We are thrilled to announce Amplify South Africa’s first cohort, selected from more than 100 applications to join the tailored capacity-strengthening program. After weeks of vetting, due diligence and an arduous selection process by Amplify South Africa’s Advisory Committee, 12 independent media organizations have been selected as members of the inaugural cohort in a program that seeks to tackle multiple issues impacting the country’s media landscape.
The 12 media are a mix of start-ups and small businesses from around the country and we look forward to working with them in accelerating innovation and transforming South Africa’s independent news media ecosystem. They are:
All Protocol Observed NPC/The Continent
All Protocol Observed is a non-profit company created in July 2023 to support African journalism generally. The Continent is a weekly newspaper produced by African reporters, photographers, illustrators and editors and distributed on WhatsApp (and other social messaging platforms).
Cape Town TV
Cape Town TV is a non-profit, free-to-air, community television station licensed to serve the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. The channel provides community access to the powerful medium of television as a tool for development and social change.
Currency
Currency is a start-up that aims to deliver best-in-class financial, economic and business news in South Africa and the rest of the continent. Currency will have a non-profit division focused on investigative journalism and training and mentoring Black journalists in business reporting and enhancing financial literacy.
Inanda Community Radio
Inanda Community Radio, established in 2006, broadcasts in both IsiZulu and English in the greater eThekwini region, with a focus on education and raising community awareness of developmental initiatives and socio-economic matters.
Likhanyile
Likhanyile is a boutique media and communications firm. Its core business is publishing. It produces two publications, a Zulu online financial publication, Umbele (www.umbele.co.za), and a Zulu education and careers publication, Umkhanyisi, which is distributed via WhatsApp and email to high school learners, teachers, principals, parents, churches and tertiary students.
MambaOnline
Mamba Online is South Africa’s longest-running independent LGBTIQ+ online news and community platform with the purpose of informing, empowering, visibilizing and engaging South Africa’s LGBTIQ+ community. The platform is cited as an authority on hate crimes reporting in South Africa by Human Rights Watch and the US State Department.
Nthavela Newspaper
Nthavela is a XiTsonga-language, tabloid-size newspaper of about 16 pages in length, that is circulated in mainly rural areas of north-eastern Limpopo province, where most residents are XiTsonga-speakers.
Politically Aweh
Politically Aweh is an award-winning youth-oriented explanatory news show that uses humour and satire to raise awareness among young South Africans about important issues that affect them and mobilize youth participation in the democratic process.
Pulse FM 92.9
Pulse FM 92.9 is a licensed urban contemporary and cosmopolitan low power commercial radio station with a cross-over appeal between the black and white communities offering 70% music and 30% talk content.
Vutivi Business News
Vutivi Business News is a digital publishing platform that offers news to readers who are passionate about small business. It is a platform that provides a real small business experience by allowing the audience to explore information, knowledge, opportunities, trends and resources.
Xenor Projects
Xenor Projects is an independent community newspaper publisher since 1992. They publish three community newspapers – Orange Farm News, Globe Post and Walkerville & Savanna City Times.
Zoutnet CC
Zoutnet CC is an independent news publisher, catering for residents of the Vhembe area, which is the most northern part of South Africa. Zoutnet publishes two newspapers, the Limpopo Mirror and the Zoutpansberger, which have been in existence for more than 30 years.
The Advisory Committee that helped select the cohort comprised: seasoned media executive and Managing Director of MInsight Content Creation Mapi Mhlangu; Africa is a Country Editor William Shoki; broadcast journalist and Managing Director at IJ Hub Sebenzile Nkambule; renowned Journalist-in-Residence at International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) Khadija Patel; founder and director of the Africa Women Journalism Project (AWJP) Catherine Gicheru; and MDIF’s Managing Director of Media Programs Bilal Randeree.
Amplify South Africa is funded by the International Fund for Public Interest Media, the program builds on the success of MDIF’s South Africa Media Innovation Program (SAMIP), which from 2017 to 2023 supported 27 organizations to advance their digital innovation and made six investments in promising young media companies.
Throughout the program the cohort members will receive the following support:
- One-on-one coaching and training to drive business growth
- Diverse media management advice by local and international experts
- Support from media start-up specialists to identify and develop optimal business strategies and models
- Focus on developing new revenue streams and building audience, while maximizing engagement and customer experience
- Advice on organization, leadership, project structure and execution workflow
- Targeted grant funding tied to capacity support to maximize effectiveness
- Workshops, hands-on-training and opportunities to connect with industry experts and fellow participants to gain insights from successful real-world examples
For more information on Amplify South Africa, contact Program Director Nolwazi Tusini at [email protected]