amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism

Description

AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism is an independent, non-profit newsroom based in South Africa, launched in 2010. Its name is isiZulu for the dung beetles, reflecting its self-description as digging up wrongdoing to fertilise democracy. It develops investigative journalism to expose corruption, corporate malfeasance and abuses such as institutional independence being undermined.

It aims to promote free, capable media and an open, accountable, just democracy. Its small team of investigators has forced information into the public domain. Its exposes have contributed to political and corporate change, including the resignation of South Africa’s president in February 2018.

Beyond its own reporting, amaBhungane trains and supports other investigative journalists. It has hosted around 80 fellows and numerous workshops. Some alumni went on to found similar centres elsewhere in Southern Africa, and amaBhungane has supported and collaborated with them. This included incubating a separate non-profit, IJ Hub, from 2019 to mid-2021.

Its advocacy work has secured information flows for journalists and the public. It helped found the campaign that stopped South Africa’s Secrecy Bill and secured legislative amendments such as transparent company ownership. It has litigated to preserve public access to court records, to strike down intrusive state surveillance practices, and to use access-to-information law in and out of the courts.

AmaBhungane makes its stories available to publication partners such as the Daily Maverick and News24, without being owned by or structurally part of either. It is registered as a non-profit company and as a Public Benefit Organisation in South Africa. It is governed by a board and funded by grants and donations rather than by selling its stories.

It accepts tips that protect sources’ identities. It is affiliated with South Africa’s Press Council and subject to its Press Ombud complaints process.