JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- South African President JacobZuma has been declared newsmaker of the year 2009, the South African National Press Club said on Thursday.

Zuma came in ahead of Julius Malema, who leads the youth league of South Africa's ruling African National Congress. He also scored higher than South Africa's gender-tested world 800-meter champion athlete Caster Semenya and former captain of the Springbok rugby team, Joost van der Westhuizen.

"President Zuma was in the news for various reasons throughout 2009. He dominated... column space in the print media and much of the airwaves in the electronic media," said press club chairman Yusuf Abramjee in a statement.

The 2009 general election campaign, the withdrawal of corruption charges against Zuma and his election to the presidency kept him in the spotlight.

Other issues included the launch of the presidential telephone hotline, Zuma's choice for the appointments of a new chief justice, new national director of public prosecutions, and national police commissioner.

The award would be presented to Zuma at a date still to be announced. Zuma also won the award in 2005, and was a nominee in 2008.