In the past‚ it’s been given to President Jacob Zuma.
His predecessors Nelson Mandela‚ FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki too have been recipients‚ as have Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
For 2015‚ the National Press Club’s Newsmaker of the Year for 2015 goes to…#FeesMustFall.
“The decision to name #FeesMustFall as the newsmaker for 2015 was unanimous‚” says club chairperson Jos Charle.
“This was a major game-changer in our country. There is no doubt that tertiary education in South Africa will never be the same again.”
Charle said the fact that the #FeesMustFall campaign “led to…Zuma announcing that there would be no increase in tertiary education fees for 2016 illustrates the success and impact of the campaign”.
“The last time the students of our country were united in a common cause like that was in 1976 when they protested against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction‚” said Charle.
“However‚ this time around‚ #FeesMustFall received support across many sectors of our society‚ including students from across the globe.”
Charle said another notable achievement of the movement was that it showed “how the power of technology can‚ in no time‚ bring people together in a common purpose”‚ and that social media‚ combined with widespread coverage in traditional news media‚ was instrumental in the success of the campaign.
The annual award is “based on the amount of media coverage received as well as the impact thereof”.
The impact of #FeesMustFall was so huge that it is even warranted a mention at the launch of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee’s (Sascoc) Rio Games campaign on Monday.
Sascoc CEO Tubby Reddy said the “#teamSArise viral campaign” was inspired by the student movement.
“In recent times South African citizens have been chanting songs ending with the phrase ‘…must fall’‚ but our late icon Nelson Mandela alluded to sport as having the power to change the world‚” Reddy said.
“The excitement continues to mount as our road to Rio destination draws closer‚ and we truly believe TeamSA will rise and do us proud as a nation.”
2014’s Newsmaker of the Year was the Oscar Pistorius trial.
#FeeMustFall headlines Newsmaker of the Year award
His predecessors Nelson Mandela‚ FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki too have been recipients‚ as have Oscar-winner Charlize Theron and Public Protector Thuli Madonsela.
For 2015‚ the National Press Club’s Newsmaker of the Year for 2015 goes to…#FeesMustFall.
“The decision to name #FeesMustFall as the newsmaker for 2015 was unanimous‚” says club chairperson Jos Charle.
“This was a major game-changer in our country. There is no doubt that tertiary education in South Africa will never be the same again.”
Charle said the fact that the #FeesMustFall campaign “led to…Zuma announcing that there would be no increase in tertiary education fees for 2016 illustrates the success and impact of the campaign”.
“The last time the students of our country were united in a common cause like that was in 1976 when they protested against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction‚” said Charle.
“However‚ this time around‚ #FeesMustFall received support across many sectors of our society‚ including students from across the globe.”
Charle said another notable achievement of the movement was that it showed “how the power of technology can‚ in no time‚ bring people together in a common purpose”‚ and that social media‚ combined with widespread coverage in traditional news media‚ was instrumental in the success of the campaign.
The annual award is “based on the amount of media coverage received as well as the impact thereof”.
The impact of #FeesMustFall was so huge that it is even warranted a mention at the launch of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee’s (Sascoc) Rio Games campaign on Monday.
Sascoc CEO Tubby Reddy said the “#teamSArise viral campaign” was inspired by the student movement.
“In recent times South African citizens have been chanting songs ending with the phrase ‘…must fall’‚ but our late icon Nelson Mandela alluded to sport as having the power to change the world‚” Reddy said.
“The excitement continues to mount as our road to Rio destination draws closer‚ and we truly believe TeamSA will rise and do us proud as a nation.”
2014’s Newsmaker of the Year was the Oscar Pistorius trial.
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