“Shaping Africa’s Narrative Together”
Pretoria, South Africa – 24 September 2025
Hybrid gathering • 250 in-person • 1,000 online • RSVP required
The League Of Pros Hall Of Fame
"Shaping Africa’s Narrative Together" - Dr Noxolo Grootboom
Dr Noxolo Grootboom, affectionately known as Ma’Noxolo and for her signature phrase “Ndini thanda nonke emakhaya,” is a celebrated former news anchor, editor, and broadcaster.
Born in the 1960s in the Eastern Cape, she completed her schooling there before moving to Gauteng to further her studies and later joining the SABC, where she worked her way up from typist to field reporter and eventually Junior Journalist.
By the time of her retirement, she was serving as Editor for IsiXhosa News.
In recognition of her contribution to broadcasting, she was awarded two honorary doctorates and honoured at the SATMA Awards.
Today, she continues to inspire through public speaking and corporate engagements.
Image Source: Sowetan Live
"TBC" - Joseph Nong “Joe” Thloloe
Joseph Nong “Joe” Thloloe (b. 1942, Orlando East, Soweto) is a pioneering South African journalist and activist who has dedicated more than five decades to journalism, press freedom, and the transformation of the media.
Thloloe’s political awareness emerged early. As a student, he became a founding member of the Pan-Africanist Congress in 1959 and was arrested during the 1960 Anti-Pass Campaign. His resistance to apartheid led to repeated detentions and bannings, yet he never abandoned his commitment to truth and justice.
In 1962, he became the first Black journalist at the Rand Daily Mail, breaking racial barriers in the newsroom. Throughout the 1980s, his influential Labour Watch column exposed corporate exploitation of workers while celebrating their victories, contributing to the growth of the trade union movement.
He went on to serve as managing editor of the Sowetan, head of SABC News, and later editor-in-chief of e.tv news—always guided by principle and integrity. Beyond the newsroom, he helped establish the South African National Editors’ Forum, led the Union of Black Journalists, and supported media accountability through the Human Rights Commission.
Currently South Africa’s Press Ombudsman, Thloloe continues to safeguard journalistic integrity. His honours include the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, the Louis Lyons Award, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Rhodes University.