By Patience Gondo
The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA-AJP) has invited newsrooms from selected Southern African countries to submit investigative story pitches focusing on exposing wrongdoing, abuse of power or failures of accountability.
The call targets newsrooms and staff reporters from Zimbabwe , South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique.
According to the notice, freelancers from these countries are invited to apply separately through a different process.
Each newsroom selected will receive a grant of USD 3 000.
The funds may be used to cover journalist remuneration and reporting-related expenses.
A total of three grants are available under this round of support.
Selected newsrooms will also receive editorial support, with each team paired with an investigative editor to help deliver a comprehensive and evidence-based investigation within an agreed timeframe.
Applicants are required to submit a single pitch presenting a compelling narrative of not more than 700 words.
Each pitch must include a budget, a short profile of the newsroom and information about its ownership, readership, turnover and recent impactful stories.
Details about the reporters involved in the project must also be included.
“Pitches should address specific questions outlined by SA-AJP, including the nature of the story, the wrongdoing to be exposed, its importance, the potential impact, progress made so far and feasibility based on access and capacity,”
The organisation said applicants should be clear about their investigative angle, the targets of their investigation and their sources.
“Newsrooms should focus on exclusive insights and avoid long background explanations,” SA_AJP said.
Interested newsrooms are encouraged to discuss ideas with SA-AJP editors before the deadline.
Draft pitches may be sent for feedback to the project’s editorial coordinator at daneel@viewfinder.org.za.
“Final applications, including the pitch, budget and additional information, must be submitted in a single PDF document to henrynkumalof@gmail.com by 21 November 2025.
The email subject line must include the newsroom’s name, the word pitch, and a short title for the proposed story.”
The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project operates in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africaand Zimbabwe and aims to strengthen investigative reporting and accountability journalism in the region.