The National Press Club has elected its new executive committee and management team.

Ntando Makhubu, news editor of the Pretoria News, has been elected chairperson of the National Press Club, making her the first black female to be elected to this position.

Jos Charle of Capital Media was elected deputy chairperson; Mosidi Mokgele, director at Vhutshilo, was elected as the public relations officer while Tanya de Vente-Bijker has been elected treasurer. Other members of the executive committee are: Willem van de Putte of Independent Newspapers, Milisa Kentane of Sentech, Reynold Thakhuli of SANParks and Tshego Monyamane of Spotlight Media. Lali van Zuydam was appointed secretariat until 2020.

“It is an honour and an exceptional privilege to be entrusted with leading the National Press Club. As an executive committee team, we have the responsibility to make decisions on behalf of our more than 500 members nationally,” Makhubu said. The club will continue to support efforts for a free press, maintenance of high professional standards in the industry, training of young journalists ‐ especially in the community media space ‐ and recognition of newsmakers.

The club will soon announce the date on which President Cyril Ramaphosa, the 2018 Newsmaker of the Year, would receive the award.

Established as the Pretoria Press Club in 1978 and later renamed the National Press Club, the club celebrates its 41st anniversary in 2019.

“Our challenge remains to be relevant in the media industry while offering our members full value through various projects including our networking forums, media briefings and discussion evenings as well as the Newsmaker of the Year function and the Percy Qoboza memorial lecture. The club has faced a challenging year, but I assure members that the National Press Club will remain an important player in the South African media landscape,” said Makhubu.

Mosidi Mokgele
On behalf of the National Press Club
082 447 4238

Ntando Makhubu
076 770 3693

May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day, a day celebrated internationally. The National Press Club calls on all stakeholders to ensure that press freedom is upheld in South Africa.

Newly-elected National Press Club Chairperson Ntando Makhubu called on all stakeholders to ensure journalists had the freedom to do their jobs without harassment, fear, abuse or intimidation. She said the media is a crucial pillar in a democracy and it must be protected at all costs.

“In many parts of the world, including neighboring states, media freedom is not a given and we must protect what rights we have “, she said.

“Important to uphold as the country celebrates 25 years of democracy, is the role of the media, to promote the country’s constitution, which is that the country belongs to all who live in it. That spills over into the media being allowed to carry on with being the ears and eyes of the nation, to keep those in positions of power accountable.”

She also emphasised on the members of the the 4th estate never to forget their own role, and to stick to the ethics of their profession.

Every second month the NPC runs a journalism competition for full time members. We asked Ntando Makhubu, news editor of the Pretoria News to give us some tips on how to write a winning article. These tips will also be useful for any journalist competing in the ever increasing freelancing market or just to revisit your journalistic principles. She also gives advice for journalists wanting to enter the monthly competition.

As a news editor – what would you say comprise a “perfect” or winning article?

A perfect winning article is one that addresses the full range of issues around a story: first and foremost answering the five pertinent questions each story must answer: the 5 W’s and an H. Then it must absolutely be topical, talk to the heart of an issue, the heart of a community and be one a wide range of the population understands.

It must be well researched, balanced and must never ever be from an era gone by.

What advice do you have for journalists wanting to enter the NPC Journalist of the Month competition?

I would advise them to be active members of the National Press Club because that helps them understand the value of networking for any journalist It will also give them an insight into who else could be entering. Knowing and understanding the competition always helps.

Do you have a motivational message for your journalists about the industry?

Journalism is a calling, more than a career choice. One has to have the passion to work with people, to work long hours and put in the hard extra work, to enjoy it. It must never be about glamour or something to fall back on, because it can be frustrating – both to the journo and the media house they work for.

And finally, can you still remember your first big news article as a young journo?

It was a story of babies dying in a state hospital, dying in their numbers from one common thing – lack of facilities. And by facilities I mean people, life-saving equipment and care from management and the department. It really only started off as a story of a young girl talking about how her pre-term baby had died when she suddenly rushed to hospital, to uncover a bigger issue: many mothers going there on referral, to find that their babies had no chance as staff worked overtime, was fatigued and equipment non-functional.