Business Times scribe scoops Prestigious Award
BUSINESS REPORTER
The Business Times’ Deputy Editor, Phillimon Mhlanga has been crowned the best life assurance journalist in the country at the 2023 Insurance and Pensions Media Awards held in the capital.
The award, which celebrates excellence and quality journalism in the country, underlines the publication’s status as a force to reckon with since it hit the streets in 2018.
The annual awards are organised by the insurance sector regulator, the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC).
The Life Assurance Reporter of the Year Award brings Mhlanga’s journalism career accolades to 16.
Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Guest of Honour, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said: “As we celebrate the success of journalists who have excelled in the coverage of insurance and pension matters, the hope is also to raise awareness of the important work being done by IPEC as most journalists would ordinarily shy away from covering the sector because of limited understanding of how insurance and pensions work.”
He said the awards seek to “inspire interest and journalism excellence in the coverage of insurance and pension matters for the benefit of existing and prospective policyholders and pension scheme members”.
IPEC commissioner, Grace Muradzikwa said the insurance and pensions regulator wants to see increased coverage of insurance and pensions-related issues and improvement in the quality of the reporting.
She said IPEC would continue to inspire the media to cover insurance related issues and to capacitate journalists so that the quality of the coverage is beyond reproach.
“By doing this, we believe journalists will contribute to the development of the insurance and pensions industry. We, therefore, call upon stakeholders to continue partnering with us in this endeavour,” Muradzikwa said.
