On Friday, 8 December 2023, Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, hosted the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Media Awards Dinner.
The SADC Media Awards were established in 1996 to recognise the best media work in disseminating information on SADC to support the process of cooperation and integration in the region.
The awards were established following a decision by the SADC Council of Ministers to establish a sector that deals with matters relating to, amongst others, information, culture and sport.
The primary objective of the SADC Media Awards is to encourage media in SADC member states to report on cross-border issues pertaining to the region, as well as to recognise excellence in journalism in the areas of print, photography, television and radio. The event brought together journalists, foreign dignitaries, academics and government to interact on strategies to promote SADC regional integration.
In addition to celebrating the 2023 national winners, the event provided positive guidance on the entries for the 2024 Chapter of the Awards.
These awards are one of the mechanisms to ensure a link, coordination and synchronisation between the formal structures of SADC governments, civil society, academia, labour and the media.
“Brand South Africa is the organisation that is responsible for marketing the country and managing its reputation. Ours is to ensure that South Africa can tell its own story. We have a challenge that the rest of the world tells the story of South Africa as a country, SADC as a region and Africa as a continent. It is important for us to break that barrier and tell our own stories and the only way we can do that is through partnerships with the media. We have great respect for media. We recognise the importance of celebrating media excellence in that regard” said Mpumi Mabuza (General Manager: Stakeholder Relations, Brand South Africa).
