Karlien Viljoen joins Afrikaans TV news team

From local is lekker to hyper-localisation: Township consumer trends to watch this festive season

Mongezi Mtati

Former radio and TV journalist Karlien Viljoen has replaced Suzaan Steyn, joining Terrance April and Riaan Cruywagen, the SABC announced yesterday, Wednesday, 20 May 2009. Steyn left the Afrikaans TV news team in February this year.

Karlien Viljoen has joined the SABC's Afrikaans TV news team.

After 12 years in various capacities, she presented her first TV bulletin last night, Tuesday 20 May, at 7pm on SABC2.

Viljoen was born in Pretoria and matriculated from Nico Malan High School in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape. She obtained a BA degree in political science and history from the then University of Port Elizabeth in 1992 and added an honours degree in journalism from Stellenbosch University the following year.

She joined the Port Elizabeth office of the SABC as a radio journalist in 1994. Between 1996 and 1999 she compiled, produced and presented news bulletins and current affairs programmes for radio.

In 1999 she switched to television, doing both reporting and editing for news and various programmes. She resigned from the SABC in 2005 to do communications, copywriting and lecturing journalism.

In 2008 she rejoined the SABC as a bulletin writer on the Afrikaans TV news desk in Johannesburg, where she has also acted as bulletin editor.