Henry Nxumalo Foundation

Some of the books published with assistance from the Henry Nxumalo Foundation

Call for applications to investigate literacy and reading issues in SA
HNF is offering grants to journalists to investigate and do in-depth reporting on literacy and reading issues in SA. Grants of R50 000 are available for two journalists as well as R50 000 for data specialist/s. Any journalist or team of journalists and/or data specialists may apply, and the work may be done and published/broadcast in any medium. To apply, see the full call. Closing date: February 10, 2025.

Calling Investigative Reporters in SADC
The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA | AJP) is a new project to support and strengthen investigative journalism in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). SA | AJP will provide journalists with reporting grants and editorial support to produce investigative stories which seek to advance the public interest in the region. Journalists are invited to submit pitches at any time. They will be adjudicated as they are received.
Call for Pitches for Investigative Stories


RESEARCH: The state of freelance journalism
Working conditions for South Africa’s freelance journalists are difficult and their compensation is appalling and inadequate, a research report has concluded. The report was commissioned by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation with Sanef, and written by media academics Sarah Chiumbu and Allen Munoriyarwa. It is titled The state of freelance journalists in South Africa.


NEWS FROM OUR GRANTEES

Latest: Vicky Abraham and Ntokozo Abraham exposed the shocking neglect of a school for the disabled in Limpopo – and drew an immediate response from the authorities. She reported it in the Sunday Times, Rapport/Netwerk24 and Diary Series of Deaf People. The authorities quick reaction (after eight years of inactivity) was reported in the Sunday Times. ALSO: The power of investigative reporting: a case study

Leonie Joubert has published a beautifully crafted three-part series on how mismanaged mining is leading to the desertification of parts of the Karoo: Karoo Dust Bowl (Part I) — here come the dunes, a death knell for plant species and farmers’ livelihoods (Daily Maverick, 28 January 2025); (Part II) — Farmers fight back against reckless mining practices (DM, 29 January); (Part III) — Drought-battered Richtersveld farmers fear destructive creep of mining (DM, January 30). Joubert is on a year-long round-the-country trip, so follow her as she picks up other stories about threats to our environment.

The Henry Nxumalo Fund gives grants to individuals and organisations to do investigative journalism of relevance to contemporary Africa. We enable journalists to have the time and resources to do reporting that might not otherwise be done, and to encourage reporting on under-covered areas of African society.

Henry Nxumalo
Photo:  Jurgen Schaderberg
Henry Nxumalo
Photo:  Jurgen Schaderberg

Grants are available for journalists seeking pre-publication support for investigative reporting of public interest.

The grants are administered by the Henry Nxumalo Trust in memory of the pioneering investigative reporter Henry Nxumalo.

In 15 years of operation, the Fund has given about 80 grants totalling almost R5-million.