8PM News
Name and Surname:
Melanie Rice
Place of birth
Cape Town, South Africa
Starsign
Aquarius
Brief history in broadcasting.
After completing my Master’s degree at Northwestern University in Chicago and working as a political correspondent in Washington, I returned to SA in 1998. I was part of the small group, that included news veterans San Reddy, Jane Dutton, Ayesha Ismail and Debora Patta, who launched the first eNews bulletin in 1998. I began as a reporter, with a special interest in crime and high-profile court trials. I went on to report, produce, anchor and executive produce for both e.tv and eNCA news bulletins. By the time I left e in 2009 to spend more time with my new family, I was the anchor and producer of the Late Edition broadcast and a member of the management team. With three small children, I returned to e as a freelancer four years later. I also worked as an international correspondent for TRT World, a documentary producer for Sabido Productions, and a talk show host for Cape Talk 567. In 2018, I returned to the e family as an anchor for Open News.
What makes you a stand out news anchor/field reporter?
My experience. I have worked in the industry for over 20 years. My long history with e News has allowed many opportunities and I’ve been fortunate enough to work as a reporter in the field, a producer, documentary maker and executive producer, including as Executive Director of News Day. As Executive Producer of Judge for Yourself, I launched the show with Judge Dennis Davis and Executive Produced the show for over five years. I’ve experienced many of the different facets of this business and that allows for a better understanding of what goes into a broadcast. Two decades in news has also forged many longstanding friendships in politics and news and an extremely long list of contacts I can call on for interviews. There are stories that stretch on for years and my memory of covering them as a reporter allows a better understanding of the context that’s needed for interviews.
Additional work in the media industry
- Correspondent: TRT World
- Talk Show Host Cape Talk/ 702
What don’t people know about you?
I’m an avid art collector, I have three children under the age of 12, I’ve visited every continent in the world, my journalist sister and I were dubbed the “Ghoul Sisters” because of our coverage of high-profile murder trials, and no matter how hard I try, I burn everything and anything that I attempt to cook. Judge Dennis Davis officiated my marriage to my husband in a wine cellar 13 years ago. Also one of my favourite ways to relax is to follow American politics.
Interests/Hobbies
My children. Family. My tribe of friends and friendships that stretch back over 30 years. Hikes. A good glass of chardonnay. A great non-fiction book. Trying anything out of the ordinary - adventure and travel.
What is the most intriguing story you have ever reported on?
The Sizzlers Massacre in 2003. Nine people were killed, throats slit, shot execution style, at a massage parlour in Sea Point. Taxi driver, Trevor Theys and Adam Woest, a waiter at Quay Four in the Waterfront were arrested for the murders. The sole survivor of the massacre, Quinton Taylor, had pretended to be dead, after being shot in the head twice. He had stumbled to a nearby petrol station for help and later, identified Theys out of a police book. That led detectives to Adam Woest. Both men never testified at the trial and questions about how a taxi driver and young waiter, who lived across the road from the massage parlour, formed this murderous and unlikely alliance were never answered. There was never a reasonable explanation for this carefully planned and brutal attack on 10 innocent men. We gained exclusive access to the SAPS footage that was filmed in the hours after the massacre and those images still haunt me to this day. Trevor Theys died a few years ago and Adam Woest has never revealed the motive behind the murders.
Career highlights
It’s difficult to describe tragedy as a highlight but some of the stories that particularly stand out include:
1999: A helicopter crashed onto the roof of an office building in the Cape Town CBD. We were on the scene within moments of the crash in the early hours of the morning (I still had my pyjamas on under my jersey) The young man who filmed the crash, that killed some of his closest friends, was in his twenties as I was and after talking, he agreed to hand over exclusive footage of what happened. The horror of those images of the helicopter exploding into a fireball, with four people on board, echoed around the country and the world.
Interviewing President Nelson Mandela several times in the 1990s. (When he posed for a photo once, as he put his arm around my shoulder, he said, with a twinkle in his eye: I hope I don’t make your boyfriend jealous!)
The Trial of Henri Van Breda: 2018:
I have covered many, many murder trials and as a reporter, you search for a hint of humanity as you closely watch the accused in the dock every day. There is usually a moment, however fleeting, that shows a hint of vulnerability. That moment never came with Henri Van Breda and I had only experienced that once before. In the trial of Dawid “Doggy Dog” Ruiters and his gang who went on a heinous and murderous rampage in Namaqualand in the 1990s. Ruiters would stare directly at the press from the dock. He was the epitome of evil. Henri Van Breda’s disconnection from the brutality of the murders of his family was as chilling.
Notable quote.
Madeleine Albright: “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other” and Albert Einstein:“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”
Follow Melanie Rice on Social Media
Twitter: @melaniejanerice
Instagram: melanie.j.rice
Facebook: Melanie Jane Rice