The Wits University Journalism Programme, in conjunction with the Ruth First Trust, the Heinrich Boll Foundation, and the African Studies Journal, is inviting applications for the Ruth First Fellowship. Ruth First was a journalist, activist, and intellectual killed by the South African apartheid government while in exile. The 3- to 6-month fellowship for residents of South Africa was established to commemorate her contribution to independent and socially-engaged writing.

The fellowship is intended to allow a journalist/writer/researcher the space to pursue an in-depth project to be published in any medium. It should be ground-breaking and in keeping with the tradition of Ruth First. For 2009, candidates are asked to propose a subject that addresses a theme of current interest in South Africa and which would have engaged Ruth First.

Fellows will receive a monthly stipend and research costs. They will be expected to present their work at a public event within six months of acceptance of the proposal and to submit it for publication/broadcast through an appropriate outlet. The fellow will be based at the Investigative Journalism Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Click here for further information.

The deadline for application is March 20 2009.

Applicants should submit their CV and a project proposal of no more than two pages to the Ruth First Committee, preferably by email, fax, or post via the contact information below.


Click here to download the application guidelines in PDF format.

Journalism.co.za website accessed on February 26 2008.