Being crowned the Reporter Slam Africa champion for 2026 is a moment of validation for Sowetan journalist Koena Mashale, who says the victory reassured her that her work and storytelling voice matter.
Mashale secured the title at the continental Reporter’s Slam held in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday, where she represented SA against journalists from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana.
For me, this win...shows me that I’m in my own lane and that my work can be recognised.
— Koena Mashale
The competition gets reporters to step out from behind their desks to tell the “story behind the story” in a 7- to 10-minute performance, often featuring personal anecdotes, struggles, and the “why” behind their investigations.
Mashale said the win helped quiet the self-doubt she sometimes experiences.
“Funny enough, I didn’t even know I was going to get a trophy. I didn’t even know what the prizes were. But when they spoke about the trophy on stage, I thought, ‘That’s a nice trophy. I would like to take it home.’ And now that I did, it feels shocking, to say the least.”
Mashale, 23, made history last year when she became SA’s first Reporter Slam winner. Winning on the continental stage, she said, has been affirming and validating.
“A lot of the time when you’re doing stories you don’t think they’re going to be impactful. Sometimes you wonder whether you’re making the same type of waves as other journalists,” she said.
“For me, this win quiets that self-doubt. It shows me that I’m in my own lane and that my work can be recognised.”
Her presentation focused on SA’s growing water crisis, an issue she believes reflects deeper service delivery challenges affecting communities across the country.
“People often think SA is this glamorous place, especially when they think about Johannesburg as the City of Gold,” she said.
“But service delivery problems have become such a norm that we almost glaze over them. We even talk in the newsroom about service protests becoming a norm.”
Mashale said the crisis has reached a point where it affects communities across social classes, from poorer neighbourhoods to affluent areas.
During her presentation, Mashale referenced comments made by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, who recently remarked that when his household experiences water outages, he goes to a hotel to shower.
Mashale said including that information helped illustrate how service delivery issues can quickly become politicised, especially ahead of local government elections.
“Water delivery had suddenly become a political talking point. That comment highlighted how one moment can shift the entire conversation and force officials to reconnect with the realities ordinary citizens face,” she said.
Despite her success, Mashale admitted that preparing for the competition was nerve-wracking.
“I’m not going to lie, I had more nervous breakdowns and freak-outs than actual preparation,” she joked.
Mashale was the youngest contestant in the competition, something she only realised shortly before taking the stage.
“I didn’t know I was the youngest until we started talking during lunch and people shared how long they had been in the industry — some for 20 or 30 years,” she said.
Rather than intimidating her, she said the experience became an opportunity to learn from seasoned journalists and reflect on her own path in the industry.
Sowetan
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