The Southern African Editors’ Forum (SAEF) has learnt with sadness about the passing away of Namibian veteran journalist and former Secretary General of the Editors’ Forum of Namibia (EFN), Ronelle Rademeyer who died last night (20 May 2024) after a long fight with cancer.
Ronelle, 56, served as secretary general of the EFN between 2017 and 2022, when the disease forced her to retire prematurely at the Afrikaans daily, Republikein where she worked as news editor.
Ronelle was instrumental in organising the EFN Journalism Awards from 2018 to 2023 and in stabilizing the finances of the EFN through her persuasion of the Namibian industry executives to support good and ethical journalism by sponsoring cash prizes for the awards and buying tables at the awards’ ceremonies.
She also formed part of the team that revised the current Code of Ethics for the Namibian Print, Broadcast and Online Media launched by the late President Hage Geingob in 2017.
Ronelle started her journalistic work during the late 1990s working for publications in South Africa before ending up at the Republikein where she went on to become the news editor.
She will always be remembered for her dedication to journalism and the EFN which she helped propel into an exemplary self-regulatory chapter in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) of 16 countries and on the African continent.
Ronelle worked closely with the current SAEF SG, Joseph Ailonga when he was chairperson of the EFN.