First ever South African Reporter Slam in Johannesburg

Six Slammers from South Africa and Germany on stage in Johannesburg

Kgaugelo Gumede moderated the evening

The Reporter Slam took place at the Peoples Theatre

Koena Mashale won over the audience

Slammer Prashalan Govender from The Witness

Farangies Ghafoor, Health and Lifestyle Journalist at Tagesspiegel

Alpha Ramushwana during his performance

Qaanitah Hunter, Founder of Debrief Network, was also one of the participants

Investigative Journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh had a surprise in store for the audience

Musician Kamo Matsoso and her band set the mood for the evening

For the very first time the national Reporter Slam South Africa was held in Johannesburg. Six reporters from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, and Berlin (Germany) took the stage and competed against each other by presenting their investigations in thrilling and exciting performances that made the crowd laugh, think, and cheer. At the end of the evening, the audience at Joburgs People’s theatre and livestream participants voted for the best performance. The winner of Reporter Slam South Africa 2025 is Koena Mashale, a social justice journalist at Sowetan, a Johannesburg newspaper. By winning this competition, Mashale will attend our international Reporter Slam taking place in Uganda next year.

A big shout-out to all of our slam reporters from across the country and the various media outlets where they work. Our special guest was Farangies Ghafoor, a health and lifestyle journalist at Tagesspiegel, Berlin/Germany, who made the crowd laugh with her story about her experience as a young reporter.

Many thanks to our amazing host, Kgaugelo Gumede from the Sunday Times in Johannesburg, who guided us through the evening.

Supported by KAS Media Africa, the Reporter Slam South Africa was part of this year's Media Freedom Festival, which shined a spotlight on journalism and press freedom in challenging times for three days. On stage, the slammers shared the struggles behind their stories and how they persevere. For more information about the Media Freedom Festival, click here.