CNN boosts SA operation

Former senior correspondent and anchor at SABC, Curnow joins CNN as staff after a freelance stint at its London bureau. Award-winning journalist Mabuse joins from e.tv, where she was most recently executive producer of documentary programme 3rd Degree.

“South Africa only grows in importance as a rich source of stories, from its imminent position in the world spotlight as host of the 2010 World Cup, to its diverse offering of social, cultural, political and business news, which makes it an important focus for our African investment,” said Parisa Khosravi, SVP of international newsgathering for CNN Worldwide.

“At the same time, it provides us with a strong infrastructure for all our African newsgathering and we are delighted to have found such strong indigenous talent to bolster its existing operation.”

Pan-African presence strengthened

The South African investment comes at the same time as CNN strengthens its pan-African presence with two key appointments in Nairobi, Kenya (David McKenzie) and Lagos, Nigeria (Christian Purefoy).

The expansion is part of CNN's drive to provide ongoing reportage of the continent at a time when demand and interest from international audiences continues to grow. The new appointments will complement CNN's existing roster of talent regularly covering Africa, including Zain Verjee, Femi Oke and Isha Sesay.

The new resources will enable CNN to produce more content for all of its services, increasing the coverage of business, political and social news from a mix of countries and datelines.

“CNN is proud of its international credentials and is currently undergoing its biggest newsgathering expansion in its 28-year history,” added Khosravi. “The expansion is fundamental to our vision of the future, and this investment in our Africa operation shows the important role that this region plays in that vision.”

The Johannesburg operation is led by bureau chief Kim Norgaard.