MEDIA ADVISORY - The 9th Annual Percy Qoboza Memorial Lecture
Approved for public release
DATE: 14 / OCTOBER / 2019
This year marks the 42nd anniversary of Black Wednesday. To commemorate this day, the National Press Club, in partnership with the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the Qoboza family will host the 9th Annual Percy Qoboza Memorial Lecture.
The memorial lecture is held annually in commemoration of the 19th October 1977, when the then apartheid government banned The World, Weekend world and other publications. The day was later referred as the Black Wednesday.
The lecture will be delivered by Dr Somadoda Fikeni, Director for Special Project and the advisor to the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Unisa, and followed by a panel discussion with William Bird, CEO of Media Monitoring Africa, Antoinette Slabbert, journalist, Mosidi Mokgete, PR Practitioner, and Themba Sepotokele, former journalist and PR practitioner.
Percy Qoboza was a social activist and editor of The World, and later of the City Press newspaper. In honour of his passion for social justice and media freedom in our country; and with the upcoming 2019 general elections in mind, this year’s theme is: Politics and media freedom – Responsibility and accountability to the South African public.
Professor Mandla Makhanya, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Unisa, says in hosting the Percy Qoboza Memorial Lecture, Unisa, together with its stakeholders, remembers the role of the courageous journalists, newspapers, anti-apartheid organisations and activists targeted by the apartheid regime in 1977. “We honour and salute these activists who sacrificed their freedom in their quest to inform the public about the realities of our country; and in the struggle for democracy”, says Professor Makhanya.
The lecture is to take place as follows:
Date: Wednesday 16, October 2019
Venue: Senate Hall, 2nd level, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Building – Unisa
Time: 09:00 – 11:30
Members of the media are invited to attend.
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For RSVP and Interview request, please contact: Mr. Tommy Huma (Unisa: Senior Media Liaison Officer) 072 218 6197 / 012 429 3981 / humatm@unisa.,ac.za
Unisa spokesperson: Mr Martin Ramotshela, 012 441 5639 / 076 264 0921
ISSUED BY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA - MEDIA AFFAIRS
Last modified: Sun Jul 30 14:11:11 SAST 2023