As the year draws to a close, we take stock of some of the work that has been produced through the Taco Kuiper grant.
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Every year, the Taco Kuiper grant recognises outstanding examples of journalism that reveal untold stories, hold the powerful to account and question those in public life, while encouraging investigative journalism in South Africa. The grants are given to journalists seeking pre-publication help for investigative reporting of public interest.
These are some of the work that’s been published through the grant.
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<li>Most prominent was Jacques Pauw’s book, <a href=”https://www.amazon.com/Presidents-Keepers-Those-keeping-prison-ebook/dp/B076YBL1WS”>The President’s Keepers</a>, which broke all sales records and received massive publicity. Jacques and his publisher were served with cease and desist letters from the State Security Agency, who also laid a complaint with police. </li>
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<li>Sarah Wild’s <a href=”https://mg.co.za/article/2017-01-12-00-long-quest-to-understand-these-bodies-without-identities”>Unidentified Dead</a> won a gold medal in the prestigious international Kavli Science Journalism Awards. </li>
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<li>Lindiwe Hani and Melinda Ferguson’s <a href=”https://www.amazon.com/Being-Chris-Hanis-Daughter-Lindiwe-ebook/dp/B06XWZVHVM”>Being Chris Hani’s Daughter</a> was launched in April. </li>
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<li>Laura Grant’s three-part <a href=”https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-06-20-more-than-200-gauteng-schools-contain-asbestos-heres-where-they-are/”>School Asbestos</a> story was published by Times Live in June/July. This story also won the <a href=”http://journalist.vodacom.co.za/news.aspx”>Vodacom Online Journalist of the Year Category</a>.</li>
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<li>Kimon de Greef’s four-part <a href=”https://www.groundup.org.za/roughdiamonds/”>Rough Diamonds: An investigation into illicit mining in Namaqualand</a> was published in GroundUp.</li>
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<li>Kimon de Greef’s <a href=”https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/quick-sand-dirty-money/”>Quick Sand, Dirty Money</a> was published by Hakai Magazine on December 5. </li>
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<li>Jonathan Ancer’s <a href=”https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Uncovering-Williamson-Jonathan-Ancer-ebook/dp/B06Y1MXD33″>Spy: Uncovering Craig Williamson</a> was published by Jacana </li>
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<li>Adrian Basson’s News24 team published a series of stories and video, <a href=”https://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-the-guptas-bogus-dubai-businesses-20171026″>The Gupta’s Bogus Dubai Businesses and Dubai – the Gupta’s City of Shells</a>. </li>
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<li>The publication of Ryan Brown’s four pieces on <a href=”http://bhekisisa.org/article/2017-12-08-00-why-abortion-by-mail-services-are-spreading#.WioqUo7DADQ.facebook”>the rise of self-administered medical abortions</a> began in early-December the Mail & Guardian. Another two will be published in January, and the final in the Science Monitor. </li>
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About five more projects are still pending and will be published in the first half of 2018.
Please visit <a href=”https://www.journalism.co.za/guidelines-for-grants-2/”>Guideline for Taco Kuiper grants</a> for more information on funding.
