Vrye Weekblad's assistant editor Anneliese Burgess has won an ATKV Veertjie Award for two of her articles that were published in our weekly Afrikaans sister publication.
The article ’n Pad kronkel deur tyd en kom tot rus by ’n familiegraf op Koesberg chronicles her family's journey to the Free State to bury her brother's young child, and Plaasmoorde: Die skimme van geweld wat ons harte oopkloof looks at the trauma caused by violent crime in SA.
In its announcement on Facebook on Thursday, the ATKV described Burgess as a journalist who stood head and shoulders above the rest and deserved an award for her entire body of work.
“She does not fall into the trap of shallowness. She has gravitas that enables her to cover the themes of the day with authority, but also shows empathy with the sadness and joys of people.”
In response, Burgess said: “Thank you, ATKV! It is a fantastic acknowledgment for Vrye Weekblad that is now just over a year old. This publication has become a wonderful space for so many people to do great journalism and to write in a new way about the world we live in.
“A special thanks to our fantastic wordsmiths, in this case Elmari Potgieter and Willem Kempen, who panel-beat these two stories' rhythm and words into shape. Without you, our copy would not be able to sing off the page.”
Read the winning articles below:
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