Lindile Mpanza cut her journalistic teeth via a Carte Blanche Investigative Journalism TV Scholarship, directly after completing a BJourn from Rhodes University in 2007. As a researcher for the show, Mpanza sourced story ideas to pitch at weekly Carte Blanche editorial meetings, compiled material for investigations, sourced archive footage and organised shoots and interviews.
This grounding stood her in good stead when she moved from MNet to eNCA to take up her next position as producer for 3rd Degree. In this role, Mpanza produced 30 minute investigative and human interest documentaries, managing the projects from the initial sourcing of relevant story ideas through to writing the scripts for the documentaries, interviewing sources, organising and directing shoots and providing constructive feedback after the shows had aired. While working at eNCA, Mpanza won best TV Feature at the CNN African Journalist of the Year Awards for her piece entitled Silence of the Innocents, telling the story of young girls who are abducted, raped and forced into marriage in the Lusikisiki area of the Eastern Cape.
A move to SABC followed. Mpanza was initially employed as an output producer, but soon thereafter took on the role of Specialist Producer for the SABC’s Special Assignment, where she continues to produce work of high journalistic quality.
In addition to winning the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award for Silence of the Innocents, Mpanza was also a finalist in the Michael Elliott award for excellence in African storytelling, and won Best Current Affairs Actuality Programme at the 2017 South African Film and TV Awards. She was included in the Mail & Guardian 200 young South Africans you must take out to lunch feature, and has been profiled in the book Cool and Black. In 2022, the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University honoured her with a JMS50 Alumni Award for her dedication in bringing gender injustice and violence to light, and her continuing contribution to investigative TV journalism.