Born in Umzinto on the South Coast of KZN, Devi rapidly moved from presenting music shows and reading the news, to producing and presenting her own talk show for national public broadcaster Lotus FM. Devi's daily radio chat show, which ran for seven years, quickly earned a reputation for its straightforward approach to tackling sensitive and controversial issues.
After completing an Honours degree in Drama and Performance Studies and a Higher Diploma in Education, Devi joined the education fraternity while still hosting her evening talk show. Then, a year into her stint as a high school educator, she resigned from the Department of Education whenoffered a permanent position as a talk show host and current affairs anchor. Devi's most memorable interview on radio was in 1998 when she interviewed former President, Nelson Mandela.
Devi's television break came in 1996 as a freelance continuity presenter for SABC 1's Eastern Mosaic. While keeping her radio and television career on the boil, Devi then joined the Sunday Times in 1998 as a weekly columnist. A year later she was appointed as the Durban Features Editor for South Africa's biggest selling weekly newspaper. Devi's award-winning weekly column, "Devi on Sunday," is now in its 16th successive year. In 2004 Devi's love for writing was acknowledged when she won the prestigious British Council scholarship for creative writing. She is still promising to write that book! We suggest you don't hold your breath!
In January 2002, Devi joined the Carte Blanche team, fulfilling a dream which was birthed in 1988 at the age of 16, when she watched the very first episode of the current affairs programme. Her more memorable interviews have included thosewith Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, international financial guru Robert Kiyosaki and music icons Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie. But, it's Devi’s investigative stories that have made headlines. These include the team's investigations into: corruption at the Medical University of South Africa, her on-going exposés of the health crises in the Eastern Cape, the Arms Deal, e-Tolls and the Nkandla scandal.
Devi’s fearless approach has resulted in the Carte Blanche team finding themselves in many life-threatening situations. One was an assault that occurred while working on a story about a band of appliance repairmen in Durban. The next incident happened on the Medical University of South Africa campus ,where Devi and the crew were locked up in a garage and threatened before managing to escape. Carte Blanche's dogged determination in pursuing consumer investigations also means close shaves on a regular basis, which ultimately bring the team and viewers closer to the truth. This said, Devi is inherently still a wife and mum to two children, both under 13.
After completing a postgraduate diploma in Business Management and an MBA in 2003 through the University of Natal, Devi further added to her skills by moving into the media training environment where she coaches senior managers on media strategy, crisis communication and interview techniques. Apart from this, Devi is also a sought-after MC and guest speaker.
"Yes, I clearly do need my head read," says Devi. "But despite the balancing act, the pressure and drama which comes with every day, I'm fortunate enough to say I have never worked a single day in my life."
Go to Devi's profile page.
Some Background on Devi
News19 June 2014
Devi Sankaree Govender began her career in journalism at the age of 21 when she landed a freelance position at SABC Radio while completing a BA degree at the University of Natal in Durban.