Sarah Chiumbu
Biographic Data
| ID | 104914 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sarah Chiumbu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sarah |
| FAMILY NAME | Chiumbu |
| SIGNATURE | CHIUMBU S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Johannesburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9349-8204 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 53 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Introduction to the Special Issue: Watching the Watchers: Public oversight of digital surveillance in Africa
Developing a model for effective public oversight of intelligence-driven surveillance through an African-focused lens
This article distils the main findings of the Special Issue on public oversight of intelligence-driven digital surveillance in Africa. We explore how the public can perform such oversight better, learning the lessons from moments when public oversight has been attempted and proposing a model for effective public oversight that identifies its main features. Underpinned by democratic accountability theory, participatory governance, and social movem…
Dynamics of public oversight of digital surveillance: Comparative mobilisation patterns in Botswana and Mauritius
This article examines why public oversight of intelligence-driven digital surveillance produced divergent outcomes in Botswana and Mauritius – two African democracies with comparable political and socio-economic contexts. Using Resource Mobilisation Theory and Political Process Theory within a Most Similar Systems Design framework, the article compares mobilisation strategies against the 2013 biometric Smart ID system in Mauritius and the 2022 Cr…
Mediating peace: Community radio as a tool for dialogue during conflict
Introduction Community radio as grassroots media platforms play a critical role in fostering peace, understanding, and cooperation in times of conflict. Their localized orientation enables direct connections with community members, supporting dialogue and social cohesion. The article examines the role of community radio news in mediating conflict, using, the July 2021 unrest in Durban, South Africa as a case study. The unrest reflected broader st…
Data Journalism Appropriation in African Newsrooms: A Comparative Study of Botswana and Namibia
Converged Radio, Youth and Urbanity in Africa: Emerging trends and perspectives
This book explores the convergence of urban radio with digital media technologies in Africa, focusing on how youth are riding on the rapid internet rollout
Diving into Data: Pitfalls and Promises of Data Journalism in Semi-Authoritarian Contexts
This paper calls for greater scrutiny of data journalism as a practice in the semi-authoritarian context of Zimbabwe. Based on in-depth interviews with practising journalists in Zimbabwe, this paper answers two main questions: In what ways is data journalism practised in the Zimbabwean context? To what extent are newsrooms in Zimbabwe “tooled” and capacitated for data journalism practices? We note that data journalism is widely understood by indi…
Exploring data journalism practices in Africa: Data Politics, Media Ecosystems and Newsroom Infrastructures
Extant research on data journalism in Africa has focused on newsroom factors and the predilections of individual journalists as determinants of the uptake of data journalism on the continent. This article diverts from this literature by examining the slow uptake of data journalism in sub- Saharan Africa through the prisms of non-newsroom factors. Drawing on in-depth interviews with prominent investigative journalists sampled from several African …
Converged Radio, Youth and Urbanity in Africa: Emerging Trends and Perspectives
Frames and Marginalisation of Counter-hegemonic Voices: Media Representation of the Land Debate in South Africa
The South African commercial press marginalises alternative and counter-hegemonic voices partly due to its location in the capitalist power structures. Notwithstanding its transformation post-apartheid, the ethos of this media remains rooted in apartheid-like economic and ideological rationalities. This media still functions within Western news values and a neoliberal paradigm; hence, the reporting of ideological discourses delegitimises the conc…
Newsroom Disruptions and Opportunities in Times of Crisis: Analysing Southern African Media During the Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices. Utilising data from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, we seek to answer…
Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Artificial Intelligence Practices in Everyday News Production: The Case of South Africa’s Mainstream Newsrooms
This article explores artificial intelligence (AI) uptake in selected South African mainstream newsrooms. It seeks to determine the extent to which AI has been adopted and how journalists and editors perceive its appropriation in newsmaking practices. To address these two broad aims, the study used in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Our findings suggest a slow, varied but methodical uptake of AI practices in South Africa’s mainstre…
Radio Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Towards a Decolonial Critical Political Economy of the Media: Some Initial Thoughts
How the media are organised and funded has implications on who gets to speak and the stories that are told or silenced. The critical political economy of the media approach allows an understanding of the ideologies and power structures that influence media operations, ownership, and funding. Although the critical political economy of the media remains central in understanding these issues, the approach needs to be decolonised to address the dynam…
Critiquing Print Media Transformation and Black Empowerment in South Africa: A Critical Race Theory Approach
South Africa is a country found on extreme forms of inequality along race, gender, and class lines. Thus, transformation addressing these inequalities of the apartheid past became a critical factor in the re-organisation of society at the onset of democracy in 1994. One essential intervention in addressing mainly the economic disparities of the past was Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), introduced by the African National Congress (ANC) government…
Big Brother is Watching: Surveillance Regulation and its Effects on Journalistic Practices in Zimbabwe
In many African countries, including Zimbabwe, journalists have been subjected to various policy regulations that have widely been criticised for making the practice of journalism difficult. Part of the reason has been the advent of competitive politics that have left the ruling regimes scrambling to limit freedoms and stop opposition onslaught on their power. One way the Zimbabwean government has limited freedom of expression has been through th…
Social justice for the poor: The framing of socioeconomic rights in selected South African newspapers
Apartheid South Africa created a society of deep-seated inequalities divided along race, class, and gender lines. The promotion of socioeconomic rights and redistributive justice is thus an important element in the country’s on-going transformation. This article analyzes the framing of stories on socioeconomic rights by three South African national newspapers. Using a combination of framing analysis and critical political economy insights, we sho…
Media, Race and Capital: A Decolonial Analysis of Representation of Miners' Strikes in South Africa
This article explores media representation of a strike at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana in August 2012, in which the police gunned down 34 miners. Data was collected from randomly selected articles from South African English-language print media. My main argument is that the South African print media provided coverage of the strike that privileged mining interests and generally ignored the concerns and voices of the miners. Using a combination…
The world is our community’: Rethinking community radio in the digital age
New media technologies – Internet and mobile phones – have transformed the face of radio broadcasting. Research in this area has shown that these technologies are reconfiguring both radio’s institutional structures and its practices. Radio, now accessed on multiple digital platforms, is allowing diverse forms of utilization and engagement. In this article, I analyse the changing nature and meaning of ‘community’ in community radio in the digital …
Exploring mobile phone practices in social movements in South Africa – the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
Mobile phones have developed explosively in Africa, with South Africa having one of the highest mobile phone penetrations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile phones have introduced a set of new communicative and cultural practices. Innovative pricing models in Africa, such as ‘pay-as-you go’ and ‘please call me’ have helped to make mobile phones a part of the lives of many who are otherwise disconnected. Social justice movements in South Africa, often …
Artificial Intelligence Practices in Everyday News Production: The Case of South Africa’s Mainstream Newsrooms
This article explores artificial intelligence (AI) uptake in selected South African mainstream newsrooms. It seeks to determine the extent to which AI has been adopted and how journalists and editors perceive its appropriation in newsmaking practices. To address these two broad aims, the study used in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Our findings suggest a slow, varied but methodical uptake of AI practices in South Africa’s mainstre…
Big Brother is Watching: Surveillance Regulation and its Effects on Journalistic Practices in Zimbabwe
In many African countries, including Zimbabwe, journalists have been subjected to various policy regulations that have widely been criticised for making the practice of journalism difficult. Part of the reason has been the advent of competitive politics that have left the ruling regimes scrambling to limit freedoms and stop opposition onslaught on their power. One way the Zimbabwean government has limited freedom of expression has been through th…
Media, Race and Capital: A Decolonial Analysis of Representation of Miners' Strikes in South Africa
This article explores media representation of a strike at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana in August 2012, in which the police gunned down 34 miners. Data was collected from randomly selected articles from South African English-language print media. My main argument is that the South African print media provided coverage of the strike that privileged mining interests and generally ignored the concerns and voices of the miners. Using a combination…
Exploring data journalism practices in Africa: Data Politics, Media Ecosystems and Newsroom Infrastructures
Extant research on data journalism in Africa has focused on newsroom factors and the predilections of individual journalists as determinants of the uptake of data journalism on the continent. This article diverts from this literature by examining the slow uptake of data journalism in sub- Saharan Africa through the prisms of non-newsroom factors. Drawing on in-depth interviews with prominent investigative journalists sampled from several African …
Newsroom Disruptions and Opportunities in Times of Crisis: Analysing Southern African Media During the Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices. Utilising data from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, we seek to answer…
Social justice for the poor: The framing of socioeconomic rights in selected South African newspapers
Apartheid South Africa created a society of deep-seated inequalities divided along race, class, and gender lines. The promotion of socioeconomic rights and redistributive justice is thus an important element in the country’s on-going transformation. This article analyzes the framing of stories on socioeconomic rights by three South African national newspapers. Using a combination of framing analysis and critical political economy insights, we sho…
Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Exploring mobile phone practices in social movements in South Africa – the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
Mobile phones have developed explosively in Africa, with South Africa having one of the highest mobile phone penetrations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile phones have introduced a set of new communicative and cultural practices. Innovative pricing models in Africa, such as ‘pay-as-you go’ and ‘please call me’ have helped to make mobile phones a part of the lives of many who are otherwise disconnected. Social justice movements in South Africa, often …
Exploring mobile phone practices in social movements in South Africa – the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
Mobile phones have developed explosively in Africa, with South Africa having one of the highest mobile phone penetrations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mobile phones have introduced a set of new communicative and cultural practices. Innovative pricing models in Africa, such as ‘pay-as-you go’ and ‘please call me’ have helped to make mobile phones a part of the lives of many who are otherwise disconnected. Social justice movements in South Africa, often …
The world is our community’: Rethinking community radio in the digital age
New media technologies – Internet and mobile phones – have transformed the face of radio broadcasting. Research in this area has shown that these technologies are reconfiguring both radio’s institutional structures and its practices. Radio, now accessed on multiple digital platforms, is allowing diverse forms of utilization and engagement. In this article, I analyse the changing nature and meaning of ‘community’ in community radio in the digital …
Social justice for the poor: The framing of socioeconomic rights in selected South African newspapers
Apartheid South Africa created a society of deep-seated inequalities divided along race, class, and gender lines. The promotion of socioeconomic rights and redistributive justice is thus an important element in the country’s on-going transformation. This article analyzes the framing of stories on socioeconomic rights by three South African national newspapers. Using a combination of framing analysis and critical political economy insights, we sho…
Media, Race and Capital: A Decolonial Analysis of Representation of Miners' Strikes in South Africa
This article explores media representation of a strike at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana in August 2012, in which the police gunned down 34 miners. Data was collected from randomly selected articles from South African English-language print media. My main argument is that the South African print media provided coverage of the strike that privileged mining interests and generally ignored the concerns and voices of the miners. Using a combination…
Big Brother is Watching: Surveillance Regulation and its Effects on Journalistic Practices in Zimbabwe
In many African countries, including Zimbabwe, journalists have been subjected to various policy regulations that have widely been criticised for making the practice of journalism difficult. Part of the reason has been the advent of competitive politics that have left the ruling regimes scrambling to limit freedoms and stop opposition onslaught on their power. One way the Zimbabwean government has limited freedom of expression has been through th…
Towards a Decolonial Critical Political Economy of the Media: Some Initial Thoughts
How the media are organised and funded has implications on who gets to speak and the stories that are told or silenced. The critical political economy of the media approach allows an understanding of the ideologies and power structures that influence media operations, ownership, and funding. Although the critical political economy of the media remains central in understanding these issues, the approach needs to be decolonised to address the dynam…
Critiquing Print Media Transformation and Black Empowerment in South Africa: A Critical Race Theory Approach
South Africa is a country found on extreme forms of inequality along race, gender, and class lines. Thus, transformation addressing these inequalities of the apartheid past became a critical factor in the re-organisation of society at the onset of democracy in 1994. One essential intervention in addressing mainly the economic disparities of the past was Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), introduced by the African National Congress (ANC) government…
Radio, Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Artificial Intelligence Practices in Everyday News Production: The Case of South Africa’s Mainstream Newsrooms
This article explores artificial intelligence (AI) uptake in selected South African mainstream newsrooms. It seeks to determine the extent to which AI has been adopted and how journalists and editors perceive its appropriation in newsmaking practices. To address these two broad aims, the study used in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Our findings suggest a slow, varied but methodical uptake of AI practices in South Africa’s mainstre…
Radio Public Life and Citizen Deliberation in South Africa
Frames and Marginalisation of Counter-hegemonic Voices: Media Representation of the Land Debate in South Africa
The South African commercial press marginalises alternative and counter-hegemonic voices partly due to its location in the capitalist power structures. Notwithstanding its transformation post-apartheid, the ethos of this media remains rooted in apartheid-like economic and ideological rationalities. This media still functions within Western news values and a neoliberal paradigm; hence, the reporting of ideological discourses delegitimises the conc…
Newsroom Disruptions and Opportunities in Times of Crisis: Analysing Southern African Media During the Covid-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world has brought massive disruptions to every facet of life. However, a crisis can present revolutionary change and growth opportunities for both individuals and institutions. This study is a cross-country study that examines the disruptions and opportunities that the pandemic has wrought to mainstream news reporting practices. Utilising data from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, we seek to answer…
Converged Radio, Youth and Urbanity in Africa: Emerging trends and perspectives
This book explores the convergence of urban radio with digital media technologies in Africa, focusing on how youth are riding on the rapid internet rollout
Diving into Data: Pitfalls and Promises of Data Journalism in Semi-Authoritarian Contexts
This paper calls for greater scrutiny of data journalism as a practice in the semi-authoritarian context of Zimbabwe. Based on in-depth interviews with practising journalists in Zimbabwe, this paper answers two main questions: In what ways is data journalism practised in the Zimbabwean context? To what extent are newsrooms in Zimbabwe “tooled” and capacitated for data journalism practices? We note that data journalism is widely understood by indi…
Exploring data journalism practices in Africa: Data Politics, Media Ecosystems and Newsroom Infrastructures
Extant research on data journalism in Africa has focused on newsroom factors and the predilections of individual journalists as determinants of the uptake of data journalism on the continent. This article diverts from this literature by examining the slow uptake of data journalism in sub- Saharan Africa through the prisms of non-newsroom factors. Drawing on in-depth interviews with prominent investigative journalists sampled from several African …
Converged Radio, Youth and Urbanity in Africa: Emerging Trends and Perspectives
Data Journalism Appropriation in African Newsrooms: A Comparative Study of Botswana and Namibia
Introduction to the Special Issue: Watching the Watchers: Public oversight of digital surveillance in Africa
Developing a model for effective public oversight of intelligence-driven surveillance through an African-focused lens
This article distils the main findings of the Special Issue on public oversight of intelligence-driven digital surveillance in Africa. We explore how the public can perform such oversight better, learning the lessons from moments when public oversight has been attempted and proposing a model for effective public oversight that identifies its main features. Underpinned by democratic accountability theory, participatory governance, and social movem…
Dynamics of public oversight of digital surveillance: Comparative mobilisation patterns in Botswana and Mauritius
This article examines why public oversight of intelligence-driven digital surveillance produced divergent outcomes in Botswana and Mauritius – two African democracies with comparable political and socio-economic contexts. Using Resource Mobilisation Theory and Political Process Theory within a Most Similar Systems Design framework, the article compares mobilisation strategies against the 2013 biometric Smart ID system in Mauritius and the 2022 Cr…
Mediating peace: Community radio as a tool for dialogue during conflict
Introduction Community radio as grassroots media platforms play a critical role in fostering peace, understanding, and cooperation in times of conflict. Their localized orientation enables direct connections with community members, supporting dialogue and social cohesion. The article examines the role of community radio news in mediating conflict, using, the July 2021 unrest in Durban, South Africa as a case study. The unrest reflected broader st…
Political science (15 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Media Studies and Communication (11 works) · Politics (10 works) · Media studies (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Journalism (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Media Influence and Politics (5 works) · African studies and sociopolitical issues (4 works)