2009 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism won by Rob Rose for "South Africa's Madoff"

From top left: Judge Tom Cloete congratulates Rob Rose, the winner of the 2009 Taco Kuiper Investigative Journalism Award. Carte Blanche's Susan Puren and Devi Sankaree Govender are the runners up. Ben Leapman of The Sunday Telegraph spoke of his role in exposing Britain's MPs expense scandal. The Taco Kuiper 2009 winners and judges.

The prestigious 2009 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism was won by Rob Rose from the Financial Mail/Sunday Times for his series on 'South Africa's Madoff'.

The series of articles on fraudster Barry Tannenbaum and the way in which he swindled some of South Africa's biggest and most respected businessmen and investors out of millions kept the country captivated, raising questions on how a seemingly well-connected and influential man could deceive so many of his peers.

The Judges said: "Financial journalists have been criticised in the last couple of years for the stories they missed. It is near impossible to expose an apparently respectable business person in South Africa without solid information. Painstakingly checking and double-checking the valuable detail of the intricate story, Rose came through with a really good tale, carefully pieced together and well told, exposing major deception in the country's financial circles. Tannenbaum might have fooled some of South Africa's best-known investors, but not Rose.

The runners-up were producer Susan Puren and presenter Devi Sankaree Govender from investigative programme Carte Blanche for their insert titled Chicken Run.

What began as a fluffy animal cruelty story with a dodgy politician thrown in became a major scandal involving large amounts of provincial and international funding money.

"The story appears at first to be about a chicken-breeding operation run with cruelty and disregard for health laws, which then evolved into something bigger when a former MEC was caught being dishonest, leading to the discovery that he has raised international donor money under false pretences at the expense of a local community."

"Carte Blanche took a seemingly little story and made it big. The journalists worked relentlessly hard and the end result was multi-layered, well-crafted and well told exposè. The judges made special mention of Govender's excellent interviewing and presentation skills which were so central to the total unravelling of this story," said the judges

The judges were impressed by the number of entries this year: a total of 44 entries from 16 outlets were received from print, television, radio and online media with a good mix of entries from younger and older journalists alike.

The judges were impressed by the quality of work that ran through the entries. "This is, of course, the best evidence that pockets of journalistic excellence exist all over the country, mostly individual or small groups of journalists who are going the extra mile to dig deep, to shine their torches into dark places, both in the public and the private sector," said Prof. Anton Harber, Caxton Professor of Journalism and Media Studies and Director of the Wits Journalism Programme.

The winner scooped prize money totalling R200 000 and the runner up R100 000. The Taco Kuiper Award was launched in 2007 to recognise the best in investigative journalism in South African media and to commemorate the late business journalist and publisher Taco Kuiper, who, shortly before his death in 2005, set up the Valley Trust to promote investigative journalism. The trust has partnered with the Wits Journalism Programme in this initiative.

Taco Kuiper was a highly successful publisher who, shortly before his death in 2005, set up the Valley Trust to promote investigative journalism. The trust has partnered with the Wits Journalism Programme in this initiative.

The Taco Kuiper Fund makes available R350 000 a year in grants to print journalists to assist with investigative projects.

"To foster investigative journalism in South Africa was Taco Kuiper's greatest wish," says Justice Tom Cloete, of the Valley Trust. By aiming to create role models in probing, in-depth journalism, the Trust hopes to strengthen the country's young democratic structures.

"This award has two huge advantages," says Anton Harber, Caxton Professor of Journalism at Wits University. "Not only is it the biggest in the country, but it is also independent of commercial sponsorship. This means there is a long-term commitment to focus entirely on the encouragement and recognition of probing, in-depth journalism. We are very pleased to be a part of this initiative."

Ben Leapman, of the Sunday Telegraph (London), was guest speaker at the Awards lunch on the great MPs expenses scandal. He began digging into the story six years ago, using the UK's Freedom of Information Act to force the facts out of the Government. Last year the Daily and Sunday Telegraph scooped the rest of the UK media and kept the British public riveted for months with revelation after revelation about how their taxes were being spent. Heads rolled, possible prosecutions are pending, and numerous MPs will not be standing at the next election. Click here to listen to Ben Leapman.

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2008 Taco Kuiper Award Winners

The 2008 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism, South Africa's largest journalism prize, was awarded to the Mail & Guardian for its extraordinary commitment to the complex arms deal story.

Left: Sam Sole address the guests on what has gone into the Mail & Guardian's epic investigaton into the South African arms deal. Right: The Taco Kuiper Award winners of 2008: from left, Dumisane Lubisi, Stefaans Brümmer, Jacky Mapiloko, Adriaan Basson, Bheki Mashile and Sam Sole.

The winners were reporters Sam Sole, Stefaans Brümmer and Adriaan Basson. The judges commended them and editor, Ferial Haffajee "for their doggedness in chipping away at the edifice of secrecy and steadily filling in the detail of what must rate as one of the most important stories of this era".

Runners-up were television programme Carte Blanche for a story on police corruption in Hammanskraal, and City Press, for their story on corruption in the tenders for a new Sowetan hospital.

The Carte Blanche team made use of secret cameras that allowed them to nail the culprits on video. The judges made special mention of presenter Devi Sankaree Govender who "has done her work with clarity, forcefulness and conviction".

The other runner-up was City Press, who stumbled across the story and then pursued it all the way to its conclusion: forcing the cancellation of the tender.

At the ceremony, the judges spontaneously decided to award Bheki Mashile, the publisher, editor and reporter of the Umjindi Guardian, a community newspaper in Barberton, R25 000 for his commitment to fighting corruption within the local authorities.

The keynote address was given by David Leigh, an investigative journalist who has spent years and much effort uncovering the UK arms deal.

Daily Dispatch team wins Taco Kuiper 2007 award

The 2007 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism “ the largest South African journalism prize“ went to Brett Horner, Chandre Prince and Ntando Makhubu of the Daily Dispatch for their expose of hundreds of neo-natal deaths at Frere Hospital.

The judges described the work of as "a model investigation of excellent and powerful journalism."

Recognition was also given to Stefaans Brümmer, Stephen Sole, Zukile Majova, Nic Dawes, Adriaan Basson and Pearlie Joubert of the Mail & Guardian reporters for its exposure of Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi'¢s dubious associations with the underworld. The judges described it as a story that "required courage and commitment and that had and continues to have major social and political impact."

Beeld/Die Burger team wins Taco Kuiper 2006 award

The 2006 Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism went to Beeld and Die Burger journalists Adriaan Basson and Carien du Plessis for their investigations into corruption at the Department of Correctional Services.

This award for runner-up was shared by Mail & Guardian and Sunday Tribune journalists. Zukile Majova, Stephen Patrick Sam Sole, Nicholas Dawes and Stefaans Brummer of the Mail & Guardian explored the relationship between national police commissioner Jackie Selebi, murdered businessman Brett Kebble and the man accused of his murder, Glenn Agglioti.

Fred Kockott and Sibusiso Ngalwa of the Sunday Tribune exposed abuse of the national Nguni cattle herd and the Ithala Finance Development Corporation.