Caxton and sister publications dominate at Forum of Community Journalists Excellence Awards

Excellence in community journalism was honoured last week, with Caxton Local Media and partner Group Editors claiming top spots across multiple categories.

August 26, 2025
Jana Boshoff 4 minutes read
Some of the winning entries at the FCJ awards. Images: Supplied/FCJ

The power of community journalism was recognised on Friday as the industry’s best were celebrated at the annual Avbob Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) Excellence Awards in Stellenbosch.

The FCJ, which aims to promote and advance community journalists in South Africa, said in a press release that it received 541 entries to this year’s competition, including submissions in the new mobile photography category.  

Caxton Local Media (CLM) dominated the awards, winning several categories, with its journalists featured among the top 10 finalists in most. Publications from CLM’s sister company, Group Editors (GE), also performed strongly. 

Caxton and GE claim top accolades 

The Journalist of the Year accolade went to the team at CLM’s sister publication, the George Herald, recognising their collaborative reporting on major stories, including the tragic May 2024 building collapse. 

Avbob Business Development Director Nakedi Pilane with the George Herald team who were awarded Journalist of the Year: Lizette da Silva, Kristy Kolberg, Michelle Pienaar, and Alida de Beer. Image: Supplied/FCJ

Lebohang Pita of CLM’s Benoni City Times won the Best New Journalist award, while Highvelder’s Wayne van der Walt was named Photographer of the Year.  

Avbob Business Development Director Nakedi Pilane with Photographer of the Year: Wayne van der Walt (Highvelder). Image: Supplied/FCJ
Avbob Business Development Director Nakedi Pilane with Best New Journalist: Lebohang Pita (Benoni City Times). Image: Supplied/FCJ

In the overall newspaper awards, CLM took three category wins, with GE taking the fourth. 

In the writing division, Caxton claimed won four of the eight categories and GE three. Three of the photography categories were won by Caxtonites, while GE won the remaining category.  

Here is how Caxton Local Media and Group Editors dominated the top 10 categories under each division:

Caxton Local Media (orange) and Group Editors (Red) won all the newspaper categories.
Caxton Local Media and Group Editors dominated the top 10 finalists in the FCJ Awards’ writing category.
Caxton Local Media (orange) and Group Editors (red) dominated the photography awards.

Here are all the finalists and winners:  

Newspaper categories

Sold Newspaper of the Year:

George Herald was awarded as the best sold newspaper. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. George Herald (GE)
  2. Suid-Kaap Forum (GE)
  3. 3. Lowvelder (CLM)
  4. Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  5. Knysna-Plett Herald (GE)
  6. Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  7. Zululand Observer (CLM)
  8. Oudtshoorn Courant (GE)
  9. Paarl Post
  10. Mossel Bay Advertiser (GE)

Free Newspaper of the Year:  

Sandton Chronicle won the best free newspaper category. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Sandton Chronicle (CLM)
  2. Northcliff Melville Times (CLM)
  3. Eikestadnuus
  4. TygerBurger Brackenfell
  5. Midrand Reporter (CLM)
  6. Rosebank Killarney Gazette (CLM)
  7. TygerBurger Eerste – Elsiesrivier Ravensmead
  8. Benoni City Times (CLM)
  9. Polokwane Review (CLM)
  10. Capricorn Voice (CLM)

Best Front Page:

All finalists in the Best Front Page category were from Caxton publications. 

Northcliff Melville Times won the best front page category. ImageL Supplied/FCJ
  1. Northcliff Melville Times
  2. Rosebank Killarney Gazette
  3. Mpumalanga News
  4. Midrand Reporter
  5. Sandton Chronicle
  6. Highvelder
  7. South Coast Herald
  8. Corridor Gazette
  9. Lowvelder
  10. Ster South Vanderbijlpark & Sasolburg

Best Back Page:

Suid Kaap Forum was awarded the newspaper with the best back pages. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Suid-Kaap Forum (GE)
  2. Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  3. Zululand Observer (CLM)
  4. George Herald (GE)
  5. Sandton Chronicle (CLM)
  6. Eikestadnuus (GE)
  7. Highvelder (CLM)
  8. Germiston City News (CLM)
  9. TygerBurger
  10. Rosebank Killarney Gazette (CLM)

Writing categories

Digital Reporting: 

  1. Kristy Kolberg, George Herald (GE)
  2. Lizette da Silva and team, George Herald (GE), George Herald team: Lizette da Silva, Kristy Kolberg, Alida de Beer and Michelle Pienaar.  Group Editors digital team: Ilse Schoonraad, Beatrice Esterhuysen, Dot Ings, Esté Smit, Cameron Squire, Wyndham Ewerts and Jannie du Plessis.  
  3.  Irma Green, Network News (CLM)
  4. Jeff Ayliffe, George Herald (GE)
  5. Network News team (CLM): Irma Green, Mirelle Jacobs, Andrea van Wyk, Jana Boshoff, Ruan de Ridder, Ally Cooper and Cathy Grosvenor.
  6. Allison Cooper, Network News (CLM)
  7. Jana Boshoff, Network News (CLM)
  8. Zita Goldswain, Witbank News (CLM)
  9. Tiisetso Malunga, Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  10. Vaalweekblad team (CLM): Candyce Pillay, Northglen News and Christiaan Cloete.

Editorial Comment:  

  1. Lebohang Pita, Benoni City Times (CLM)
  2. Louise Karsten, Mossel Bay Advertiser (GE)
  3. Lauren O’Connor-May
  4. Ronelle Ramsamy, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  5. Zita Goldswain, Witbank News (CLM)
  6. Cecilia Hume, TygerBurger
  7. Dave Savides, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  8. Tamlyn Cramer, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  9. Alida Buckle, Weslander
  10. Les Aupiais, The Village News

Hard News:  

  1. Lizette da Silva and team, George Herald: Lizette da Silva, Michelle Pienaar, Kristy Kolberg and Alida de Beer (GE)
  2. Dave Savides, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  3. Samantha Lee-Jacobs, People’s Post
  4. Alida Buckle, Weslander
  5. Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger
  6. Kaylynne Bantom, People’s Post
  7. Kristy Kolberg, George Herald (GE)
  8. Alida de Beer, George Herald (GE)
  9. Tracey Turner, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  10. Anton van Zyl, Limpopo Mirror

Headlines: 

Wayne van der Walt (Highvelder) won the best headlines category. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Wayne Van der Walt, Highvelder (CLM)
  2. Ronelle Ramsamy, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  3. Daleen Naudé, Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  4. Liezl Scheepers, Parys Gazette (CLM)
  5. Christiaan de Swardt, Suid-Kaap Forum (GE)
  6. Zita Goldswain, Witbank News (CLM)
  7. Ettienne Van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  8. Roelien D’Amico, Southlands Sun (CLM)
  9. Elsje Vermeulen, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  10. Matthew Handley, Middelburg Observer (CLM)

Human Interest:

  1. Lizette da Silva and team, George Herald: Alida de Beer, Kristy Kolberg, Michelle Pienaar, Jannie du Plessis (GE)
  2. Liezl Scheepers, Parys Gazette (CLM)
  3. Maande Bele, Limpopo Mirror
  4. Samantha Lee-Jacobs, People’s Post
  5. Zita Goldswain, Witbank News (CLM)
  6. Noluvu Ludidi, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  7. Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  8. Daleen Naudé, Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  9. Dave Savides, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  10. Blake Linder, Lowvelder & Corridor Gazette (CLM)

Investigative Reporting:

Irma Green was awarded as the best investigative reporter. Image: Supplied
  1. Irma Green, Lowvelder (CLM)
  2. Samantha Lee-Jacobs, People’s Post
  3. Estella Naicker, Northern Natal News (CLM)
  4. Gerhard Rheeder, Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  5. Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger
  6. Esmé Erasmus, TygerBurger

Sport:  

  1. Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  2. Wyndham Everts, Knysna-Plett Herald (GE)
  3. Gerhard Rheeder, Middelburg Observer (CLM) and Hugo Redelinghuys, Suid-Kaap Forum (GE)
  4. David Rush, South Coast Herald (CLM)
  5. Alida Buckle, Weslander
  6. Matthew Handley, Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  7. Andries van Zyl, Zoutpansberger
  8. Mark Kinnear, Lowvelder (CLM)
  9. Dave Savides, Zululand Observer (CLM)
  10. Lebohang Pita, Benoni City Times (CLM)

Vernacular:  

  1. Unathi Obose, City Vision
  2. Ntsakisi Gracia Chauke, Nthavela

Certificate of merit: Xolani Dlamini, Eyethu Intshonalanga 

Photography categories

News photo: 

Wayne van der Walt’s winning photo in the news category. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Wayne Van der Walt, Highvelder (CLM)
  2. Zita Goldswain, Witbank News (CLM)
  3. Sifiso Jimta, Ster South (CLM)
  4. Christiaan Cloete, Vaalweekblad/Ster North/Sedibeng Ster (CLM)
  5. Alida Buckle, Weslander
  6. Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  7. Heinrich Greyling, Krugersdorp News (CLM)
  8. Yaseen Gaffar, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette
  9. Daleen Naudé, Middelburg Observer (CLM)
  10. Barend Williams, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette

Sport photo:

Elsje Vermeulen was awarded as the best sport photographer. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Elsje Vermeulen, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  2. Ettienne Van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  3. Wayne Van der Walt, Highvelder (CLM)
  4. Zita Goldswain, Witbank News (CLM)
  5. Rashied Isaacs, People’s Post
  6. Hugo Redelinghuys, Suid-Kaap Forum (GE)
  7. René Joubert, Highvelder (CLM)
  8. Carina Roux, TygerBurger
  9. Blake Linder, Lowvelder (CLM)
  10. Christiaan Cloete, Vaalweekblad/Ster North (CLM)

General photo:

Christiaan Cloete won the best general photo category. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Christiaan Cloete, Vaalweekblad/Ster North (CLM)
  2. Wayne van der Walt, Highvelder (CLM)
  3. Ettienne van Rensburg, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  4. Elsje Vermeulen, Vaalweekblad (CLM)
  5. Blake Linder, Lowvelder (CLM)
  6. Carina Roux, TygerBurger
  7. René Joubert. Highvelder Newspaper (CLM)
  8. Fuad Essack
  9. Gypseenia Lion, Bloemfontein Courant (CLM)
  10. Samantha Lee-Jacobs, People’s Post

Mobile photo:  

Kristy Kolberg won best photo in the mobile category with this photo of the Mark Lifman murder scene. Image: Supplied/FCJ
  1. Kristy Kolberg, George Herald (GE)
  2. Alida Buckle, Weslander
  3. Samantha Lee-Jacobs, People’s Post
  4. Jo Fourie, TygerBurger

 

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
August 26, 2025
Jana Boshoff 4 minutes read

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Jana Boshoff

Jana works as a senior support specialist for Caxton digital. Before that she was a journalist at the Middelburg Observer 15 years where she won numerous awards including Sanlam's Up and Coming Journalist, Caxton Multimedia Journalist of the Year, and several investigative awards. She is passionate about people and the stories untold.
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