The fight for truth — SA’s investigative journalists expose corruption, patronage and state failure

“Mr Collen Mashawana, the businessman in question, launched an urgent application to try and interdict us from discussing this issue. It was effectively a gag order, and then yesterday, thankfully, sanity prevailed in the Johannesburg High Court.”

These were the words of Pieter-Louis Myburgh, a Daily Maverick investigative journalist. He was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by senior Daily Maverick journalist Rebecca Davis on “Behind the story, journalism as a changemaker” at Daily Maverick’s The Gathering 2025 event in Cape Town on Thursday, 28 August.

Myburgh was joined on stage by Daily Maverick senior journalist Estelle Ellis and the Africa coordinator at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Micah Reddy, to peel back the veil on producing stories that hold truth to power.

Myburgh recounted the legal battle he and the publication recently won, which was sparked by his exposé of Independent Development Trust’s (IDT’s) suspended CEO, Tebogo Malaka, and her attempt to bribe him.

If Mashawana’s gag order had succeeded, Myburgh would have had to get creative about unpacking the explosive story.

Read more: New Tebogo Malaka bribe footage verifies IDT CEO said there’s ‘sixty’ in Dior bag

What began as an investigation into an oxygen plant tender led to a tip-off about Malaka’s properties and the Mashawana connection.

For Myburgh, uncovering the Malaka scandal and her connections to Mashawana, “speaks to the enterprising nature of investigative journalism. We get very raw little bits of intel, and then on the back of forensic news and experience and skill, we do actually put together what are pretty much sound forensic investigations.”

Read more: Collen Mashawana’s court bid to silence Daily Maverick struck off the roll, with costs

Reddy unpacks political corruption

Joining the discussion, Reddy, the author of the forthcoming exposé “Malema: Money, Power and Patronage”, unpacked how his investigations unravelled the intricacies of political corruption, especially linked to figures like Julius Malema and cases such as the VBS Mutual Bank scandal.

He revealed how Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party entrenched itself as a “kingmaker” in municipal tenders and contracts, highlighting layers of patronage and financial manipulation embedded in South Africa’s democratic institutions.

“The EFF’s grip on municipal tenders reveals a level of systemic corruption that goes beyond individual wrongdoing; it’s an orchestrated system of power and patronage designed to benefit a few at the expense of many,” he said.

The vital role of community-driven impact journalism

Ellis explained that while investigative journalists like Myburgh and Reddy take on high-profile targets, she sees herself as a steady, persistent force working behind the scenes to bring everyday struggles to light.

Her investigation into hunger in the Eastern Cape, launched in 2021, revealed undeniable, systemic hunger in communities despite initial and vociferous denials by government officials.

Countering claims that children fabricated their hunger or feigned need for food parcels, Ellis said, “Once you’ve seen a 10-year-old that weighs seven kilograms, then you know there’s a problem. You can’t deny it.”

Her reporting was instrumental in prompting the SA Human Rights Commission to launch an official inquiry, which confirmed the widespread hunger crisis and made significant recommendations.

Ellis’s work also extends into healthcare, where her relentless pursuit exposes government failures. She described verifying paediatric chemotherapy drug shortages as a slow, exhausting process requiring more than 100 phone calls and nearly 100 WhatsApp messages to health officials.

“They would say, ‘The chemo is there.’ I go verify with my sources at the hospital. They say, ‘No.’ I phone back and say, ‘Stop lying to me. There is no chemo,’” she said.

Ellis explained that she often had to triangulate information and document empty shelves to hold authorities accountable for broken promises and supply chain mismanagement.

She shared a story that was a compelling example of her persistence and hands-on approach to investigative journalism.

She was gathering information about a hospital where the lifts were not working, causing immense hardship as families and staff had to carry patients and food up and down multiple floors.

Despite repeated denials from hospital officials, ranging from claims of a “small glitch” to power failures, Ellis took the lift every hour for several days to document the ongoing failures, even being trapped in the lift multiple times.

She witnessed a dead body being pushed into the lift, an unforgettable moment that underscored the gravity of the situation. When she confronted the hospital CEO, the CEO simply acknowledged her with an “Oh, it’s you.”

The price of truth

The IDT investigation alone cost an estimated R250,000, with costs ranging from litigation to undercover operations and forensic accounting — a small price to pay for uncovering a scandal involving millions of rands of taxpayers’ money.

As Myburgh said, “This is our money, the public’s money. Transparency is the bedrock of democracy. We cannot function with stone walls where openness should be.”

The panel underscored the essential role investigative journalism plays in South Africa, unveiling corruption, exposing the abuse of public funds and demanding accountability from those in power.

From Myburgh’s groundbreaking sting operation against suspended IDT CEO Malaka to Ellis’s relentless pursuit of justice for vulnerable communities, and Micah’s deep dives into political patronage, these journalists demonstrate the courage, persistence and meticulous scrutiny needed to fight systemic wrongdoing.

Their stories also highlight the immense challenges faced: legal battles, institutional stonewalls, scarce resources and the constant threat of intimidation. Despite these obstacles, their work makes a profound impact, illuminating truths that might otherwise remain hidden. DM