Meet the 2012 HIV/AIDS Reporting Fellows
The 2012 IWMF HIV/AIDS Investigative Reporting Fellows in South Africa are:
• Zeenat Abdool, SABC Radio Channel Africa
• Tanja Bencun, SABC Digital News
• Bianca Capazorio, Weekend Argus
• Euline Fillis, SABC's FOKUS
• Mukelwa Hlatshwayo, eTV
• Sibongile Mashaba, Sowetan
• Sipho Masombuka, The Times
• Ina Skosana, The New Age
• Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla, SciDev
• Nomsa Zwane, Alex FM
Zeenat Abdool is an award-winning journalist at SABC radio Channel Africa. She currently produces and presents a talk show, African Dialogue, which deals with issues of gender, education, health, politics and environment; as well as a program called @SociallyAfrica, which monitors trending topics on online and social media.
Abdool made her radio debut in 2006 at a community radio station in Lenasia, moving to SABC Channel Africa radio station in 2008. She has covered assignments in Gaza, presidential elections and climate change summits. Abdool qualified as an English teacher from the University of Witwatersrand, then pursued her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Science degree through the University of South Africa. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Journalism through the University of Witwatersrand, and hopes to specialize in investigative reporting.
Muslims and HIV
SABC, December 04, 2012
HIV-positive domestic workers
SABC, December 03, 2012
Tanja Bencun has worked as a feature producer for SABC Digital News for three years, and as a journalist for 10. In her current position, she focuses on human interest and lifestyle topics, particularly in the arts and health. She enjoys the multimedia producing aspect to telling stories, and uses video footage and photographs to enhance her reporting and to engage her audience.
Bencun earned her B.A. in English and has also studied psychology.
We can beat HIV, says Judge Edwin Cameron
SABC News, November 23, 2012
Living Positively
SABC News, November 23, 2012
HIVSA reaches out to the gogos
SABC News, November 23, 2012
Abreast of the times
SABC, September 25, 2012
Bianca Capazorio is a reporter with the Weekend Argus newspaper in Cape Town, where she has worked for almost three years covering a range of hard news, feature and investigative stories on subjects including health, education and business.
Capazorio graduated from Rhodes University in 2003, with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in English and Journalism.Capazorio started her journalism career at The Herald newspaper in Port Elizabeth, later becoming the business correspondent. In 2007, she was the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Eastern region winner for business and economic writing for a story she wrote on the regeneration of Alicedale.
Sexually exploited for bread,
neglected,dying on the street (pdf)
Weekend Argus, November 24, 2012
Tale of two nations – as neonatal deaths plunge (pdf)
Sunday Argus, September 30, 2012
‘Tainted milk’ from wet nurse HIV risk (pdf)
Sunday Argus, August 26, 2012
‘Tainted milk’ from wet nurse HIV risk
IOL News, August 26, 2012
Breast-feeding to fore for healthier children (pdf)
Weekend Argus, August 11, 2012
Euline Fillis, Current Affairs producer for SABC’s FOKUS, has covered a range of stories from human interest to education, health and social economic issues. In addition, she has delivered breaking stories for the daily main news bulletin and current affairs program since joining SABC in 2008. She is passionate about social media and runs the FOKUS Facebook page. In 2011, Fillis was nominated by the ATKV for the best in-depth news insert "uit die dwelm hel."
In 2001, Fillis made her debut as a disc jockey at Imonti FM, in the Eastern Cape. After completing her journalism studies at the Walter Sisulu University in 2006, she worked as a news reporter at Die Burger. She started at SABC in 2008 and worked as an output journalist for radio until joining FOKUS in 2009.
Male circumcision saves lives
SABC, December 04, 2012
Drugs that can prevent HIV in rape victims
SABC, December 03, 2012
Post-exposure prophylaxis for rape victims in South Africa (video)
Fokus - SABC, November 25, 2012
Mukelwa Hlatshwayo has been a Junior Producer for eTV’s top current affairs program, 3rd Degree, and in May, 2012 she accepted a post at The New York Times, working in their Southern African region in Greenside, Johannesburg. She recently won The Discovery Health Journalism Award in the Television Feature Category for her piece, “Hospital Horrors,” which documented the tragic story of three South African families who suffered at the hands of health care workers in various government hospitals.
Born and raised in Swaziland, Hlatshwayo resolved to become a journalist at age nine, and began her Journalism studies at the University of Witwatersrand; however, family tragedies prevented her from completing her degree. She refused to give up her dream, and freelanced for community media and various agencies until she got her break at eTV.
3rd Degree | Love in a Time of HIV (Part one)
eNCA, November 20, 2012
3rd Degree | Love in a Time of HIV (Part two)
eNCA News, November 20, 2012
3rd Degree | Love in a Time of HIV (Part three)
eNCA News, November 20, 2012
Sibongile Mashaba, Mpumalanga correspondent for the Sowetan, began her media career there in 2007. Previously, she covered crimes and courts for the newspaper.
Mashaba completed Media Studies and Journalism coursework at Rosebank College, and has also participated in training at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism. In addition to being a journalist, she is a qualified alcohol and drug abuse counselor.
HIV-positive nurse fights wrong diagnosis
Sowetan, November 5, 2012
Sipho Masombuka has been a reporter for The Times since 2011, and has worked as a journalist since 2003. Previously, he was a senior reporter for the Sowetan and the Pretoria-based Tshwane Sun Community Newspaper group, where he helped to launch a township edition of Tshwane Sun community newspapers in 2006.
Masombuka studied journalism at Intec College and completed Media Law and Ethics and Election Reporting courses at the Institute for Advancement of Journalism.
Riddle baffles experts
Times LIVE, November 30, 2012
HIV-free man: Positive thinking is killing me
Times LIVE, November 30, 2012
Homing in on HIV - an NGO's crusade
The Times, November 6, 2012
Ina Skosana has been a health news reporter at The New Age, a national newspaper, since 2011. She recently received a top achiever award for the most aspiring person in her newsroom.
Skosana earned her B.A in journalism at the University of Pretoria, where she co-founded and chaired the journalism society and served as the political reporter for Kampus Beeld, a varsity installment of the regional publication. During her school years, Skosana served as an HIV/AIDS peer counselor.
Read also: Fellows in Focus
Gender bill to empower women (pdf)
The New Age, October 1, 2012
Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla, a freelance journalist focusing on science and development, has worked in radio, print and online media. While studying for a Bachelor of Science, she volunteered at a community radio station, presenting a youth talk show. Radio seduced her, and after a stint at another community radio station, she pursued a career in media. She established herself in mainstream South African media by presenting a current affairs program at SAfm, South Africa's national talk radio station. She left SAfm to move to Egypt, after being asked to start an internet radio service for Islamonline.net. She later corresponded for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) from Egypt. Her work has appeared on The Guardian, Al Jazeera, SABC, Nature Middle East, IPS, SciDev and Daily News Egypt.
Wadvalla is a mentee in the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) SjCOOP mentorship programme. A Reuters health reporting fellowship affirmed her commitment to report on science, and further motivated her to dedicate coverage to women's health and HIV/AIDS.
I will survive
SABC, December 11, 2012
Nomsa Zwane, who joined Alex FM in 2009 as a volunteer, worked her way up through the ranks to become a news reader, field reporter, and current affairs producer.
Zwane has been directly affected by HIV/AIDS, losing her parents and other relatives to the disease. Five her family members are currently living with the virus. Zwane is determined to address the stigma and fear associated with HIV/AIDS in her work as a journalist.
Read also: Fellows in Focus
ARVs vs. traditional medicines
Alex FM, December 04, 2012
Shortage of ARVs in South Africa, Part 2
Alex FM, November 20, 2012
Shortage of ARVs in South Africa, Part 1 by Nomsa Zwane
Alex FM, October 4, 2012