Dear News24 subscriber,
It's that time of the year when we reflect on the past twelve months, assess what we've been through and catch a breath to face the new year with renewed energy and vigour.
I am often asked how we stay positive in a country beset by crime, corruption, poverty, and hardship. Some call it patriotism; I call it love.
Most of the journalists I work with have a deep love and passion for South Africa. We really, truly believe in this country, her people and its endless potential to be better.
And that's what keeps us going, despite the countless threats from faceless trolls on Twitter, real-life attacks in volatile situations, or legal attempts to muzzle us from unearthing the truth.
We love this country too much to give up hope and stop telling the stories of this beautiful place we call home.
2022 was not any different, and by subscribing to News24, you made it possible for us to go further, dig deeper and be louder in our attempts to hold power to account and celebrate those who keep things together.
Your support of our journalism made it possible for our investigations team to spend months trawling through Babita Deokaran's computer hard drive, looking for clues about what could have led to her brutal assassination. In 2022, we started putting together the puzzle of her corruption investigation into Tembisa hospital when the authorities walked away from the crime scene.
If it weren't for our investigation and your support of our journalism, the Special Investigating Unit would not have been able to make the breakthroughs they have in this case. Thank you.
Your subscription to News24 has further strengthened our ability to defend Karyn Maughan, our specialist legal reporter, against attacks by former president Jacob Zuma, who wants to imprison Maughan for reporting on a piece of paper that was put into the public domain by his own lawyer.
Because of your support, we could enlist the services of one of South Africa's top lawyers, Steve Budlender SC, to defend Karyn in our application to have the private prosecution against her quashed. The case is continuing in March 2023 and we will continue to support Karyn as best we can.
Your subscription to our quality, trusted journalism further enabled us to send reporters to KwaZulu-Natal when floods destroyed lives and livelihoods, to Gqeberha when the taps dried up, and to Limpopo in search of the elusive truth about President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala burglary.
We accompanied the Springboks on their year-end tour to Europe and brought you the best sports analysis in the country from Nick Mallett, Sibusiso Mjikeliso and Rob Houwing.
Our coverage of the Eskom crisis remains unparalleled; from Kyle Cowan's scoops on the sabotage at our power plants to Carol Paton's insights on the boardroom battles bedevilling our state-owned enterprises.
2022 was a year of political drama. Under Qaanitah Hunter's leadership, our politics team provided in-depth coverage of the ANC's leadership battles and the changing landscape of coalition politics that could fundamentally alter our future in 2024.
Lastly, your request for lighter coverage, between all the dark and hard news topics, was answered with the appointment of News24's first-ever cartoonist in Carlos Amato, to add humour to the week's news diary and the launch of our good news section, that celebrates the good, the beautiful and the inspirational in our land.
I wish you a restful and peaceful festive season with family and friends.
We will return in 2023 to bring you all the stories from the country we love, South Africa.
Adriaan Basson
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