Have you always dreamed of pursuing a career in journalism? Do you also have a passion for writing and the appropriate qualifications to become a journalist? If so, consider applying to the following lucrative vacancies from the leading news agencies in South Africa.
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There are many pros to this career, one of which is that you will find something new every day. Obviously, this is a career full of surprises. For example, there will always be news to report, and competent communicators will always be needed to convey it.
While technological developments may transform the face of journalism, there will always be a demand for people who can write in a variety of styles. Finally, becoming a journalist allows you to share in the thrill as the profession develops and changes!
Moreover, a career in journalism will also bring you a decent amount of money. Because there are so many employment options in the world of media and communications, you have some influence over how much money you can make.
Furthermore, you have the option of pursuing a speciality or niche within the area. You can develop in another field or even make a living by working for yourself and earning money for each project you complete.
If this sounds like your dream career path, stay around! You will get to find high paying vacancies from the following remarkable news publications in South Africa. We will also disclose which positions are generally popular among job seekers from each agency and their estimated salaries.
1. News24
News24 is an English-language South African online news publication created in October 1998 by the multinational media company, Naspers. Its team of approximately 100 journalists, led by editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson, are based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
News24 is owned by Media24, a South African media company, with interests in digital media and services, newspapers, magazines, e-commerce, book publishing, print and distribution.
Browse the complete list of News24 South Africa news vacancies on its e-recruitment portal here.
2. The South African
The South African is an English-language South African online news publication created in March 2003 by the multinational media company, Blue Sky Publications, and it operates as online news and lifestyle publication with offices in South Africa and the UK.
The publication started as a London-based broadsheet newspaper aimed at providing news for South Africans living in London. It was available in a weekly tabloid format and distributed at the entrances of London Tube stations until June 2015 when it became an entirely online news source for South African news.
Even if you don’t have a media-related degree, The South African opens the door wide for any candidate who is interested in joining the team.
To apply, just read the job descriptions carefully, tailor your CV, and write a strong cover letter. Then, fire away some applications and see what will happen. Who knows, you might just get the lucky break you have been waiting for.
3. Daily Maverick
Daily Maverick is a South African daily online newspaper founded in 2009 and edited by Branko Brkic and published by Styli Charalambous. It is run by an independent private company.
Daily Maverick is also a platform for photojournalism, providing readers with a visual insight into what is happening in South Africa, Africa and globally. The website is part of The Guardian’s Africa network.
Careers at the Daily Maverick include full-time and part-time jobs. If you’re the type of worker who prefers flexibility, you’ll love working for Daily Maverick. You can be a freelance journalist or write as a contributor, even if it’s done from your couch.
Unlike most of the news publications below which have their own e-recruitment portal, you need to be proactive in seeking out job opportunities from Daily Maverick.
First of all, you have to create a LinkedIn account. Then, join Daily Maverick’s LinkedIn network to keep yourself updated with the latest notifications on news vacancies in South Africa.
While this may be a convoluted way, the results will be well worth the effort you put in. Not only will working for Daily Maverick guarantee your financial state but it will also elevate your professionalism to a higher level.
4. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE is the home of the group’s Sunday Times newspaper and daily digital newsroom, providing breaking news, analysis, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle seven days a week.
Launched in September 2009, it is South Africa’s second-biggest news website, published by Arena Holdings (formerly Tiso Blackstar Group).
If you want to showcase your writing experience, TimesLIVE might be the perfect workplace for you to go. Covering a wide variety of topics, there are always opportunities and options for you to come up with something to grab the attention of the many readers here.
Also, working for TimesLIVE will be a great way to walk up to many new people. This makes it absolutely fabulous networking tool; something that will pay dividends in the years to come, particularly if you’re trying to get that first job after college.
Now, how can you say no to that?
Moreover, applying for TimesLIVE South Africa news jobs is very easy. Applications can be made online. Click here and see what opportunities are waiting for you there!
5. IOL
Independent Online or IOL is a news and information website based in South Africa.
It was owned by the Independent News & Media organisation, which is the largest publisher of print material in South Africa. It was bought by Sekunjalo Investments in 2013 who now own the company.
The site serves the online versions of a number of South African newspapers, including The Star, Pretoria News, The Daily Voice, Cape Times, Cape Argus, and The Sunday Independent.
Since IOL covers many South African newspapers, it makes sense that this news site offers many opportunities for job seekers. You can expect news vacancies to be published daily by one of the largest news agencies in South Africa.
Also, considering that it’s a big company, working for IOL will give you a chance to impress and end up in the address books of lots of future high fliers!
6. Mail & Guardian
The Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular culture.
The publication began as the Weekly Mail, an alternative newspaper by a group of journalists in 1985 after the closure of two leading liberal newspapers, The Rand Daily Mail and Sunday Express.
Today, it is known for hard-hitting political reporting, investigations as well as strong beat reporting, particularly in education, labour, environment and health.
Since it’s part of The Guardian’s network – just like the Daily Maverick – you should put in extra effort to scan the company’s LinkedIn page from time to time for the latest notifications on any new job opportunities.
7. SABC News
SABC News is both a 24-hour news channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation as well as the name of the news division of the broadcaster. The news service was established in June 1950, replacing the programmes of the BBC.
As a company, SABC News provides excellent and promising opportunities for individuals aspiring for development and advancement in media careers. Hence, it is not surprising that it’s searching for people with the highest calibre to join SABC’s workforce.
If you wish to explore new career opportunities and your qualifications and experience match its requirements, step forward and apply to join SABC.
Here, you can apply for a wide variety of roles in various positions. In other words, you will not always be bound by the jobs offered on a fixed-term contract. If freelance work is your thing, SABC News has that opportunity for you too.
Where will salaries from SABC News jobs take you? According to the data we collected, the average salary for SABC employees in South Africa is R369,300 per year. It is a good salary for you to survive a living and maintain a comfortable lifestyle in Johannesburg.
As a matter of fact, SABC News media and news job vacancies are some of the most sought after by job seekers across South Africa. Ultimately, if you don’t want to miss a thing regarding these valuable opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter now.
8. BusinessLIVE
Have a keen interest in the business sector and political economy? Then, the following news vacancies from BusinessLive South Africa may catch your attention.
BusinessLIVE is a national news website in South Africa, published by Arena Holdings and based in Parktown, Johannesburg. It focuses on finance and business news, analysis and insight, financial markets, and the political economy, among other topics.
It is updated continually every day with online-only content as well as articles sourced from Business Day, the Financial Mail, the Sunday Times’s Business Times, and Business Day TV.
To work for BusinessLive, you must have the necessary qualifications to become a financial journalist, and that is not limited to a bachelor’s degree in the appropriate field alone. You also have to stay up-to-date with the dynamics within the industry and technological developments to set you apart from the crowd.
If this sounds like you, visit the BusinessLIVE e-recruitment portal here.
9. The Media Online
The Media Online is the definitive online point of reference for South Africa’s media industry offering topical news on the media sector.
It delivers industry insights, guest columns, case studies, content from local and global contributors, news, views and interviews on a daily basis as well as providing an online home for The Media magazine’s content, which is posted on a monthly basis.
The explosion of online content has boosted the news agency’s popularity in the industry. Hence, The Media Online always has jobs that offer you a decent occupational outlook and a living wage.
Therefore, if you love communicating, you can still find a dream job and a paycheck in one of these fields:
- Technical Writer
- PR Specialist
- Content Strategist
Or, if you have extraordinary abilities in advertising, one of The Media Online’s subordinate divisions might be the right place for you. There, you can apply for the following positions:
- Marketing Research Director
- Brand Marketing Manager
- Content Marketing Director
- Media Planner
And, although The Media Online doesn’t loosely divulge its most important information, we estimate a worker in an entry-level job at the company might earn up to R199,202 per year. Hence, if you have just graduated and are hunting for a job, looking for news vacancies offered by The Media Online South Africa would be a good move.
10. Media24
Media24 is the print media division of the South African media company Naspers. It controls Naspers’ newspaper and magazine Southern African publishing and printing activities, including Internet publishing of the 24.com collection of web portals.
Media24 is Africa’s largest publisher, printer, and distributor of magazines and related products, as well as its largest newspaper publisher. The company is headquartered in the Media24 Centre, in Foreshore, Cape Town.
Some of the well-known South African newspaper brands under Media24 publication include the Daily Sun and Rapport.
As one of the leading news agencies in South Africa, Media24 is always on the lookout for talented and great people to join its team. In return, the company is committed to providing the best for the valuable contributions of each employee, such as opportunities for growth and a work culture that prioritizes work-life balance.
The positions offered in each job vacancy are not limited to roles related to journalism, such as content creator or news assistant, but also operational staff to manage the applications and logistics including:
- Commercial Manager
- UI Designer
- Front-End Developer
- Roaming Merchandiser
As an employee at Media24, you can expect to bring home R258,612 per year on average. Browse the complete list of Media24 South Africa news vacancies on its e-recruitment portal here.
11. Health-e News
Health-e News is South Africa’s award-winning television and print health news service that has been producing news and in-depth analysis for national media since 1999.
Syndicated nationally via clients such as Health24, Daily Maverick, SABC, eTV and the Independent Newspapers, Health-e News brings the latest in health news articles, videos and TV documentaries to hundreds of thousands of South Africans each month.
As this is a publication that is heavily health-centred, Health-e News needs expert health journalists to join its team. This gives you an idea upfront to determine whether you are going to be a significant addition to the Health-e News board.
If you have what it takes to seize this opportunity, then you are the person Health-e News is looking for. The company will probably need you to have years of experience and a lot of training in medical journalism before joining, but the struggle will be worth a career at Health-e News.
For starters, your remuneration will be similar to the amount paid to doctors, or around R514,273 per year on average. Despite this, keep in mind that the honorarium depends on your experience. Of the many vacancies advertised, roles such as junior journalist and news editor are the ones most frequently required by Health-e News South Africa.
Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of the latest vacancies in healthcare journalism.
12. GroundUp
GroundUp is a South African-based not-for-profit news agency. It publishes most content under a creative commons license and is known for its focus on public interest stories within vulnerable communities with a “bottom-up” style of reporting.
GroundUp’s content is regularly reprinted and featured in other South African news publications such as The Daily Maverick, News24, and Mail & Guardian. The publication was founded in 2012 by Nathan Geffen, a former Treatment Action Campaign member.
Even though it hasn’t been that long since the company was founded, GroundUp is overall a great company where you might want to start your career. It may not be as big as the other agencies on this list, but GroundUp cares just as much about the growth of all of its employees.
Here, you will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and practical skills that will be very beneficial for your career in the long run. Also, you will find it valuable to take on new tasks in addition to your official roles. These great opportunities will help you to obtain different work experiences and discover new skills.
However, it is a bit of a pity that the news agency does not publish job vacancies on a regular basis in South Africa. Nevertheless, you can apply as a freelancer while waiting for the opportunity to come. GroundUp warmly welcomes freelance journalists to join its team and publish newsworthy reports.