Tulani Ngwenya
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Financial Mail,
MSN South Africa,
Gizmodo,
Sunday Times,
TimesLIVE,
AllAfrica,
Daily Maverick,
Mail & Guardian,
Sowetan,
BusinessLIVE,
DefenceWeb
and
Covers:
Energy, Mining, Wildlife-Crimes, Climate, Conservation, Education, Governance
Editor/Investigative Journalist
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Community news reporter
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No
How is social media changing news?
Reshaping news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
N/A
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a journalist means to gather, verify, and share information with the public in order to hold power accountable, amplify voices, and keep society informed. It is both a profession and a civic responsibility, rooted in truth‑seeking and ethical storytelling.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
N/A
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Concise, clear, and urgent show me the system, the voices, and why it matters now.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
WildEye, Google Earth, TinEye
What's your favorite social network?
LinkedIn
Who do you wish followed you?
I’d want policymakers, editors, and accountability watchdogs to follow me.
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist to interrogate systems of power and expose how corruption, neglect, and policy failures impact ordinary lives.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I worked at the library.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
OSINT is the future.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime
What's the best pitch you ever got?
To look into how rhino poaching syndicates thrive and work
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
N/A
What's your favorite drink?
Rooibos tea
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Library
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Daily Maverick
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
The biggest misperception about my beat is that it’s just “environmental” or “education” stories, when in fact it’s about exposing systems of power, corruption, and accountability that shape communities and futures.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.