Issued by: CNBC Africa


Owned and operated by Africa Business News under a licensing and affiliation agreement with CNBC, the channel will focus on business, economics and markets news across sub-Saharan Africa. “We will also feature live crossings from CNBC Europe, the US, the Middle East, Dubai, India, Pakistan and other CNBC affiliates across the world,” says Trevor Ormerod, Chief Operating Officer of CNBC Africa. “We will broadcast local content from our studio in Johannesburg, and will take feeds from our bureaux in Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi and Cape Town.”

Although a new entrant into the African market, CNBC Africa has a host of seasoned talent waiting in the wings. Bronwyn Nielsen, recently appointed Senior Anchor at CNBC Africa, has spent nine years in the South African broadcasting industry. With numerous accolades to her name, Bronwyn was most recently named 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year.

Previously prime time Business News Anchor for Summit TV, Bronwyn's broadcast career also spans Highveld Stereo's news desk, e.tv's main news bulletin and Sky News International with the Africa markets update every weekday morning.

Bronwyn is an established media personality as well as a television producer for South Africa's premier investigative television programme, Carte Blanche. Her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Cape Town has given her credibility in a highly competitive arena.

Nikiwe Bikitsha is one of the country's leading radio and television news personalities. Her new role as Senior News Anchor at CNBC Africa highlights a ten year career which has featured field reporting in some of the most trying environments. After having paid her dues as a field reporter, she then managed news teams as well as anchored news at Talk Radio 702.

Bikitsha was one of the anchors of e.tv's breakfast show Morning Edition when it launched in 2001 whilst still holding the posts of Senior Reporter and News Anchor at 702. The events of 9/11 launched her talk show career in earnest. After having hosted several shows at 702, she was approached by the SABC to co-anchor the current affairs radio show AMLive on SAfm with respected journalist John Perlman. AMLive has built a reputation as one of the most influential shows in the country. While co-anchoring AMLive, Bikitsha also hosted the prime time current affairs television show, Interface, on SABC3.

Lerato Mbele entered the world of broadcasting in 1999, beginning her career as a journalism intern at the SABC. Soon thereafter she began working as a producer on the acclaimed radio current affairs programme “AM-LIVE” at SAfm. But her love of African affairs made her itch for something more on the broadcast platform. Within nine months of her burgeoning radio career, Lerato was approached by SABC Africa to anchor a weekly programme focusing on diplomacy and politics. The show called “The Ambassadors” proved to be extremely successful and provided a wonderful training ground for the anchor.

After two years at SABC Africa, Lerato took time out of the media to pursue her postgraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, England. Upon her return to South Africa she changed gear and worked as a political scientist at the SA Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). This period of her life culminated in Lerato co-writing the book “Designing Democracy” on the challenges of establishing democracy in Africa.

After her stint at SAIIA, Lerato was head-hunted by SABC News, to anchor the newly launched “News@10” as well as “In the Public Interest”, a media review current affairs show. It is with this background that CNBC Africa approached Lerato to join them. At CNBC Africa Lerato will anchor the political economy programme “The Other Dimension”. Lerato Mbele holds a BA in Political Studies and Anthropology, a BA (Hons) in International Relations as well as a MSC in Development Studies.

Mandlakazi boasts a wealth of journalistic knowledge with over ten years experience in broadcasting, news and publishing. She began her career as a producer for a television production company. Spending four years at this company, Mandlakazi equipped herself with the necessary knowledge and best practices in production and television. In need of change, she then left the company to join You magazine as a copy co-ordinator. After spending a year at You magazine, she left the world of print to join to the terrestrially licensed commercial television channel e.tv. Mandlakazi spent two years as a field reporter before she became a news anchor for the channel's breakfast show.

Mandlakazi's journalistic career continued to flourish when she joined the SABC as a Producer/News Anchor for the 1 o'clock news. She was then promoted to the prime time News @ 7. Whilst at the SABC, she was also a producer and news anchor at SAfm. In recognition of her journalistic talent, Mandlakazi was voted Best News Anchor at the SABC in 2006.

Before joining CNBC Africa, Leigh produced and presented the popular Moneytalk programme for Summit TV for five years. She has written for the Financial Mail magazine on personal investments and taxation, and was the founding editor of Business Times Money, the personal finance section of the Sunday Times newspaper. She has won numerous awards for her personal investment stories and television programmes.

Leigh has also worked for SABC3, presenting the live market reports from the JSE. She is currently a senior business anchor at CNBC Africa, based in the Johannesburg office. Leigh is a chartered accountant by profession.

Peter is currently an Anchor with CNBC Africa where he is also the Director for Corporate Communications. He has more than 18 years' radio and television broadcast experience. Prior to CNBC Africa, viewers across the continent saw him on SABC Africa presenting a flagship breakfast news programme. He worked for the pay TV Channel M-Net for many years doing entertainment television. He also spent some time at the business channel Summit TV as a prime-time Business News Anchor and Presenter.

Peter spent many years as a recognised voice and producer on South African radio, presenting music programmes, news and talks shows for Highveld Stereo, SAfm and Talk Radio 702.

Peter trained as an accountant at Coopers & Lybrand and graduated from the University of South Africa with a degree in Accounting. Prior to entering the broadcast arena, he worked in accounting, advertising, marketing and business management. He also managed his own television and video production company.

With his vast media and business experience, Peter is a well regarded and sought-after media trainer to business executives. He is regularly called upon to act as a Master of Ceremonies for corporate dinners, gala functions and international events.

Peter was once voted Best Male Television Presenter in South Africa by People Magazine.

An award-winning financial journalist during a six-year stint with independent business and finance media company Moneyweb, Byron Kennedy joins CNBC Africa as Market Analyst and Presenter. Apart from his journalistic and broadcasting responsibilities at Moneyweb, he fulfilled a variety of roles including Business Development Manager and Managing Editor of moneyweb.co.za. Before that Byron spent four years at Absa Head Office as Media Relations Consultant (where dealing with the aftermath of the Tollgate debacle was a memorable challenge) before being appointed Marketing Manager responsible for Group Sponsorships.

Outside of the business environment, Byron's passions include horse-racing, an industry that kept him gainfully employed over the last two years. During his tenure as Marketing Manager of the country's dominant thoroughbred sales company, turnovers comfortably shattered previous records on a consistent basis. Arguably the world's most moderate golfer – his handicap has never improved beyond 21 – he also enjoys tennis, squash, the occasional session in the gymnasium and attending live music concerts. Despite not being a petrol-head, he lists Top Gear Xtra as favourite leisure-time television programme, Muse as his number one band and Michael Collins as the best movie of all time.

Fenly Foxen hails from Tripoli, Libya. She started out at the South African Broadcasting Corporation in 2000, at the radio station Channel Africa as a Bulletin Writer and Presenter. A move to SAfm and 5fm as a Newsreader paved the way for her big break in 2003, when she was approached by SABC Television News as a Writer/Producer for the 7 o'clock bulletin. On a freelance basis, she presented a lifestyle programme, Car Torque, where she was the main anchor and conducted car reviews. Fenly was also a stand-in news reader for SABC TV and hosted a current affairs show on SAfm over the weekend.

With a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Rhodes University, Alishia began her career in the broadcast industry in 2003, as an intern within the Business Features Department, at Summit TV.

In 2004 she was given the opportunity to take a look at the industry from an international perspective, with an internship at CNN International (London). As a part of both CNN's news reporting team, and the “Global Office” team, Alishia was introduced to the international standard of reporting, and producing editorially sound and unbiased content for news, as well as relevant, creative and dynamic features programming.

She returned to Summit TV, as Producer of business features programming. Simultaneously, she began widening her skills base: producing studio based programming (“The Marketing Business”, “SME's Thinking Big” and “Voice Over IP”), presenting various features programmes, doing voice-overs and reading business news bulletins for Jacaranda FM and MTN-ICE. Alishia began anchoring the main news bulletin, on occasion, conducting markets interviews, and presenting an African markets news report to Sky News International.

This stimulated an interest in business news, instigating her next move. In 2006, Alishia transferred to the channel's news department, getting involved with current, business news production and the analysis of the markets, as a Financial and Markets Journalist. During this time, she was appointed Summit's main news anchor.

In just three and a half years, Alishia's found her place in a niche, but burgeoning, market. As a relative “newcomer” to the game, and a newly appointed anchor at CNBC Africa, her experience so far has set a solid foundation to her career in business news reporting.

CNBC Africa is Africa's definitive business news authority.

Africa's first 24 hour, live, international business and financial news network
is designed to inform, entertain, educate and importantly inspire
current African business leaders and leaders of the future.

CNBC is ‘First in Business Worldwide' due to its unquestionable integrity
its' commitment to conveying accurate information, and a passion for making business television entertaining.

CNBC follows the markets as they open, around the clock, around the world, every business day.
It provides those who are serious about business and investing with the competitive edge.
This advantage is supported by CNBC's parent company, NBC Universal, the broadcasting unit of General Electric
the ‘World's Most Admired' Company (FORTUNE, 2007).

CNBC's pedigree allows it to have affiliations throughout the world.
It reaches over 340 million households through a network of 1 700 journalists and 129 news bureaus in 89 countries.

Visit our PRESS OFFICE: CNBC Africa, launching 1 June 2007, will broadcast from Johannesburg. The channel will focus on Africa’s business markets, reporting live on international financial and economic news and business opportunities across the content.- more....

[4 Jun 2007 17:13]

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