Zoutnet Publishers, owners of the Limpopo Mirror and Zoutpansberger newspapers, have displayed that they are a force to be reckoned with, when they scooped three prestigious national awards during the Sanlam Community Press Awards held at Elangeni Hotel, Durban, on Friday evening.

It was another record-breaking year for the competition with 1 382 individual entries, 294 more than last year. Some 159 newspapers across the country entered the competition.

A former journalist and now spokesperson for the Musina Municipality, Wilson Dzebu was the co-winner of the hard news category. Dzebu was nominated for his powerful stories he wrote for the Mirror last year, before joining the Musina Municipality at the beginning of this year. He shared the award with the winner of the highest award, Journalist of the Year, Pam Fourie of Table Talk.

Zoutpansberger is the best independent town publication and also won the front-page division for small-town newspapers. The news editor of the paper, Andries van Zyl, came tenth in the division for business news.

On behalf of the judges, Ms Ingrid Pepler from Media 24 said the panel members all agreed that the awards are the single most important event on the calendar for any community paper in the country. She added that the judges were impressed with the general standard of the entries in most categories. “We are also excited about the record number of entries. The good entries were excellent and covered a variety of interesting subjects. The content was in-depth, multi-sourced and interesting.”

A jubilant manager for Zoutnet Publishers, Anton van Zyl, said the awards are a true reflection that his stable is satisfying the needs of the community it serves. “This is history in the making, taking into consideration that we were competing with some of the oldest and bigger newspapers in the country. Our winning formula is hard work, collectively, and a positive attitude. A special thanks to our loyal readers and dedicated staff who are always striving for the growth of our publications.”

Limpopo Mirror’s editor, Wikus Lee applauded Dzebu for winning the top award. “This is our major award in the competition, since the inception of the Sanlam Community Press Awards 16 years ago. The hard news category is the most competitive section and that is where one must display his above-average wring skills. Winning this category is a tough and extraordinary achievement, especially when you are competing with the best from all over the country.”

An excited Dzebu said: “I thought I was dreaming when judges pronounced me as the best writer in the hard news category. I have won numerous awards in the past, but this major one clearly indicates that there is nothing more rewarding than hard work.”