Nelson Mandela University’s Khulani! is a dynamic digital journalism hub that’s giving student voices a powerful national platform to share real-life stories and issues.
Gqeberha, South Africa (15 April 2025) – The skill, communication and art of writing is being given a whole new life and dynamic at the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and it is all to help students discover powerful new ways to share their voices in the digital space while gaining invaluable writing skills.
The innovative project, Khulani!, is aimed at growing the youth media voice and has given rise to a digital journalism hub at NMU that syndicates the work of student writers to national media and online start-ups.
Khulani! mentors and supports first-year students who are enrolled on a compulsory Writing for the Media module to produce publishable and professional online feature articles.
Amplifying students’ voices on topics that matter
The impact is already significant, with second-year BA Media, Communication & Culture student Sinentlahla Matshakeni’s online article having been recognised as the best story on the Khulani! Youth Hub for 2024.
Her article, titled Why SA youth need to beat the Bottle was syndicated by Health4Mzansi, among others – an achievement that showcased the value of her voice and insights on real life issues.
“Writing for the Media …teaches us how to write for real-world issues, like alcohol abuse among young people; to write for different audiences and… (to) understand the media better. Now, I feel like I can make a difference by sharing my thoughts and helping to create positive change. The article on Health For Mzansi shows how good writing can help people understand important issues,” said Matshakeni.
Over half of the Khulani! stories published have already been republished by online content partners, including Health for Mzansi, MyZA, and Good Things Guy under a Creative Commons license.
“The Khulani! project plain and simple gets down to the stories that matter. These days we can all access international and national stories at the drop of a hat and, quite frankly, most of it is the same. Getting to grips with youth stories is what Khulani! does best – real people, real stories and actionable insights make for a refreshing read and compelling narrative,” said MyPE and MyGqeberha Editor Alan Straton.
Khulani! addresses misrepresentation in the media.
The brainchild of lecturer and undergraduate Coordinator, Jude Mathurine, the Khulani! project is working to change media representation of youth, one article at a time.
With 39% of the country’s population aged 14-35 (Stats SA 2011), Khulani! addresses the diverse interests of young people, sadly overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream media.
Journalism in an AI world
The editorial process is managed by Mathurine, who curates, copy-edits, promotes and networks student work with assistance from Corporate Communication lecturer, Cindy Preller, and Digital Assistant, Thandile Nkoyi, a recent graduate of Nelson Mandela University.
Khulani! Also pioneers radical transparency through an online tool to help students disclose how AI (artificial intelligence) contributes to various stages of story production, from ideation to editing.
This forward-thinking project is not only empowering the next generation of journalists but also reshaping media representation by ensuring authentic youth narratives reach a wider audience.
Sources: Supplied
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