Highvelder shines at national Avbob FCJ Excellence Awards in Stellenbosch
Highvelder and its journalists achieved national recognition at the Avbob FCJ Excellence Awards, securing top titles in multiple categories.
STELLENBOSCH – Highvelder has proven itself among South Africa’s best community newspapers, after securing multiple honours at the Avbob FCJ Excellence Awards, held on August 22 at the Protea Hotel Stellenbosch and Conference Centre.
The Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) received a record 541 entries from across the country, making this one of the most competitive editions of the awards to date.
Highvelder’s editor, Wayne van der Walt, achieved remarkable success, being named Photographer of the Year for the third consecutive year.
He also won Hard News Photo of the Year, took second place in General Photo of the Year, and third place in Sport Photo of the Year.
For the first time, he entered categories outside photography and was named Headline Writer of the Year, too.
Highvelder was further honoured with two spots in the Top 10 for Front and Back Pages of the Year.
René Joubert, Highvelder journalist, also placed among South Africa’s best, finishing in the top 10 in both the General Photography and Sport Photography categories, adding to the publication’s national recognition.
Other big winners on the night included the George Herald team – Lizette da Silva, Kristy Kolberg, Alida de Beer, and Michelle Pienaar – who, in a first at the awards, took the combined Journalist of the Year for their coverage of the collapsed building in George, while Lebohang Pita of the Benoni City Times received the Alet Roux Trophy for Most Promising Journalist.
This year’s top newspaper honours went to the Sandton Chronicle, named Free Newspaper of the Year, while George Herald received the title of Paid Newspaper of the Year.
This year also marked the introduction of a Mobile Phone Photography category, won by Kristy Kolberg of George Herald, reflecting the evolving tools of modern community journalism.
Avbob’s executive director of Business Development and Financial Services, Nakedi Pilane, praised the sector, “As a business, we believe in the value and role that community journalism plays in society. To us, investing in journalism is to invest in collective memory, in accountability, and in the dignity of our people.”
