IOL’s multimedia journalist, Robin-Lee Francke, and photojournalist Ayanda Ndamane have once again been recognised for their impeccable story telling at the 2024 Vodacom Journalist Of the Year national awards on Thursday.
The Western Cape based journalists flew to Johannesburg, Gauteng where they won national titles.
This comes after they were recently honoured regional awards in October 2024.
At the regional awards, Francke scooped two awards for her Lifestyle reporting on the piece titled “Thinking of adopting or becoming a safety or foster parent in South Africa? Here are all the details you need to know.
She was also awarded for her live reporting/ breaking news when covering the Joshlin Smith missing case
While Ndamane was honoured with the photography award for his body of work “Pro-Palestine crowd clash with police” submission, published on the Cape Times front page.
On Thursday, Ndamane’s piece won him the best photographer of the year while France’s live reporting on the Joshlin Smith case came out victorious.
Speaking after the awards, Francke who has previously won an award as the young journalist of the year in 2018, said this win cements her recognition in the journalism space.
“As women we are always pushed to the side, we are never recognised on our sacrifice and handwork. I believe this is a step in the right direction,” she said.
Francke added that she was proud of her win.“ Being successful and making my mother proud has always been one of my main goals and I think I have done that,” she said.
This was also not Ndamane’s first rodeo. In July 2024, he won the Standard Bank Sikuvile award for pro-Palestinian protest images.
Ndamane said his awards are for all photographers who work hard and are dedicated to the craft of telling stories through the lens.
“This award is for kids from the Cape Flats, kids from Manenberg who got to school while dodging bullets, this award is for kids that are in rural KwaZulu-Natal and rural Eastern Cape who walk almost 40km to school.
“This award means hope to a rural kid who grew up like me in poverty. We had nothing to look up to and for me to stand here today, its a dream come true,” said the proud Ndamane.
Meanwhile, IOL editor, Lance Witten, said he was proud of Francke and Ndamane.
“I am extremely proud of the work our journalists do on a daily basis and it pleases me greatly when their efforts are rewarded with awards as prestigious as the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards.
“Robin and Ayanda have honed their craft over a number of years and continue to grow in their reporting, tackling hard-hitting issues and unearthing challenges and struggles of South Africans on a daily basis, often risking their safety and their lives in the line of duty,” he said.
Witten added that IOL will continue bravely telling the stories that matter, without fear or favour.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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