Newzroom Afrika takes a fresh approach for the new year as it marks 5th birthday

Naledi Moleo

Newzroom Afrika has quickly established itself as the go-to source for trusted and authoritative news, covering regional, national, continental and global stories.

“We are so grateful for our growing audience of loyal viewers and our undertaking is to always remain a step ahead, with fresh approaches to telling their stories and being the voice of the people,” said CEO Thabile Ngwato.

“With that in mind, we are once again embarking on a much-needed refresh to the line-up to inject new talent and energy while drawing on the solid experience in our ranks to ensure the highest standards of accuracy and integrity in our reporting.

“This is especially important as we build up to a big election season in South Africa, which will be a strong focus for the channel as we document round-the-clock coverage of the country’s democracy in action.”

The new AM Report will now be anchored by Aldrin Sampear and Naledi Moleo, with the addition of sports anchor Andee Mahamba, while seasoned anchor Iman Rappetti takes over Newsfeed AM. Michelle Craig will bring a fresh take to Daytime Update followed by Stephen Grootes who keeps a steady hand on the Newsfeed PM slot. Grootes also carries on as the anchor of The Pulse.

Senior anchor Xoli Mngambi, known for his probing and robust interviews, takes the reins for News@Prime. He will be joined by business anchor Tumisang Ndlovu and sports editor, Vaylen Kirtley.

Rounding off the refreshed weekday line-up will be Thabo Mdluli, who will continue to anchor In Focus, drilling down into some of the big issues of the day.

Duduzile Ramela, Mpho Sithole, Masa Kekana and Rachel Makhura will lead the weekend offering with a roundup of all the big news stories of the week.

For 2024 the content will be election heavy, featuring town halls and enhanced interactive elements for the programmes. Which is why veteran journalist and editor, Vuyo Mvoko joins the team as contributing politics editor to bring deep political insights to the channel’s offering.

Accomplished broadcast executive Mapi Mhlangu, will lend her expertise on building newsrooms of the future and their sustainability, as Newzroom Afrika’s editorial consultant.

“Our story has not been an easy one, yet despite it all the year 2024 promises to be an exciting new challenge for Newzroom Afrika as we celebrate our fifth birthday,” said Ngwato. “We look forward to continuing this amazing journey of growth and innovation with our viewers.”

Along with some changes to the line-up of on-screen talent, Newzroom Afrika has launched its first ever graduate programme in a quest to uncover new voices and usher in a new generation of news practitioners.