for M-Net's kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) pay-TV channel's on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

Tanya Nefdt also produced and presented The Spotlight on eNCA in 2018 as the channel's attempt of establishing a weekly lifestyle and entertainment news magazine show.

Tanya Nefdt has now joining the PR firm Eclipse Communications as head of online news, with Eclipse which is the public relations agency for Netflix in South Africa, as well as NBCUniversal's pay-TV channels seen on DStv like E!, Studio Universal, Universal TV and others.

Eclipse Communications is the same company that Shahan Ramkissoon joined following his eNCA exit.

In a statement, Tanya Nefdt says "I'm super excited to align myself with such a winning company and with so many leading brands".

"I will always be grateful to Debora Patta who believed in me and got me into broadcast news. I was a weather anchor at the time, a rough diamond with no experience and Debora polished me up and taught me how to be bold and not allow anyone to drag me down."

Jacki McEwen-Powell, Eclipse Communications founding partner, says Tanya Nefdt's "deep understanding of the news and how news is consumed will add immense value to our market offering. We are very excited that she chose to join us and add her immense talent and personality to an already impressive group of people within our business".

eMedia further downsizes its prime time etv News bulletin on e.tv as staffers are let go, others moved to freelance retainer contracts.

by Thinus Ferreira

eMedia has further downsized its prime time etv News bulletin broadcast on e.tv with staffers who have been let go and those luckily to keep jobs moved from fixed positions to freelance retainer contracts.

The etv News behind-the-scenes downsizing is part of the backend of eMedia's latest retrenchment process that started earlier this year, with e.tv's decision to axe the etv News & Sport channel on its Openview free-to-air satellite service, with the localised, South African news content on it that had been produced from Cape Town.

With the shuttering of etv News & Sport, some staffers remained at e.tv's office and studio complex in Cape Town to continue to produce the nightly etv News bulletin which has been performing very well in the ratings the last few months.

As part of e.tv's retrenchment drive, workers who were ending their employment on 31 May, were told that some of them would be moved to freelance contracts to work on e.tv's 20:00 etv News TV news bulletin done from Cape Town.

Staffers became worried in recent weeks as the June deadline neared, telling TVwithThinus the bulletin would have no staff to take it to air from 1 June since the staff producing the 20:00 bulletin were the same people getting retrenched.

Staffers claimed eMedia had been dragging out the process of getting workers freelance contracts, or even providing them with the requested freelance rates, while complaints also revolved around issues like claims that Marlon Davids, e.tv managing director, was "galavanting in and out of the country" and with "staff getting blatantly ignored by their HR department and their MD".

Staffers were finally informed who's staying on as freelancers and who's out earlier this week.

Another insider said that from Wednesday 1 June the etv News bulletin would for instance be done with essentially just two dedicated producers whereas it used to be packaged by around six producers who worked on it in the past.

eMedia didn't respond with answers to questions from TVwithThinus in a media query made last week about the etv News bulletin staffing changes and issues raised by staff.

ALSO READ: eMedia to shut 'no longer viable' etv News & Sport channel and axe 45 workers.

e.tv News and eNCA reporter Natalie Malgas and cameraman Lance Manjoro robbed in Khayelitsha, camera equipment and phones stolen by 4 men with guns.

by Thinus Ferreira

The e.tv News and eNCA (DStv 403) reporter Natalie Malgas and cameraman Lance Manjoro were attacked, held at gunpoint and robbed in an ambush on Monday while reporting from Khayelitsha in Cape Town.

On social media Natalie Malgas said that she had "survived my scariest day on the job" and that "my cameraman and I were held at gunpoint in Khayelitsha while covering local general elections 2021 stories. We're unhurt and safe now. Be safe in the field colleagues".

Natalie Malgas explained that camera equipment and their phones were stolen in the ambush by 4 guys with two guns. "It all happened so fast," she said.

"We're hopeful that while the South African Police Service conducts its investigation into this matter, arrests will be made soon," says John Bailey, eNCA managing editor.

"It's concerning for us that while we're covering the local government elections and highlighting the plight of communities, our teams are vulnerable in the face of such barbaric criminality."

"While our team is unhurt, they're very traumatised. However, we are providing them with the necessary support."

The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) says "Other incidents of robbery of journalists have been reported in Cape Town and elsewhere in the country".

"We note that these attacks are now becoming a norm, putting the lives of journalists at risk. We call on law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute these criminals."

"Without journalists focusing on the plight of communities, such stories will go unreported. South Africa is becoming a very dangerous place for journalists and, apart from attacks on the field, journalists also face cyber-bulling and severe attacks on social media platforms."

The horrific incident in which a South African TV news crew got robbed followed after a Newzroom Afrika news team was attacked and robbed and their vehicle broken into while they were reporting live from East London earlier this month.

In July criminals attacked the SABC News (DStv 404) reporter Natasha Phiri and cameraman Gqabi Njokweni in a gunpoint robbery in Alexandra. They were robbed of a live-crossing device, camera, box with cables and broadcast equipment, 2 cellphones and a handbag. 

In April the reporter Monique Mortlock of eNCA (DStv 403) and eNuus on kykNET (DStv 144), along with cameraman Asanda Javu were robbed in Khayelitsha as well as the TV news crew were doing a report and live crossing about the lack of service delivery in the area.

ALSO READ: Another Newzroom Afrika news team attacked and robbed, vehicle broken into, this time while reporting live from East London.

ALSO READ: eNCA and eNuus reporter Monique Mortlock and camera operator Asanda Javu robbed at gunpoint in Khayelitsha, TV news crew struggles to report crime case to South African police after doing a live crossing about lack of service delivery in the area.

Coronavirus: Holy home-cast, Batman! e.tv News anchor Annika Larsen adds her dog to the primetime TV news bulletin - and in the process a lot of humanity.

by Thinus Ferreira

Instead of trying to keep Batman at bay, the etv News anchor Annika Larsen has given up and has now incorporated one of her dogs into her nightly TV news bulletin broadcast, bringing the Boston terrier to primetime in another first for South African television news.

The dog made his first appearance on Monday 18 May 2020 when e.tv shifted its etv News nightly TV news broadcast from its e.tv Cape Town building in the Zonnebloem suburb in Cape Town to the home of anchor Annika Larsen.

The e.tv News team was forced to craft the home bulletin broadcast plan after the death of cameraman Lungile Tom of Covid-19 that saw the eMedia Investments e.tv Cape Town building and studio complex shutter for a deep-clean.

On the first night the two dogs barked outside and were audible in the background after which Annika Larsen let them back in during a video intro with Batman who made a surprise in-bulletin cameo on the same night. 

Since then the spotlight-stealing dog has stayed, with the animal that has brought a unique touch of humanity to e.tv's national TV news broadcast while his mom secretly feeds him little biscuits to keep him quiet.

"I've got a new trick now. I give him little treats under the table so that he doesn't bark and drive us all crazy," says Annika Larsen, whose laptop is propped up on a thick book from her bookshelf with a chair for Batman on viewers' right hand side of the screen as she does the news from her living room table.

"I am not kidding when I tell you that Batman actually thinks he is getting ready for work. He thinks he is human and doesn't leave me for a minute. So he sits next to me and preps for the show like he should," says Annika Larsen.

To the dog she's said "If you bark during mommy's work time mommy's going to get fired, okay?" Mommy will get fired. No barking. Good boy, good boy."

The unplanned and unscripted addition of the dog to TV news otherwise filled with grim reports and statistics about the devastating impact of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus in South Africa and globally - something that could have gone spectacularly wrong or could have seem contrived - has brought a softer, warmer tone to the country's otherwise stark South African primetime TV news-scape. 

It's likely that several viewers are now not just tuning in to the 20:00 etv News on e.tv to find out the news but to see if the dog might appear, what Batman might do, and how the news anchor will play dog-mom. 

e.tv says that for the duration of South Africa's Covid-19 national lockdown period, the Terrier will stay in the TV news frame.


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: e.tv makes South African television history with the country's first done-from-home TV news bulletin broadcast as anchor Annika Larsen tells viewers 'We feel that you're family, and so you're welcome into our living room'.

Coronavirus: e.tv makes South African television history with the country's first done-from-home TV news bulletin broadcast as anchor Annika Larsen tells viewers 'We feel that you're family, and so you're welcome into our living room'.

by Thinus Ferreira

e.tv made South African television history on Monday evening when the free-to-air commercial TV channel - forced through the abrupt shutdown of its Cape Town building and studio last week because of Covid-19 - did the country's first TV news bulletin broadcast done from home with anchor Annika Larsen who welcomed viewers to her home just as her dogs interrupted and started barking in the background.

On Monday night - after days of web-conferencing, technical set-up and strategising - the etv News bulletin on e.tv was broadcast from news anchor Annika Larsen's dining room table inside her Cape Town house as South Africa's first-ever, freely viewable done-from-home TV news bulletin broadcast on the country's airwaves.

This footnote to South African television history endearingly included a dog that first barked and later made a quick appearance on-screen during the bulletin.

On Wednesday last week eMedia Investments' Cape Town building in the Zonnebloem suburb was shuttered for a deep-clean after the untimely death of cameraman Lungile Tom who worked for etv News, eNCA (DStv 403) and eNuus. Over 70 staffers were forced into self-isolation for 14-days and quarantined at home.

While e.tv's broadcasts temporarily shifted to simulcast the eNCA channel feed on e.tv during news timeslots, the etv News team started working on a technical plan to have the nightly bulletins originate from a makeshift home "studio".

As her dogs started barking on Monday night, Annika Larsen sitting at her dining room table welcomed viewers framed by her white credenza and a fashionable blue old rotary dial phone visible in the background, saying "As you can see, we're doing things a little differently right now".

"I'm coming to you from my living room, you can hear my dogs are barking outside and going berserk at something, which is just horrendous, but welcome to my home; my dining room".

"You are watching etv News but things are going to be rather different tonight. We, like many South Africans at etv News and Sport, have been affected by Covid-19 which is just a stark reminder that no-one is immune to this pandemic," said Annika Larsen.

"Tragically last week we lost a staff member to Covid-19 and our studios in Cape Town which is where we broadcast from had to be closed to be disinfected. So we've been thinking - scratching our heads for the past few days on how we can still bring the news to you."

"We've had producers, IT departments, cameramen, everybody all at home including the technical team. But we came up with a plan: We're going to bring you the news from home. As you can see, we're doing it tonight from my living room."

"This is a first, not just for us, but probably for South African broadcasting too, and things aren't as smooth as they always seem. You can hear dogs barking in the background, we might have some sort of technical glitch - we're really going to need you to be patient with us," said Annika Larsen.

"We feel that you're family, and so you're welcome into our living room. And with that, let's go to your top story."

Coronavirus: Tributes flow after Covid-19 death of etv News and eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom: 'A tender, older-brother figure whose physical size made you feel safe and secure no matter where we were reporting from'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Tributes flowed on Wednesday following the shocking Covid-19 death of the etv News and eNCA (DStv 403) cameraman Lungile Tom, with current and former etv News and eNCA staffers and reporters calling him "A tender, older-brother figure, whose physical size made you feel safe and secure, no matter where we were reporting".

eMedia Investments was stunned over news of the cameraman's death on Wednesday morning who became one of the latest victims of the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in South Africa, with South Africa's TV news and media fraternity who mourned his untimely passing.

On Wednesday as eMedia Investments' Cape Town office went into lockdown for a deep-clean, the e.tv channel switched its afternoon, 18:30 and 20:00 etv News TV news bulletins to the eNCA feed which was simulcast on e.tv.

Lungile Tom, fondly known as "Marawa" joined eNCA in December 2013 from CNBC Africa (DStv 410). He leaves behind his wife Nandipha and their children.


Themba Ntshobodi, eNCA cameraman, said in a video message that "I'll always remember Lungile Tom with his laughter, his love for pictures. And he always liked to take selfies when we were on shoots. He would always ask you to take his cellphone and take pictures of him doing his job.He was passionate about camerawork".

The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) in a statement on Wednesday afternoon said that it was "deeply saddened to hear of the death of Lungile Tom" and that SANEF "believes that this tragic death points to the very dangerous work that journalists do, working on the frontline."

Nisa Allie, e.tv's head of news, described Lungile Tom as "the fist-pumping guy" who was extremely loyal, documented everything, and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast.

Parliament’s President Officers spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said in a statement Lungile Tom through his "sharp eye and knowledge of parliament" brought parliament's intricate inner workings into South African homes: "His news footage demonstrated remarkable passion, experience and creativity. He spent time in the corridors of parliament and, with patience, humility and passion, highlighted the happenings of parliament to the people".

Tanya Nefdt, eNCA reporter, said "I'm in complete disbelief  This larger than life man wasn’t just a colleague but a dear friend too. RIP my dearest Lungile Tom. My heart is shattered."

Justin Ford, eNCA sports reporter, said "Lungile Marawa Tom. I am going to miss you, more than you will ever know. Your words of inspiration and encouragement. Your direction and conversation. Your laughter and your hugs. Your chirps and good smell and great sense of dress".

Wesley Fester, video journalist, said "Covid-19 has finally hit home for me. My friend and colleague from eNCA, Lungile Tom was struck down by coronavirus complications in hospital this morning. Rest in peace, Lungile. We will always remember that you were the first of our media soldiers to fall in this invisible war".

Anika de Beer, eNCA meteorologist, said "Lungile was a dear man and everyone in the office liked him. Whenever you walked past him, he would stop the conversation he was busy with just to find out how you're doing and to say hi. He would always make time to come and sit and then ask 'How are things? How are things with your family?' He was really omeone who cared and you could see it in his real interest he took in everyone's lives."

Leigh-Anne Jansen, former eNCA reporter, said "Lungile and I had an extremely tight bond and shared deep moments. My heart is broken, but I am honoured to have known him".

Lester Kiewit, former eNCA reporter, said Lungile was "A tender, older-brother figure, whose physical size made you feel safe and secure, no matter where we were reporting from" and that "Lungile was the heart of the camera team when I was at eNCA. He was larger than life, in presence and in spirit. Our conversations while on assignment primarily focused on family. His adoration of his mother, his love for his children. He told stories of his early life, and how adulthood helped him find focus."

Nadine Theron, eNuus reporter, said "If it wasn't for Lungile I wouldn't have worked here. Lungile recorded my job interview for eNuus in the Cape Town office. He calmed me down. He told me to breathe. He prepped me and he was so sweet and he encouraged me and told me 'you're going to get the job'. And when I did said 'I knew you would get it'."
"It was also the case with my first live broadcast which he also co-incidentally filmed. And again I was anxious, and again it was Lungile who prepped me and calmed me down and he had such a calming presence. He was such a compassionate figure in our office. He made us laugh a lot. When you went out on a story with Lungile you laughed until you cried."


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: e.tv cameraman Lungile Tom fondly known as 'Marawa' who worked for eNews and eNCA dead from Covid-19, staffers who had contact will be tested and told to stay home. 
ALSO READ: etv News boss Nisa Allie pays tribute to cameraman Lungile Tom who died from Covid-19: The loyal 'fist-pumping guy who documented everything and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast'.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Sally Burdett on the Covid-19 death of cameraman Lungile Tom as more details are revealed: 'It's just so sudden and so shocking and so desperately sad.' 
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Lockdown of eMedia Investments' e.tv building in Cape Town for a Covid-19 deep-clean after cameraman Lungile Tom's death, over 70 staffers sent into home-quarantine to self-isolate for 14 days. 

Coronavirus: Lockdown of eMedia Investments' e.tv building in Cape Town for a Covid-19 deep-clean after cameraman Lungile Tom's death, over 70 staffers sent into home-quarantine to self-isolate for 14 days.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Cape Town building of eMedia Investments, housing etv News and eNCA, abruptly shuttered on Wednesday following the shocking Covid-19 death of cameraman Lungile Tom with the Zonnebloem suburb building that will be undergoing a deep-clean as the lockdown sent more than 70 staffers to home-quarantine where they will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

It leaves e.tv's news division in one specific quandary for now: Without Cape Town-based reporters and cameramen who can roam outside to report on-location from Cape Town and the immediate surroundings for eNCA (DStv 403), eNuus on the kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) channels, and e.tv's etv News bulletins.

Those who can, will be able to file stories cloistered from inside their homes in Cape Town but they won't be in the streets and on-location for the time being or interacting with the public.

The temporary Cape Town building closure -  the complex housing the offices, newroom and studio space of etv News and eNCA - and with over 70 staffers self-isolating, will place a heavier burden on eMedia's Hyde Park office and studios in Johannesburg that will be shouldering a bigger remote reporting responsibility when it comes to covering news from Cape Town and the Western Cape province.

Nuruniesa Allie, e.tv head of news and sport, told eNCA and etv News on Wednesday night from self-isolation in her home that "tonight the entire building is undergoing a deep-clean and only once the officials are satisfied with that process will we be issued with a certificate to allow people back into the building".

Nisa Allie said that "we've undergone a track-and-tracing process. That is basically identifying every member of staff who had direct contact with Lungile Tom, so they have gone to be tested".

"For the rest of us, because we operate in an open-floor space, the rest of us are in 14 days of self-isolation from the last time that Lungile had been in the office."

"It's an extraordinary time for our company - for many companies around South Africa. And all of our attention and effort is going into our staff and ensuring that they continue to be safe and to abide by government regulations," said Nisa Allie.

The eNCA anchor Sally Burdett said that thoughts also go out "to our e.tv family, particularly in Cape Town where I know everyone is absolutely gutted and devastated" over the death of Lungile Tom.


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: e.tv cameraman Lungile Tom fondly known as 'Marawa' who worked for eNews and eNCA dead from Covid-19, staffers who had contact will be tested and told to stay home. 
ALSO READ: etv News boss Nisa Allie pays tribute to cameraman Lungile Tom who died from Covid-19: The loyal 'fist-pumping guy who documented everything and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast'.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Sally Burdett on the Covid-19 death of cameraman Lungile Tom as more details are revealed: 'It's just so sudden and so shocking and so desperately sad.'
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Tributes flow after Covid-19 death of etv News and eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom: 'A tender, older-brother figure whose physical size made you feel safe and secure no matter where we were reporting from'.

Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Sally Burdett on the Covid-19 death of cameraman Lungile Tom as more details are revealed: 'It's just so sudden and so shocking and so desperately sad.'

by Thinus Ferreira

After the shocking Covid-19 death of e.tv's etv News and eNCA (DStv 403) cameraman Lungile Tom on Wednesday morning in South Africa, the eNCA anchor Sally Burdett on Wednesday night described it as "just so sudden and so shocking and so desperately sad" as more details were revealed about the dramatic way his health rapidly declined and he passed away.

eMedia Investments was stunned over the news of the cameraman's death on Wednesday morning who became one of the latest victims of the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in South Africa, with South Africa's TV news and media fraternity who mourned his untimely passing.

Lungile Tom (45) who worked for e.tv's eNews and eNCA (DStv 403) TV news channel got sick last week and died within days.

On Thursday morning last week he was still fine and reported for work with his temperature that was taken and that was normal. By Thursday evening he was getting very, very sick. By Sunday he was hospitalised and three days later he was dead.

Nisa Allie, e.tv's head of news, on Wednesday night on e.tv and eNCA (DStv 403) in a simulcast broadcast of the etv News TV news bulletin, spoke about Lungile Tom and said that "on Wednesday and Thursday [last week] he didn't report anything during the course of the day".

"On Thursday night he contacted his line-manager and said that he wasn't feeling well, that he would go to the doctor on Friday and that he would advise as to what the doctor said. Over the weekend his condition deteriorated and by Sunday night he was rushed to hospital by ambulance."

"On his admission, staff tested him for Covid-19. His symptoms seemed to be in line with that, and by Monday he had been admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU)," she said.

"The test results came back in the late hours of last night, confirming that he did, in fact, have Covid-19 and sadly, and devastatingly, earlier this morning we got news that he had passed away."


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: e.tv cameraman Lungile Tom fondly known as 'Marawa' who worked for eNews and eNCA dead from Covid-19, staffers who had contact will be tested and told to stay home. 
ALSO READ: etv News boss Nisa Allie pays tribute to cameraman Lungile Tom who died from Covid-19: The loyal 'fist-pumping guy who documented everything and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast'.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Lockdown of eMedia Investments' e.tv building in Cape Town for a Covid-19 deep-clean after cameraman Lungile Tom's death, over 70 staffers sent into home-quarantine to self-isolate for 14 days.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Tributes flow after Covid-19 death of etv News and eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom: 'A tender, older-brother figure whose physical size made you feel safe and secure no matter where we were reporting from'.

Coronavirus: etv News boss Nisa Allie pays tribute to cameraman Lungile Tom who died from Covid-19: The loyal 'fist-pumping guy who documented everything and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Nisa Allie, e.tv's head of news, on Wednesday described the etv News and eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom who died Wednesday morning in South Africa  from Covid-19 as "the fist-pumping guy" who was extremely loyal, documented everything, and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast.

eMedia Investments was stunned over news of the cameraman's death on Wednesday morning who became one of the latest victims of the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in South Africa, with South Africa's TV news and media fraternity who mourned his untimely passing.

On Wednesday e.tv switched its afternoon, 18:30 and 20:00 etv News TV news bulletins to the eNCA feed which was simulcast on e.tv after e.tv's Cape Town studio went into lockdown.

"Seven years ago I was the Cape Town news editor for eNCA at the time and we had a vacancy in our camera department and he had applied for the position. I remember sitting across the table from him and seeing this larger-than-life character," Nuruniesa Allie, e.tv head of news and sport, told eNCA and etv News on Wednesday night from self-isolation in her home.

Nisa Allie paid tribute to Lungile Tom from her home after his death this morning after she went into self-isolation similar to the over 70 other eMedia staffers in Cape Town who have are now under quarantine.

"Within a few moments I realised that this was a man who carried his heart on his sleeve. He believed in being kind, he believed in being respectful, and he loved his craft. We instantly knew that this was the right fit for our organisation."

"I have been very privileged to see Lungile Tom bloom in his position," said Nisa Allie.

"In the office, this larger-than-life character he was the first-pumping guy. He was the person who, if he felt that you looked a bit down on the day, he would come and ask you is everything okay. He was extremely loyal to the people he cared about."

"He was constantly on Whatsapp, sometimes just sending you a joke to remind you that he was there. New Year's Eve you'd always get a message from Lungile. I have been so touched to read some of the many tributes that have been posted on social media - people who have contacted us, his colleagues."

"He loved documenting. Besides being a camera person and documenting stories, he documented every single moment of his life. You'd go onto Whatsapp to the status updates and you'd see what Lungile had been up to on the day: He had visited a colleague in hospital and had taken a photograph. The event didn't happen unless he had taken a photo."

"Somebody else had written how, at parliament, where he had become quite a force and a familiar face, he was very pedantic about the reporters going on-air and looking good. He loved being in that space. He spoke to politicians, he spoke to police officers who were based there."

"He liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast - never asked for it - but his friends knew that's what he liked. He embodied that warm person, kind individual every single day".

The eNCA anchor Sally Burdett, said Lungile Tom "was not just someone who was just passionate about television and camerawork but just a wonderful, wonderful man".


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: e.tv cameraman Lungile Tom fondly known as 'Marawa' who worked for eNews and eNCA dead from Covid-19, staffers who had contact will be tested and told to stay home.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Sally Burdett on the Covid-19 death of cameraman Lungile Tom as more details are revealed: 'It's just so sudden and so shocking and so desperately sad.'
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Lockdown of eMedia Investments' e.tv building in Cape Town for a Covid-19 deep-clean after cameraman Lungile Tom's death, over 70 staffers sent into home-quarantine to self-isolate for 14 days.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Tributes flow after Covid-19 death of etv News and eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom: 'A tender, older-brother figure whose physical size made you feel safe and secure no matter where we were reporting from'.