Sunday World news editor Lucas Ledwaba was honoured as Journalist of the Year in the Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards. Ledwaba was also declared the winner in the Features category.
Sharing his excitement, Ledwaba said the awards are for articles he wrote titled, On a quest for healing justice.
“This article dealt with the struggle of families to find closure over their missing loved ones assassinated by apartheid security forces,” said Ledwaba.
His second body of work, titled Gold mining widows battle with trauma and poverty, focused on the rotten legacy of gold mining in South Africa.
Thousands of families have lost their fathers, husbands, uncles, brothers, sons, who contracted the deadly lung disease silicosis while working down the gold mines of our country for a pittance.
“I have come face to face with the pain, the suffering and poverty faced by those that remain behind and I always hope and wish our work as journalists can make a difference.
“It was quite an emotional moment being announced the winner, because, I really did not expect it, but also, the struggle I have gone through to get these and other stories over the past eight years with Mukurukuru Media has been a punishing one. “
“I would like to thank the Daily Maverick168 newspaper for the opportunity to publish my work. Thank you. I hope these awards serve as motivation for the next generation of journalists, that they remain focused and rooted in the true ethos of the craft, to be the eyes and ears of society, a voice for the downtrodden, the poor, a watchdog that never tires to expose injustice and to hold those in power accountable. Journalism, is not a crime.”
Ngwako Malatji, acting editor in chief of the publication said: “We are pleased to see that the quality work of our news editor has received the recognition it deserved.”
“We are also optimistic that these awards will not only demonstrate the high quality of journalism we practise as a newspaper, but also inspire our other colleagues in the industry and our newsroom to work hard and win awards too,” said Malatji.
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