Award winning young journalists get their mojo in London

“MoJo is something I want to pursue further and include, not as a last thought, but as a one of the components of my daily work.” Michelle Banda Vodacom Young Journalist of the Year South Africa 2022

From dinner at London’s tallest building the Shard to filming street interviews with punks, the winners of the 2022 and 2023 Vodacom Young Journalist of the Year Award in South Africa experienced it all on a study trip to London. 

In recognition of their bourgeoning talent, Michelle Banda (24) and Tamsin Metelerkamp (26) were in the capital to learn with Thomson’s experts and visit some of Britain’s leading news providers. 
 
Michelle Banda won the award for her 2022 body of work, including a powerful feature on the survivors of the Apartheid-era atrocities campaigning for reparations. In a series of visual portraits she described how they felt forgotten and ignored.  

Tamsin Metelerkamp claimed the 2023 prize for her story of communities impacted by heavy flooding in South Africa’s northern cape. Islanders were cut off and their crops destroyed.  

Both winners work for the Daily Maverick, a South African online news publication with a weekly print edition. Michelle is a general news reporter and co-editor of ‘Maverick Kids’, whilst Tamsin works as a ‘Maverick Citizen’ journalist.

Michelle and Tamsin’s study tour included a visit to The Guardian's newsroom, as well as tours of the BBC and Channel 4 News studios, where they met commissioning editors and gained insight into the intricate operations at two of the world’s leading media companies.  

Glen Mulcahy, an expert-trainer in mobile journalism (MoJo), delivered a week-long masterclass for the young journalists who took their new filming and editing skills from the workshop into the field to produce a short feature on the colourful characters of London’s Camden Town.  

“Both of the trainees are superb to work with and brought lots of great ideas, enthusiasm and practical field experience,” he says.