Anna-Maria van Niekerk

Anna-Maria van Niekerk is Bhekisisa’s news editor. She joined the centre after six years as the managing editor of the investigative television show, Carte Blanche. Anna-Maria has an extensive career in in-depth health and human rights reporting and has been named both the Vodacom Journalist (2002) and Discovery Health Journalist of the Year (2010) for exposés on the selling of human body parts for muti in Limpopo and the devastating consequences of HIV denialism. In 2007, she launched the television unit of Health-e News Service. Anna-Maria has also produced award-winning print investigations on the misuse of public health funds and stock-outs in government hospitals for City Press. One of her proudest moments was the 2014 airing of a 26-part reality documentary series, “Doctors on Call”, for Mzansi Magic on DSTV, covering the journey of government hospital surgeons and their patients through the most critical part of their treatment. Anna-Maria holds a master’s degree in political studies from the University of Johannesburg.