Naidu is an experienced communicator in financial services and worked with some of South Africa’s best-known media publications. He replaces veteran journalist Phindile Xaba, who lost her battle with cancer in May last year.
A former editor of the Teacher Newspaper, previously owned by the Mail & Guardian, Naidu has written extensively on education since 1992, for different publications including the Sunday Independent, Mail & Guardian and University World News.
A former night news editor of the Star newspaper, Naidu has a media degree in journalism and media studies from Wits University and has been on scholarships to Oxford and World Press Institute in the US.
He has written extensively on transformation, gender, climate change, and energy happenings on the continent, including contributing to two books: Nelson Mandela Opus (the world’s largest book on Mandela) and 100 The Mandela Years.
In 2018, Naidu won the Mandy Roussow award for Great Idea in the Media Monitoring Africa lsu Elihle Awards. He also won 3rd prize for his three-part article highlighting the issue of malnutrition and its impact on children in South Africa and Africa.
Naidu is a finalist in the UN Women Gender Journalism Awards for a report in the Sunday Independent in 2021.
He is a past winner of the South African National Energy Award for best reporting, recipient of print story Gender education media awards, winner in the economics category: Gender Education Media Awards (2006), Second Runner in Higher Education Awards 2005, and a winner of the International Federation of Journalists’ Tolerance Prize for Peace, among other journalism accolades.
“Edwin Naidu is a respected and credible writer and voice on education in South Africa. We are proud to have him on board and look forward to his steward as we strive to make Inside Education an authoritative voice within the education space,” said Matuma Letsoalo, the executive chairman and founder of K and K Media, which owns Inside Education.
K and K Media also owns shares in the Teacher newspaper and two other digital publications - Inside Politics and Inside Metros.
