Lazarus Amukeshe of The Namibian newspaper scooped the Journalist of the Year award at the Editors’ Forum of Namibia 2023 Journalism Awards in Windhoek on Thursday.
Amukeshe shared his excitement, saying that winning this accolade meant a great deal to him.
“It not only recognises my dedication and hard work but also serves as a testament to the power of quality journalism in shaping society,” he said.
“I’m so overjoyed and very grateful to Tangeni (Amupadhi) and Shinovene (Immanuel) for giving me a chance at The Namibian. I don’t have a degree in journalism, but I was privileged to write for The Namibian newspaper for five years,” he added.
Amukeshe won in the category of Business, Finance and Economic Development on top of being the journalist of the year.
He received a certificate and a prize of N$25 000.
Shinovene Immanuel, who leads The Namibian’s investigative unit, and Yanna Smith from Kosmos Radio shared an award in the Politics and Governance category.
Joyce Kondo from The Namibian emerged as a winner in the Visual Storytelling Category, while Mercy Karuuombe, also from The Namibian, was awarded in the Education, Health, and Social Development category.
In the category of Agriculture, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, the award went to NBC’s July Nafuka, Timo Shihepo from The Namibian and Sam Sole (freelancer). Charmaine Ngatjiheue and James Jamu from The Namibian won the Mining and Energy category.
The winners in each of the seven categories will receive a cash prize of N$15 000 and a certificate.
Speaking at the event, EFN chairperson Frank Steffens said the 2023 Journalism Awards undoubtedly highlighted the commitment and talent of Namibia’s journalistic community, setting a high standard for the years to come.
“Please allow me to remind you that we are all competing for a much more important goal. We all want to inform the nation first and foremost – and if you ever doubted that important role, reflect on the time when the Covid-19 pandemic shut us down. We all want to be honest, independent and impartial. We all want to bring a story that is relevant, factual and balanced,” he added.
He said the EFN, as part of its mandate, will thus continue to support journalists. The EFN is a non-profit, non-governmental voluntary organisation, comprising editors and senior journalists of Namibia’s print, broadcasting and online media. The EFN is committed to defending and promoting freedom of expression and media, pluralism, independence and self-regulation.
Ruusa Nandago, an economist at FNB Namibia, who was a platinum sponsor, said it is important to celebrate excellent journalism in Namibia to set higher standards, inspire a new cadre of investigative and historical journalists and ensure the stories are told about the country.
“Journalism plays a pivotal role in shaping public opinion, holding power accountable, and fostering informed decision-making, serving as a catalyst for social progress, economic development and democratic governance in the nation’s strive for global competitiveness. The importance of excellent journalism cannot be overstated,” she said.
Gracing the event, President Hage Geingob declared that no journalist should be arrested in Namibia, and journalists should be free to report without fear or intimidation.
He added that freedom of the press is guaranteed in a democratic Namibia.
“We must be proud as Namibians because we are referred to as the free press in Africa. I only have a few months to go; therefore, I will not contradict what I said: journalists will have a press,” he said.
Jacques Pauw, a well-known investigative journalist and author from South Africa, was a guest speaker.
The adjudicators, including Hugh Ellis, an academic and journalism lecturer at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, evaluated all 169 submissions from 59 journalists.
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