Sunday Times editor Makhudu Sefara to chair SA National Editors’ Forum

Sunday Times editor Makhudu Sefara has been elected as the new chair of the SA National Editor’s Forum (Sanef) at its first 2025 council meeting in Cape Town.

Sefara, who previously chaired Sanef’s Media Freedom subcommittee, replaces Nwabisa Makunga, who stepped down from her position after her promotion to an executive role at Arena Holdings.

The incoming chair challenged the organisation to defend media freedom and strengthen the industry as it faced economic challenges.

“I take this opportunity seriously and note that it comes at a time when the industry is facing a myriad of challenges.

“Many newsrooms are asking the question of how they are going to turn the corner without losing faith and hoping for better solutions as they go through retrenchments and having critical positions frozen, which has an impact on the quality of the work and therefore on the quality of the contribution journalism makes to our much-cherished democracy,” said Sefara.

He thanked newsroom leaders for doing a sterling job in telling SA stories for the country despite limited capacity.

Sanef’s Media Freedom subcommittee is now chaired by Slindile Khanyile, publishing editor of Zulu financial publication Umbele.

The forum also congratulated Phathiswa Magopeni on her appointment as executive director of the Press Council of SA (PCSA), while Thivhudzi Lukoto, executive producer at SAfm: News and Current Affairs is Sanef’s new representative at the PCSA.

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