Troy Martens

Troy Martens discovered her voice for activism and politics during her student years while working towards a National Diploma in Journalism from the Durban University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal. She joined the ANC affiliated student organisation, SASCO (South African Students Congress) and was elected Deputy President of the Universities Student Representative Council.

She began her journalism career as an intern at the Independent group’s Daily News newspaper in Durban where she was hired after completion of the internship. However she soon made the transition to broadcast journalism by becoming the youngest on camera news reporter at eNCA (eNews Channel Africa), formerly the eNews Channel and etv.

Martens excelled in this field and went on to win a Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award in the television news category and spent a month in the United States participating in the prestigious CNN Journalism Fellowship at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

However her desire to serve her country and make a positive contribution to society saw her leaving the journalism fraternity to take up the position as Head of Communications at the ANCWL (African National Congress Women’s League). Martens raised the profile of the organisation bringing them back into the public discourse, and saw them once again being the authority on gender issues and women’s rights. She managed to bring the organisation into the 21st century by creating a social media presence and lead a number of successful social media campaigns. Working with the ANCWL she was part of the team that organised a mini-skirt march creating an awareness around sexual harassment and gender inequality which brought the Johannesburg CBD to a standstill with the participation of approximately 20000 women from around the country.

Whilst at the ANC Women’s League Martens was named one of the country’s 200 most influential young people in the politics category on the Mail and Guardian Young200 list. Working at the Headquarters of the ruling party in government was an invaluable learning opportunity where she developed an intimate knowledge of the political environment in the country.She was involved in the development of policy and managed to make her mark and contribute to the policy directions of the country. She played a role in the National Policy Conference of the ANC as well as the National Elective Conference held in Mangaung in 2012. She also participated in the National Election Campaign of the ANC for the 2014 National Government Elections where she travelled the length and breadth of the country interacting with South Africans from all walks of life.

Martens was a founding member of the Progressive Professionals Forum which is a structure that enables professionals to interact and make intellectual input regarding the political direction of the country. This structure includes professionals across the spectrum, including business owners, lawyers, engineers and CEO’s as well as top government employees.

Martens currently holds the position of Spokesperson and Media Liaison Officer for the Minister of Basic Education where her passion for public service and politics continues. She is currently completing her honours in Journalism and Media Studies through Wits University.She is a passionate social activist who enjoys working with people from all walks of life.