Tshepo Maeko bags the prestigious Science Story Award

The Pan South African language board has bestowed upon Tshepo Maeko an excellence Award in the category of Community Media Print Publication. Standing tall among other journalists in the country, Maeko’s science story triumphantly secured him the first place at the PanSALB Multilingualism Awards for 2023/2024. The winners were announced during an official ceremony on February 29, 2024, at the Durban International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.

“A nomination at prestigious awards as this is truly a remarkable blessing for me while emerging as a winner was a cherry on top. It is a testament to my dedication and hard work”, said Maeko.

In 2023, Maeko joined the Science Journalism Community Service Project led by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) and funded by the Department of Science and Innovation. As part of the programme, he was entrusted with writing science and technology related stories in Sepedi for Seipone community newspaper based in Limpopo.

“I hope that we can establish more programs similar to the one led by NRF-SAASTA, so that numerous journalists, willing to report on science, can receive comprehensive training,” he added.

The awards were established in 2002 to recognise individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions to preserve and promote all official languages in South Africa, including Khoi and San languages. The awards are aimed at celebrating linguistic diversity and raising awareness of the role of languages as a unifying agent in the country.

Meanwhile, the Science and Technology Youth Journalism Programme aims to communicate science and technology stories in all the South African indigenous languages and to promote interest in science and technology amongst the disadvantaged youth. The programmes strives to ensure that scientific information is accessible to all South Africans.

“Science journalism is no easy feat, especially when it comes to translating all the jargon into our indigenous language. However, I am grateful to NRF-SAASTA for their commendable programs that equip journalists like me, who are eager to pursue science journalism,” Maeko confidently expressed.