South African reporter Dewald van Rensburg received top honors at the African Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg for exposing multibillion-rand illegal gold operations involving a prominent pastor and fugitive. The AmaBhungane Centre journalist acknowledged that a Namibian source contributed information to his City of Gold investigation, which revealed networks of financial crimes and tax fraud within the country's gold industry.
Gambian journalist Mustapha Darboe earned second place for documenting corruption in asset recovery from exiled former president Yahya Jammeh, whose billion-dollar fortune matched the nation's gross domestic product when he left office. Ghanaian reporters Seth Bokpe and Edmund Boateng took third for revealing how politically connected individuals obtained mining permits in protected forest areas.
Conference judge Gwen Lister, who founded the Namibia Media Trust, emphasized that investigative work must balance documentary evidence with human perspectives from affected communities to rebuild public confidence in journalism.
Gambian journalist Mustapha Darboe earned second place for documenting corruption in asset recovery from exiled former president Yahya Jammeh, whose billion-dollar fortune matched the nation's gross domestic product when he left office. Ghanaian reporters Seth Bokpe and Edmund Boateng took third for revealing how politically connected individuals obtained mining permits in protected forest areas.
Conference judge Gwen Lister, who founded the Namibia Media Trust, emphasized that investigative work must balance documentary evidence with human perspectives from affected communities to rebuild public confidence in journalism.
