SANEF mourns Donwald Pressly's death 

27 October 2022

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) sadly notes the passing of veteran journalist and editor, Donwald Pressly.

Pressly, a former journalist, and Cape Town bureau chief of Business Report, has been ill for some time after he was diagnosed with cancer. Pressly covered parliamentary news for twenty-five years until recently, he was a freelance journalist writing for outlets such as BizNews.

While covering Parliament, Pressly had a stint as chairperson of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. Pressly was one of the leading figures of the Cape Town Press Club, where he held several positions.

Before his focus on business journalism, Pressly covered parliamentary politics mostly for the morning newspapers. This is where he became friends with several politicians, across various political formations.

Pressly graduated from Rhodes University, earning a degree in politics. He also obtained a journalism qualification from Duke University.

Pressly wrote a book looking at the official opposition, titled The Changing Face of the DA. At some point in his journalism career, there was controversy when Pressly sought political office with the DA, while he was still a practicing journalist with Business Report.

He is survived by his wife, Jean-Marie de Waal.

Issued by SANEF, 27 October 2022