TechCentral appoints Dr Fanie van Rooyen as deputy editor — Fanie van Rooyen

TechCentral has appointed Dr Fanie van Rooyen as its deputy editor, strengthening the leading technology publication’s newsroom as it deepens its coverage of South Africa’s technology, telecommunications and digital economy.

Van Rooyen brings an unusual blend of hard-news experience and science communication.

He began his career in busy newsrooms, reporting for the Afrikaans daily Beeld – covering everything from street protests to the Oscar Pistorius trial – before moving into specialist science and technology journalism.

He has since worked with various universities, the CSIR and the Institute for Methods Innovation, and edited Quest, the youth science magazine published by the Academy of Science of South Africa.

He also holds a PhD examining how potentially disruptive emerging technologies like AI should be communicated to the public responsibly to limit harm. From that research he developed a media ethics framework he calls the Flaming Torch Theory, distilled into a set of “Ten Tenets” for talking about new technologies.

“Technology shapes humanity. The evidence of that is all around us. But like a flaming torch in the hand, any new technology can either light the way in the darkness, or burn the whole forest down – often both,” Van Rooyen said. “So, how we talk about technology becomes incredibly important. It will guide how we use tools like AI, how we evolve as a species and how we treat each other.”

Technology’s potential

He said he hopes his work at TechCentral will help steer coverage away from hype, fear and harmful disruption, and towards technology’s transformative potential.

A keen admirer of physicist Stephen Hawking’s view that humanity’s greatest achievements have come from communication, Van Rooyen said the work TechCentral does in keeping South Africans informed about how technology is reshaping their lives carries “immeasurable value”.

TechCentral founder and editor Duncan McLeod welcomed the appointment. “Fanie brings a rare combination to our newsroom: the instincts of a seasoned hard-news reporter and a genuinely deep understanding of how to communicate complex technology responsibly,” McLeod said. “That blend matters more than ever in an era of AI hype and noise. As deputy editor, he will help us hold the line on the sceptical, accurate, responsible journalism TechCentral exists to produce.”

McLeod said the appointment comes as TechCentral continues to invest in its editorial team to meet growing demand for authoritative, independent technology journalism in South Africa.