Monday, December 9, 2013

BREAKING. CNN International's Christiane Amanpour, Anderson Cooper, Isha Sesay, Arwa Damon, all in South Africa for Nelson Mandela.


Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper of CNN International (DStv 401) are now both also in South Africa to lead unprecedented coverage of the death and funeral and celebration of the life of Nelson Mandela.

CNN International now has the biggest team of reporters deployed in South Africa to cover the death of Nelson Mandela and South Africa and the world's reaction to his passing.

Christiane Amanpour who arrived today in Johannesburg was instantly recognised and greeted at immigration with a "thank you for coming to honour Mr Mandela".

Besides the CNN heavy-hitters Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper, CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is now also in South Africa.

Isha Sesay is also heading to South Africa who've been reporting on Nelson Mandela from Soweto just a few months ago.

Chris Cuomo seen mostly on CNN in America but who've appeared on CNN International a few times in 2013 when CNN International takes the CNN US feed, has also arrived in South Africa and instantly started Nelson Mandela coverage.

Besides them, South Africa's David McKenzie, CNN International's correspondent in China, returned to South Africa on Saturday as I've previously reported.

They all join South Africa's Robyn Curnow who've already distinguished herself with instantly stellar reporting regarding the death of Nelson Mandela.

Errol Barnett who's based in Johannesburg and who've been already to Zimbabwe for a reaction story over this past weekend is also already back in Johannesburg and reporting live from Houghton on CNN International on Monday afternoon.

Charlene Hunter-Gault who've covered South Africa for many years, working for among others, CNN International, and now NBC News, also travelled to South Africa.

Besides CNN International's heavy presence of correspondents in South Africa, here is the already massive - and growing list - of foreign correspondents and TV reporters who've travelled to South Africa and who remain here to cover the biggest official funeral the world has yet seen:

Jeremy Thompson (Sky News), Stuart Ramsay (Sky News), Robert Nisbet (Sky News), Brian Williams (NBC News), Richard Engel (NBC News), Lester Holt (NBC News), Ron Allen (NBC News), Komla Dumor (BBC World News), Jon Sopel (BBC World News), Fergal Keane (BBC World News), Ros Atkins (BBC World News), Byron Pitts (ABC News), Alex Marquardt (ABC News), TerryMoran (ABC News), Greg Palkot (Fox News Channel), Mike Hanna (Al Jazeera), Jonah Hull (Al Jazeera), Bill Whitaker (CBS News), Mark Phillips (CBS News).