HIS passion for social justice and equality is what made Cape Times reporter Siyavuya Mzantsi report on people’s different reactions to the brutal murders of two teenagers.
On Friday, he won the Western Cape Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award in the print category.
There was hardly a ripple when Sinoxolo Mafevuka, 19, was raped and murdered in a communal toilet in Khayelitsha in March.
The Cape Times was the only media to report her death on the front page.
Two weeks later, in an equally horrendous murder, the body of Franziska Blöchliger, 16, was found in Tokai Forest. She had been raped and killed.
What happened subsequent to their deaths raised Mzantsi’s hackles.
Within minutes of Franziska being reported missing, a large-scale search was launched and police sent out a media alert.
Her murder, rightly, caused an outpouring of grief among many people.
But sadly the same outpouring of grief had not happened for Mafevuka and, as Cape Times editor Aneez Salie recalled, weeks after her murder police had not yet interviewed Mafevuka’s family.
It is precisely this kind of injustice the Cape Times highlights and, as Salie emphasised, the Cape Times is a voice for all, so it was struck by the fact the murder of the two teens garnered very different responses from the authorities and residents.
“We are very proud of Siya. He is a fine example of a new breed of journalist we have developed at the Cape Times.
“They have a keen social conscience and report in a non- racial, non-sexist and non- exploitative way.
“And for true transformation to happen there needs to be redress.
“Even after we brought her murder to public attention, there wasn't equal outrage about Sinoxolo. As if black lives don’t matter.
"To us at the Cape Times all lives matter, we are a voice for all. It is for these reasons that more focus should be placed on Sinoxolo and all the other Sinoxolos.”
She had to walk, in the dark, for more than 250m to a communal toilet, whereas Franziska would have had two or three toilets in her house and could happily, most days, walk safely in the forest on her own.
Salie said it was no surprise that Mzantsi saw the injustice in how the murders had been dealt with and how people had responded. His anger and passion led to the Cape Times having a banner headline, “A tale of two cities”.
This was not the first time the rest of the media appeared to be out of step with the Cape Times.
Salie said despite the DA’s claims, Cape Town and the Western Cape was very racist, something the Cape Times roundly condemns.
There is a racial fault line in our society, Salie said, and this needs to be addressed.
“We are glad that Siyavuya and our efforts have been recognised. Unless we, as the media, highlight this issue and report correctly it will continue to fester.”
Mzantsi said he had been deeply moved by both murders, but the stark contrast in how it was handled angered him. “Franziska’s death was reported extensively. We did not diminish her murder.
"We highlighted Sinoxolo’s death and asked how, in one city, the murder of two teens could be handled so differently. It was truly a tale of two cities.”
On his award, he added that it was a great honour to be recognised due to the fierce competition in the print category.
“The award is testament of the hard work that we at the Cape Times put in every day. This honour is for the entire team and I would like to thank all my colleagues for their support.”