Staff
The team at Stellenbosch Journalism comprises of permanent staff, part-time specialist lecturers from industry, and postdoctoral and visiting researchers.
Chair of the Department of Journalism
Prof Herman Wasserman
Herman Wasserman is Professor of Journalism and Chair of the Department of Journalism at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He has published widely on media in Africa. His books include Tabloid Journalism in South Africa (Indiana University Press), Media, Geopolitics, and Power (University of Illinois Press) and Media, Conflict and Democracy in Africa (Oxford University Press). His latest book is Disinformation in the Global South (co-edited with Dani Madrid-Morales), published in 2022 (Wiley-Blackwell). He is a Fellow and Board Member of the International Communication Association and an elected member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. His awards include a Fulbright fellowship and the Georg Foster Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. Wasserman is Editor-in-Chief of the academic journals African Journalism Studies and the Annals of the International Communication Association, Associate Editor of Communication Theory and International Communication Gazette and sits on the editorial boards of several other international journals. He has consulted for, amongst others, the World Health Organization, UNESCO, Deutsche Welle Akademie, Digital Public Square, Africa Check, the Center for International Media Assistance, the Open Society Foundation and serves on the scientific committee of Reporters without Borders.
Media Ethics, Media, Conflict and Democracy in Africa, Media and Disinformation
Prof Gabriël Botma
In 2011 Prof Botma obtained a PhD degree with the dissertation Manufacturing cultural capital: Arts journalism at Die Burger (1990-1999). The dissertation was subsequently published as the book Brothers in armchairs: Cultural struggles at Die Burger (2014, Sun Press). He has also published the book Polemieke: Bekgevegte in Afrikaans in 2018 at Zebra Press and Race talk in the South African media at Sun Press (2019). Research articles he authored were published in prominent journals such as African Journalism Studies, Critical Arts, Communication and Journalism and Mass Communication Educator in the field of political economy, cultural studies and journalism education. Until his appointment at SU he was arts editor and theatre critic of Die Burger in Cape Town.
Media history, media, culture and society
Chair of DST-NRF: SciCom
Prof Mehita Iqani
Chair of DST-NRF
Professor Mehita Iqani was appointed as Chairholder to the South African Research Chair in Science Communication at Stellenbosch University from January 2022. Prior to this she was Professor in Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she taught across the undergraduate and postgraduate programme for almost eleven years. She is the author and editor of several books on media, consumer culture, luxury, waste, and the global south, the most recent of which include African Luxury Branding (2023), Garbage in Popular Culture (2021), Consumption Media and the Global South (2016), Media Studies: Critical African and Decolonial Approaches (2019), African Luxury (2019) and Consumer Culture and the Media (2012). She is currently working on a new monograph about the links between science rhetorics and promotional communication. She is the incoming President of the South African Communications Association (2024-2025) after having served as Deputy President (2022-2023). She is a co-editor on the International Journal of Cultural Studies, an Associate Editor on Consumption Markets & Culture, and on the editorial board of Cultural Politics. Her PhD is in Media and Communication from the London School of Economics & Political Science (2009). She also holds an MA in Creative Writing (Wits) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (LSE). She is currently leading the research programme through the DST-NRF South African Research Chair in Science Communication, which broadly focuses on the theme of “science communication for social justice”, through issues-driven research in the fields of climate and environment, health and happiness and creative communications practice. She is currently developing new short courses and postgraduate programmes in these areas.
media and communication studies, discourse analysis, science and society, promotional and consumer cultures, inequality, luxury, waste, climate and environment, health and happiness, action research in communications practice, creative methods.
Dr Marenet Jordaan
Marenet Jordaan graduated with a BA Publishing degree from the University of Pretoria (UP) in 2000 where she was awarded the vice-chancellor’s medal for the best student in the Faculty of Humanities. After completing her BPhil Journalism at SU, she worked at Die Burger and Rapport in various roles, including as editor of an entertainment supplement.From 2009 she was a lecturer in the Journalism Programme at the UP. While working at UP, she completed her MPhil Journalism through SU – focusing on the role of the then still quite new phenomenon of social media use at newspapers. In 2015 she returned to her academic home at SU to teach in the honours and master’s programmes. She completed her doctoral dissertation about the Afrikaans online news publication Netwerk2, in 2018. In 2020 she received an institutional Teaching Excellence award from SU.
She is currently the South African investigator on the comparative Worlds of Journalism Study.
journalism ethics; journalistic role conceptualisations; comparative journalism studies; journalism education; scholarship of teaching, learning and assessment.
First-year level: Knowledge Skills 172 (across faculties)
BAHons Journalism: Media, Power & Culture; Media Ethics
MA Journalism and PhD Journalism supervision
Convener of the MA and PhD programmes for 2024
Ms Anneli Groenewald
Anneli Groenewald is a lecturer in journalism practice at the Department of Journalism. Anneli has extensive experience as a journalist and has worked at Beeld, Farmer’s Weekly and finweek. She previously taught journalism practice at the University of Johannesburg.
Anneli holds an MA in Creative Writing and her debut novel, Die Skaalmodel, won the debut award in NB Publishers’ Groot Afrikaanse Romanwedstryd. She remains involved in the media industry, mainly through her involvement in a community newspaper in the Overberg.
Narrative storytelling; presence effects in texts; affect theory.
Dr Meli Ncube
Meli Ncube holds a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Cape Town (UCT). His scholarly journey has been marked by a steadfast commitment to examining the impact of social media on democracy in Africa, with a particular emphasis on Zimbabwe. Currently, he serves as a postdoctoral fellow within the Department of Journalism at Stellenbosch University. In this role, Meli’s research delves into the multifaceted realm of disinformation, exploring its profound effects on journalism and the erosion of trust in media. His work is especially focused on uncovering innovative strategies within investigative journalism that can effectively combat disinformation in diverse African contexts.
disinformation and journalism, investigative journalism and countering disinformation, social media and democracy in Africa
Mr Fumani Jwara
Fumani Jwara is the Communications Officer for the South African Research Chair in Science Communication and the Social Media Coordinator for the Department of Journalism. His research interests are in music and music technology, media industries, queer studies and diplomacy studies. He is passionate about the interdisciplinary links between the arts, business, social justice, and STEM orientated fields in providing holistic solutions to addressing challenges facing South Africa. He recently co-authored Higher education queer spaces in Southern Africa: Policies and practices (2022) in the book (Un)Silence LGBTI: Experiences and Identities in Institutions of Higher Learning in South Africa (UNISA Press).
music, music technology, media industries, queer studies, autoethnographic research, diplomacy, STEM and society.
Specialist Staff
Dario Milo
Professor Dario Milo is a partner at Webber Wentzel attorneys, where he leads a team focusing on all aspects of public and constitutional law including reputation law (including defamation and privacy), media law and information law. He also lectures in media law, access to information law, and privacy law at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he is visiting adjunct professor in media law. Dr Milo is an expert in freedom of expression at the Columbia University Freedom of Expression Project and was appointed to the High Level Panel of Media Freedom Experts (chaired by Lord Neuberger) by the UK and Canadian governments. He is also an adviser to the European Commission on anti-SLAPP policy.
Deon Raath
Deon Raath is the Multimedia Editor at Rapport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Managing the photographic department and developing Rapport’s digital and video content. He is a skilled photographer and innovator. Developing new products, expand Rapport’s digital footprint and packaging the content to reach new viewers forms an essential part of his day-to-day.
Heléne Booyens
Heléne Booyens is an editor at Struik Nature, Penguin Random House.
Izelle Venter
Izelle Venter is the head of Media24TV that operates TV channels and a production facility that caters for various markets. Izelle has been working in media since 1998, with a focus on editorial and commercial initiatives.
Nokuthula Manyathi
Nokuthula Manyathi is the deputy multimedia editor at News24. She oversees the day-to-day news output of the newsroom’s video and audio journalists. She’s also spearheading News24’s podcasting and audio department; work produced through the hub has won several awards, including a gold and bronze statue at the New York Festivals Radio Awards. In 2022, she was chosen by the Online News Association as one of 26 women globally leading change and innovation in journalism. She’s a graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School and Wits University.
Wayne Muller
Wayne Muller is a communication specialist, academic and freelance arts journalist. He holds a PhD in Musicology and MPhil in Journalism from Stellenbosch University. He has written on classical music and opera, dance and theatre for various publications, and was the deputy arts editor of Die Burger.
Dr Marietjie Oelofsen
Short bio
Marietjie Oelofsen manages the dialogues programme at the Stellenbosch University Museum. She has a PhD in Media Studies from Rhodes University. She worked as a journalist at the Daily Dispatch in East London and was a post-doctoral fellow at AVReQ (https://avreq.sun.ac.za), Stellenbosch University. Her research focuses on the politics of listening and storytelling.
Pippa Green
Short bio
Pippa Green has been a journalist, writer, researcher and journalism teacher for more than three decades, working on newspapers, magazines, in radio, and at academic institutions. She holds an Honours degree in Economic History from UCT and an MSc from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York City. She has been deputy editor of the Sunday Independent and the Pretoria News (1997-2001), and political editor and head of Radio News at the SABC (1995-1997; 2002-2005). She was awarded a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University (1998-1999) and was a visiting Ferris professor at Princeton University (2006). She is author of Choice not Fate: The Life and Times of Trevor Manuel (Penguin, 2008), which was shortlisted for the Alan Paton Award. She previously spent two years as the national Press Ombudsman, the first woman to hold the position.
Dr Gerda Engelbrecht
Short bio
Dr Gerda Engelbrecht has been a Matie for more than two decades, first as a student and then as a part-time lecturer at the Department of Journalism. She completed her PhD at the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch in December 2012 and has been teaching the course on “Afrikaanse Redigering” in the Journalism Department since 2012. For the past 20 years she has worked fulltime for Media24 in various roles, mainly as sub at Die Burger, Huisgenoot and WegRy, and as managing editor at tvplus. She is currently a commercial editor for Media24 and the crossword compiler for more than 10 media titles. Gerda is an avid traveller and travel photographer and posted a very successful vlogging series in 2022 for Netwerk24 while hiking 800km on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. “Teaching future journalists is a career highlight. It reminds me every day of what a privilege it is to work in such a dynamic industry. I also love the energy of the students.”
Lester Kiewit
Short bio
Lester Kiewit, a distinguished South African journalist and radio presenter, commands attention with his insightful commentary and captivating storytelling. Over two decades, he has solidified his standing in the media, showcasing a remarkable ability to navigate diverse topics on CapeTalk, from current affairs to cultural issues. His dedication to amplifying marginalised voices and addressing social issues defines his work, establishing him as a trusted source of information. His engaging style connects with audiences, contributing significantly to South African discourse. Beyond radio, Kiewit served as a Parliamentary correspondent for eNCA and contributed as a writer to the Mail and Guardian.
Jurg Slabbert
Short bio
Jurg Slabbert is a filmmaker and video producer / editor. During his tenure as multimedia journalist at Media24 (Weg!; Die Burger; Netwerk24), he was a Media24 Legends Awards finalist (2015); a double Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards nominee (2015, 2016); and a double ATKV Mediaveertjie nominee, winning once in 2016. After shifting his focus to documentary filmmaking full-time, he ultimately graduated with a master’s degree (cum laude) from the DOC NOMADS consortium in Portugal, Hungary, and Belgium in 2017. His first fiction short, Aan/Af, debuted in 2022, and it has since shown at more than 110 film festivals worldwide. His editing portfolio currently includes shows for kykNET (Hokaai, my meisie; Gee my krag), M-Net (Habits of Gen Z), and VIA (Vermis; Die staat teen; Privaatspeurders), and he also avidly edits documentary-film and seasonal trailers, having edited for production and distribution companies in France, India, Italy, and Switzerland.
Pontsho Pilane
Short bio
Pontsho Pilane is an author, former journalist turned media and communications specialist and researcher working at the intersections of gender, health, race, media and policy. She is a PhD Fellow under the South African Research Chair in Science Communication at Stellenbosch University researching the public communication of obesity research and the discursive narratives underlying scientific, mass media and public policy texts, particularly concerning black women.
Janet Heard
Short bio
Janet Heard has worked in various reporting, news editing and editor roles in newsrooms around South Africa, with international experience in Hong Kong (South China Morning Post) and Australia (The Age). As a managing editor at Daily Maverick for 7+ years until the end of 2024, she assisted the publication during its expansion phase. Her roles included managing the news diary and directing the news and playing a lead role in recruiting and developing the next generation of journalists at the publication. Before that, she spent three years as Media 24 Parliamentary Editor. In 2025, she took up a new role as Editor of the ILab at Code for Africa. Janet served as a council member of the SA National Editors Forum for 10 years, and is a Nieman fellow from the class of 2010 at Harvard University.
Crystal Orderson
Short bio
Crystal Orderson is a renowned South African journalist with two decades of experience covering socio-economic issues in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. She began her career at SABC News and later became its first West Africa bureau chief, based in Senegal. Crystal has managed various newsrooms and contributed to local and international television documentaries.
She currently reports for ARD Germany, Al Jazeera, and Turkish Radio and TV, while also serving as a regular analyst on African politics. She has worked with NGOs like the Bulungula Incubator Project, Stellenbosch University, and Project Ignite, supporting disadvantaged schools in Mitchell’s Plain.
Her extensive media experience reflects a deep commitment to analyzing and amplifying African narratives. In 2024, she was a Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.
Pieter-Louis Myburgh
Short bio
PIETER-LOUIS MYBURGH is a multi-award-winning investigative journalist and the author of two books on South African’s endemic corruption blight.
The Republic of Gupta (2017) examined the infamous Gupta family’s state capture exploits, while 2019’s Gangster State laid bare the institutionalised corruption that had all but collapsed service delivery in the Free State province.
Myburgh was a member of the #GuptaLeaks team. This collaborative project, which involved nearly twenty investigative journalists, processed a massive trove of leaked emails and documents to expose the Gupta family’s illicit dealings with the government of then president Jacob Zuma. Myburgh and his #GuptaLeaks colleagues received the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s (GIJN) Global Shining Light Award, one of the industry’s most prestigious accolades.
Myburgh currently works at Daily Maverick.
Jóhann Thormählen
Short bio
Jóhann Thormählen is a senior sports journalist at Rapport in Cape Town. He has always been involved in sport, whether as a freelancer or in a full-time capacity, and has also been a radio commentator for many years. His experience in the media industry extends to roles such as media consultant, reporter, communication specialist and media officer at insitutions like the University of the Free State, Volksblad and Free State Agriculture. Highlights in his career include commentating on the 2023 World Cup quarter-final between the Springboks and France, and working at Rapport.
Tammy Petersen
Short bio
Tammy Petersen is a specialist journalist at News24. A former community journalist, she started as an intern at People’s Post before joining the country’s biggest news website in 2015 as a general reporter. Among the trials she has covered are the De Zalze murders, which saw Henri van Breda sentenced to life in jail for the murder of his parents and brother, as well as the case against Zurenah Smit, accused of putting a hit on her farmer husband, Louiesenhof’s Stefan Smit, which is currently underway in the Western Cape High Court.
In her 18 years in the newsroom, she has garnered numerous awards, including being named the Vodacom Journalist of the Year and winning gold at the IAB Bookmark Awards for excellence in news or feature writing.
Dirk Meerkotter
Short bio
Dirk Meerkotter is an educator and data developer at OpenUp with a particular interest in data storytelling, visualisation and audification. He worked as a history of art teacher before joining The Big Issue South Africa as art director and journalist where he was a nominee and recipient of a best design award from the International Network of Street Papers.
Ahmed Areff
Short bio
Ahmed Areff is the deputy editor of the Business section of News24. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Rhodes University in 2008 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the same institution in 2009. He started his career as a journalist at the now-defunct wire agency, the SA Press Association, covering crime, courts, politics and business. He has previously worked as national news editor at both News24 and later at Business Day. Ahmed pursued an MBA at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, which was completed in 2024.
