Meet the Judges

Derek Watts

As one of South Africa’s leading investigative journalists, Derek Watts knows what it means to be brave. Derek Watts has been a journalist for over 35 years, presenting on South African television since 1985. Derek has been an anchor and lead journalist on MNET’s Carte Blanche for over 30 years exposing some of the biggest scandals both here in SA and abroad. As the ambassador for Adcock Ingram OTC Sponsors of Brave – No person could be a better advocate for Bravery than Derek Watts.

Nicole Austin

Nicole Austin is a Pharmacist specialising in Strategic Communications. Founder of a communications agency, Nicole is also a TV presenter, Survivor SA Runner-up and a previous Mrs South Africa. No stranger to the concept of Brave - Nicole has a passion for climbing mountains, and takes people with her on transformational journeys into the wild to help them realize their potential. Nicole is an Ambassador for Rare Diseases SA, and also sits on their executive board. She has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Mont Blanc in the Alps and 14 local peaks, to raise funds and awareness for children with dread diseases. 

Jerusha Raath

Jerusha Raath is the Head of Brand Studio, 24.com’s content marketing agency. Her team is responsible for the beautiful, brave storytelling on this campaign. As former Managing and Multimedia Editor for News24, Jerusha has led award-winning teams of journalists, podcasters and documentary filmmakers. She holds an MBA from Wits Business School in Johannesburg and is a proud alumna of the US-based Poynter Institute’s Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media (2018). A trained journalist, Jerusha believes in the power of impactful storytelling.

Palesa Tembe

Palesa Tembe is well known as the host of SABC3's Afternoon Express.  She has also appeared in a couple of television productions. You may have seen her in Isibaya on Mzansi Magic and The Alliance on ETV to name just a few. Palesa’s passion for entertainment has led her to create a YouTube channel named Upbeat with Pali T and collaborate on another named Revo TV. Palesa won the SABC 3 Presenter Search on 3 talent competition, where she was selected to present on Afternoon Express. She studied Drama and Psychology at Rhodes University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts. Born and raised in Durban, Palesa treasures her Christian upbringing and family values.

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