What an eye-opening experience it has been reading the contributions from the thought leaders featured in our 2026 issue of Women in The Media. Uplifting, inspiring and infuriating, all at the same time.
Timely, too, is the release of the South African National Editors’ Forum’s latest research, Glass Ceilings: Women in South African Media. Edited by Professor Glenda Daniels, it comes eight years after the first edition was published in 2018.
“When we published the previous report, the challenge wasn’t getting women into newsrooms but getting them into positions of power,” she told me. “That hasn’t changed. If anything, quite the reverse.”
Therein lies an unsettling – and infuriating – story, one we explore in this issue.
Some inspiring news
But good news arrived in August , with the announcement that Minette Ferreira has been appointed CEO of Media24. With Nerisa Coetzee as chief revenue officer and Jerusha Raath as general manager of Media24’s news brands, the media owner’s top leadership has a distinct new look.
Back to Daniels who points out there are reasons for optimism. South Africa has an active civil society, and organisations such as SANEF are engaging with big tech companies to tackle the explosion of misogyny, organised online abuse, cyber misogyny and the harassment of women journalists.
In another inspiring story, Kirsty Carlson reports back on the first cohort of the Her Collective mentoring project.
The programme paired 30 senior industry leaders with 30 ambitious women from across the media and marketing industry in a structured mentorship journey built on honest conversations, accountability and mutual growth. The results, she says, exceeded every expectation.
Women’s insights
Tinyiko Thobejane, head of sales and partnerships at Arena Holdings, shares her own uplifting story of ambition, resilience and determination in the media industry, culminating in a historic leadership role. As she says: “It’s the first time there’s actually an African female sitting on this chair at the pinnacle…”
This edition of Women in The Media also marks the beginning of The Media’s association with the Public Relations Institute of South Africa (PRISA). The magazine will be distributed at the PRISA x Services SETA National PR & Communication Symposium 2026.
We hope you enjoy the insights shared by women working across South Africa’s media industry. Thank you to our contributors, partners and advertisers for your continued support.
The Media.
Got to love it.
Glenda
CLICK ON THE COVER TO READ OUR LATEST ISSUE OF THE MEDIA
