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Our prospects of success
Stellen-Buzz with SMF
May 09, 2025
Dear reader,
World Press Freedom Day is observed internationally on 3 May. This year we celebrated it with a conference hosted by the Department of Journalism under the theme “Navigating Independence and Media Sustainability”.
With a very impressive panel of speakers, we discussed the importance of a free and independent press in a time that is seeing a “global rollback of democracy”, according to Sam Sole, the co-founder of AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism. The unsettling state of global politics, as well as the rapid development of digital media and a growing economic insecurity is evidently the perfect concoction to threaten the very fundamentals of journalism. I got the sense that journalism has become a bit of an impossible juggling act, where balancing values with viability just isn’t attainable.
The honours students were subtly encouraged to start considering additional streams of income, and to reconcile the fact that no amount of hoping will slow the truth: journalism is changing. It seems that we are either on the precipice of something very exciting or on the edge of a cliff.
However, I am young, possibly naive, and persistently optimistic. It seems simply illogical that we get to learn so much in one year, only to end up destitute. As uncertain as everything seems at the moment, good journalism is crucial for a well-functioning democracy. And South Africa is nothing if not well-functioning.
Lizel Shepherd, the operating coordinator at AmaBhungane, left us with a quote by Zadie Smith, which clarifies exactly why we should be hopeful about the future of journalism:
“Progress is never permanent, will always be threatened, must be redoubled, restated and reimagined if it is to survive.”
In other news
A new Pope has been elected!
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in the United States, appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after only two days of voting.
The Papal Conclave started on Wednesday, with 133 cardinals from around the world entering the Sistine Chapel to vote for the new leader of the Catholic Church.
The Conclave can last anywhere from a few days to almost three years. In 1271, Pope Gregory X was elected after 1 006 days of voting. Apparently, in an attempt to prevent this from happening again, he decreed that cardinals may only have one dish at their meals if the Conclave took longer than three days. Luckily, this restriction has since been dropped, but the cardinals nevertheless wasted no time in selecting the new Pope.
Pope Leo XIV is the first Pope born in the United States, but he was made an archbishop in Peru after working there as a missionary for many years. He addressed the gathering crowd outside the Sistine Chapel with the words “Peace be with all of you”.
Source: Vatican News
How exciting it is to witness such an important global event!
Anke Spies, newsletter editor.
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The weekly rundown:
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A member of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Student Representative Council (SRC) is currently in police custody over an alleged gender-based violence incident. This is according to a statement by the SRC released on their official Instagram account. |  By Ishmael Mabena |
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 By Casey-Lee Anthony | Three people, including a minor, were allegedly injured during an operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to arrest a suspect for possession of drugs. |
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Stellenbosch Municipality aims to appeal a recent court ruling in which it lost a bid against the owners of a local excavation site. |  By Nadia Swart |
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Visual of the week:
Vind jou inner gogga!
By vanjaar se Suidoosterfees, het die span van die produksie Ode to Earth Worms hul talente op die planke gebring. Dit is volgens Jasmine Maduza, aktrise en derdejaarstudent in drama en teaterstudies aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US). (Van links na regs) Shayne Justin Joseph, Maduza, Unam Sota, Kghalisho Matloga, almal akteurs in Ode to Earth Worms en derdejaarstudente in drama en teaterstudies aan die US. Die rolverdeling vir Ode to Earth Worms sluit ook oud-studente, Simone Ras en Matthew Dragner, in.
By Daniélle Schaafsma
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Get to know me!
What is your favourite song and who is your favourite artist?
Picking one song is so hard! I listen to a wide range of music: classical music when I’m pretending to be productive, showtunes that I act out while cooking, and indie rock to make me feel calm and happy. Recently, I have had a slight obsession with the artist Gerry Cinnamon, and his song “Canter” has been stuck in my head for months.
What is your favourite film?
So, some might not consider this a film, but according to Letterboxd it is, so we’re going with it. At Ster-Kinekor cinemas, they show film versions of plays that were performed at the Royal National Theatre in London. And one of these plays was Vanya, a one-man play by Andrew Scott. Not only was I mesmerised by Scott’s performance, but the text is amazing as well – it is an adaptation of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya.
What is your favourite book, and what are you currently reading?
As a booklover, I am offended by this question because how could I ever choose? But a book that will forever have a place in my heart (and that I believe will one day be a classic) is Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Currently, I am reading two books, Resident Alien by Rian Malan and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (which is emotionally ruining me in the best way).
What is your favourite place you’ve ever visited and why?
My favourite place in the world is my grandpa’s house in Mookgophong. It’s on a game farm in the middle of the bush, and between the bird sounds, trees, and animals, I am truly at my happiest.
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Probably someone like Freddie Mercury. I think that he must have been a very interesting person to chat to, and it would be amazing to be able to show him the profound impact that he has had on the world.
*Also! Homer! Then we will finally be able to solve the mystery of who Homer really was.
If you weren’t studying journalism, what would you be doing?
I have always had this fantasy of studying classics, probably brought on by an unhealthy obsession with Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. So, I would probably be doing my post-grad in that field.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
As a kid, I loved Roald Dahl’s books, especially The Grinch. If I tried, I could still probably recite the entire book.
What is your current guilty pleasure?
Rewatching old episodes of The Great British Bake Off. It has everything: awesome baking skills, calming music, Noel Fielding’s sweaters, and British accents. It is the perfect way to wind down and procrastinate simultaneously.
PS: I cry each time someone is eliminated.
What do you do if you’re not busy working?
Well, it might sound like I am repeating myself, but whenever I have some free time, I love to read. And since moving to Stellenbosch, my other pastime is missing my dog.
What do you want to achieve this year?
To live in the moment.
This year, we are overwhelmed with work, confronted with a kind of impostor syndrome, and testing the limits of how little one can sleep, but we forget to take a moment and just realise how amazing all of these experiences are. So, I would like to learn to take that moment, not worry about what is to come, and just enjoy it.
SMF News’s top 5
back-up plans for an additional income
Become an influencer.
Contact Izelle Venter so that I can have my own cooking show.
Ask to be Lester Kiewit’s camera man.
Jump ship and work for my dad (who is a successful businessman).
Start (and maintain) a substack.
What we’re watching: | What we’re listening to: |
 | ZENZELE Uncle Waffles  |
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