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Janet Heard on Muck Rack

Janet Heard

Verified
Cape Town
As seen in: City Press, News24, Daily Maverick
Covers:  South Africa
Doesn't Cover: Motoring and Financial Markets and dog shows
Proudly South African journalist, Rhodes alumni, Nieman Fellow

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Janet Heard’s Biography

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Journalist
Daily Maverick Day Managing editor
SANEF Council member
2010 Nieman fellow of Journalism

Recent background:
Group parliamentary editor at Media 24 (2014-2017)
Assistant editor, head of news at the Cape Times (2010-2014)
Executive editor of Weekend Argus (2009)
News editor/assistant editor Cape Argus 2005-2009

Janet Heard’s Journalist Portfolio

Frogs, foreign agents, anything but the facts

Frogs, foreign agents, anything but the facts

Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba can expect rebuttals, rebuke and ridicule from the opposition when he delivers…

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Nkandla ruling exemplified judicial integrity

Nkandla ruling exemplified judicial integrity

The story of Nkandla is all too familiar. Yet, I got goose bumps when Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Came…

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Janet Heard: Ramaphosa, it's time to stand up

Janet Heard: Ramaphosa, it's time to stand up

More than a year ago, I asked an ally of Cyril Ramaphosa how the deputy president reconciled remaining silent…

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Small-party MPs keep the ball rolling

Small-party MPs keep the ball rolling

Many of the 400 members of Parliament (MPs) are often neither seen nor heard from, and don't deserve their an…

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Behind closed doors, MPs get serious

Behind closed doors, MPs get serious

The living room of Parliament is filled with hostility, rebellion and white-shirted bullies, but the ­dysfunc…

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Articles

‘Slap in the face’: Zambia’s RightsCon collapse a warning for Africa’s digital rights (Part 1)

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By Janet Heard Verified
| Daily Maverick Verified
May 2026 was set to mark a milestone as Zambia hosted the world’s premier digital rights conference for the first time in southern Africa, just months before its elections. Instead, the government delivered a masterclass in censorship by pulling the plug on RightsCon, compromising flagship World Press Freedom Day celebrations in Lusaka and issuing a stark reminder of the fragility of digital rights and media freedom on the continent and around the globe.
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RightsCon: Zambia’s ‘diplomatic sensitivities’, digital rights and superpower in Africa (Part 2)

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By Janet Heard Verified
| Daily Maverick Verified
Digital rights and media groups have been calling for Zambia to account for its unilateral decision to prevent RightsCon 2026 from proceeding on 5 May in Lusaka, which triggered a frenzied upset that affected a number of other events. From the get-go, organisers AccessNow pointed specifically to China’s hidden hand, saying that they had been informed that Beijing had objected to the planned in-person presence of Taiwanese delegates, which is a red flag for the People’s Republic of China.
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Censored in Lusaka: Lessons in resilience after the abrupt halt of RightsCon 2026

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By Janet Heard Verified
| Daily Maverick Verified
SILENCED SUMMIT RightsCon cancellation underscores growing repression of civic freedoms in Africa and reflects broader global challenges as countries navigate foreign influence. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. (Photo: @HHichilema / Twitter) The world’s largest digital human rights summit, due to meet for the 15th year and in southern Africa for the first time on 5-8 May, was derailed when Zambia pulled the plug as delegates were already en route to Lusaka.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

reporter at The Star

What does it mean to be a journalist?

you need iron filings on your teeth and strong bullshit detection skills.

Why did you become a journalist?

Wanted to make a difference and write the first draft of history to events.