Sandton’s leading digital media house, The Sandton Times, has been selected to join the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ).
- As a professional guild for mobility content creators, the SAGMJ is a non-profit organisation and was formed in 1962.
- The Guild’s name was changed to ‘South African Guild of Mobility Journalists’ in 2021, as the internal combustion engine looks to be replaced by hybrid and electric systems in the near future.
- ‘South Africa Car of the Year’ (COTY) is the Guild’s flagship recognition, identifying the country’s most notable vehicle release.
- Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.
With publishers, editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters, and automotive industry experts as its members, the SAGMJ has been at the forefront, as an industry body, in telling the modern-day motoring story and as mobility evolves, has adapted to a new world which will see movement happening without an engine. At the same time, media has seen an evolution from frontpages to homepages and broadcasts to podcasts. The SAGMJ has evolved with the media landscape and now includes a membership category for digital content creators.
The SAGMJ offers a variety of training opportunities for its members ranging from advanced driving courses both on- and off-road and regular online courses covering everything from Understanding social media to iPhone photography for the busy influencer on the go. In addition, the Guild required that all members adhere to Codes of Good Practice as well as sign a road safety pledge and often run Road Safety campaigns.
Being a member of the SAGMJ provides The Sandton Times with more opportunities to inform readers of new products, car market developments, automotive technology, and road safety, working with some of South Africa’s leading motor vehicle manufacturers interested in bringing their latest releases to the attention of an influential audience, be it through launch event, test-drive opportunities and the like.
In addition to this, in 1986, the SAGMJ Benevolent Fund was created to assist members and their families financially should the need arise. This fund is still available to SAGMJ members and has, of late, assisted members throughout the pandemic. Monies for the Benevolent Fund are raised through fundraising events like an annual Golf Day.
The SAGMJ is also the custodian of the South African Car of the Year competition since 1986 and has a long-standing heritage of awarding automotive excellence. It remains the most prestigious and credible Car Competition in South Africa and continues to evolve to stay on the cutting edge, aligning itself with practices of the World and European Car of the Year competitions. SAGMJ members, all professional motoring scribes in their own right, select the journalists they trust most to adjudicate the competition. A jury of experts, selected by experts on a mission to find the pinnacle of motoring excellence.
For more information on the SAGMJ, visit their website.
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