Williams Gondwa is best Super League commentator

Tom Sangala February 11, 2019

462 1 minute read

By Isaac Salima:

Super League sponsor, TNM, on Saturday rewarded sports journalists who excelled in the coverage of games in the 2018 season.

During the awards ceremony at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre, Times Group’s Williams Gondwa was named Best Football Commentator.

This was the first time for the journalists to be honoured at their own ceremony as, in the past, they were awarded at the same event as clubs, players and officials.

TNM Chief Sales and Marketing Manager, Dan Makata, said media are an important stakeholder, not only in the TNM Super League, but in all sports activities.

“We appreciate the role of the media in ensuring that people out there are able to follow the league on a daily basis. This is the first time we are awarding the media separately and we are impressed.
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“But, this being the first time, there will always be certain things to improve and we expect the next event to be better and bigger than this,” Makata said.

For the first time in the history of the top flight league, TNM engaged an independent panel of judges who determined winners in different categories.

Makata promised to increase the number of judges and add radio and newspaper editors to the panel.

Sulom Treasurer, Tiya Somba Banda, said they changed the format to be in line with international standards.

“We listened to calls from stakeholders. I remember we started this discussion way back in 2016 and we are proud to have implemented the change this time. This is the way we will be honouring our journalists and we promise to take note of the areas that need improvement,” Somba Banda said.

In other awards, Mibawa Television’s Peter Fote emerged the best in the television category, with Pledge Jali of Nation Publications Limited (NPL) clinching the Best Online accolade.

McFarlene Mbewe of Capital Radio was named the Best Radio Presenter while the Best Print Journalist award went to Joy Ndovi of Nation Publications Limited (NPL).

In the Best Television Cameraman category, Rainbow Television’s Snowden Kadzakumanja was the winner whereas Bobby Kabango from NPL did well in the Best Photojournalist category.

Two journalism lecturers from The Polytechnic, Ellard Manjawira and Mclan Kanyan’gwa, and Centre for Solutions Journalism Executive Director Brian Ligomeka, formed the panel of independent judges for the awards.