VJOY 2025: Full List of Winners Including Young Journalist Liza-May Pieters and Lifetime Achiever Mathatha Tsedu
Johannesburg, 5 December 2025 – South Africa’s top journalists were celebrated tonight at the 2025 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards (VJOY), recognising excellence, courage, and integrity in the media. This year, the awards received a record-breaking 1,330 submissions from across the country, highlighting growing engagement in investigative and impactful journalism.
The prestigious Vodacom Journalist of the Year 2025 title and R100,000 prize went to Sibusisiwe Sebe Buthelezi of eNCA Checkpoint, alongside contributors Sindisiwe Mpahlwa, Tshidiso Lechuba, and Ashley Market. Their searing exposé on the shocking state of KwaZulu-Natal mortuaries also earned them the Features category award. The investigation revealed decomposing bodies stacked on floors and families receiving maggot-infested remains, forcing accountability from authorities and giving a human face to a hidden crisis.
The Young Journalist of the Year 2025 award was claimed by Liza-May Pieters of Netwerk24. With just two years in journalism, Pieters impressed judges with her investigative skill and dedication, earning R50,000 to pursue further studies to advance her career.
Lifetime Achiever Award honoree Mathatha Tsedu was celebrated for his decades-long contribution to South African journalism. From exposing human rights abuses during apartheid to mentoring generations of journalists and founding key media organisations, Tsedu exemplifies courage, integrity, and vision.
Other category winners included:
- Live Reporting: News24’s Tammy Petersen
- Investigative: News24’s Jeff Wicks and Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley
- Opinion: Daily Dispatch’s Lulamile Feni
- Lifestyle: News24’s Kaunda Selisho
- Photography: Cape Times’s Ayanda Ndamane
- Sport: City Press’s Tiisetso Malepa
- Finance & Economics: AmaBhungane’s Susan Comrie and YOU’s Clyde Adams
- Politics: News24’s Sithandiwe Velaphi
- Sustainability: City Press’s Lunga Henrietta Simelane
- Innovation: News24’s Jeff Wicks team
Takalani Netshitenzhe, Vodacom’s Director of External Affairs, emphasised the awards’ role in honouring ethical journalism and giving voice to the vulnerable.
The 2025 VJOY awards underline the power of South African journalists to drive transparency, accountability, and societal change.