Woman On Top – Thabile Ngwato
Former news anchor and businesswoman, Thabile Ngwato, shares how she and her business partner made, the new 24-hour news channel, Newzroom Afrika a reality!
From as early as childhood, there have always been signs that foreshadowed Thabile Ngwato’s fate in broadcasting. She was that child who always showed a keen interest in public speaking — something that, later, came in handy when forging a career in the media industry. “I was fascinated by the black women, both local and international, who were on TV, particularly in the news and current affairs space,” Ngwato recalls. Her first taste of broadcasting was as a voiceover artist, as well as a trainee reporter-producer at the Gauteng-based youth radio station, YFM.
Those first two jobs allowed Ngwato to move seamlessly into presenting and producing, which then opened doors to television through a brief stint on e.tv’s Craz-e, where she presented the youth show Sistahood. “My first news editor at YFM, Zukile Majova, gave me my first job. After that, former SABC News general manager Themba Mthembu, also took a chance on me when most people said I looked too young to read the news on television,” she says. The Mpumalanga-born journalist spent five years at the SABC, a period she describes as being the most significant in her career. “For me, that was an important part of my journey. It’s while there, that I narrowed down my ultimate vision as a broadcaster and an entrepreneur.”
EXPANDING HORIZONS
Ngwato says this is possibly the best time to be a woman in broadcasting because of the endless opportunities. However, when it comes to ownership and control of the means of production, the media is still a very male-dominated arena. Through Newzroom Afrika, the 24-hour news channel she coowns with Thokozani Nkosi, through her company Rapid Innovation Investments, Ngwato is hoping to demonstrate that it is possible to break boundaries. “My plan, initially, was to start a news channel much later in my life, but I felt compelled to give it a go now,” she explains.
A burning entrepreneurial spirit took over, and she didn’t allow her age to deter her from pursuing this dream – in fact, it was the deciding factor. “My vision has always been to leave a legacy. I wanted to build something that would outlive me. I live by the belief that it’s best to start now and with the little that you know. For me, that’s broadcasting,” she shares. The other underlying motivation was to create employment opportunities for the youth, and to be a case study that proves that dreams of this magnitude can be achieved through hard work and commitment. Failure, on the other hand, has played a huge role in Ngwato’s entrepreneurial journey. “My mother, who’s also my role model, taught me resilience, and that it’s up to me to live up to the path God has set before me.”
LADY IN CHARGE
Ngwato’s firm and decisive stance, balanced with an ability to adapt to unexpected developments, stood her in good stead while transitioning from being a news anchor to businesswoman. When expanding your field of expertise, she says, the people you partner with in realising your goals are crucial. In Nkosi, her business partner, Ngwato says she saw someone that shared in her vision of transforming the broadcasting space in South Africa. “It’s rare to see people that look like us owning and running a formidable broadcasting platform.”
She further adds that she wants to create a work culture that promotes innovation, because it’s the only way to meaningfully disrupt the media field. Secondly, she says she will not entertain any form of prejudice, particularly ageism and sexism. “I’m living proof of what’s possible when given a fair opportunity. I’m a young, black woman who now has the means to create opportunities for other young, black people,” she explains, adding that collaboration will also be another differentiating factor at Newzroom Afrika.
LOOKING FORWARD
After a year of operating in the news business, Ngwato says she hopes to have grown even more as an entrepreneur, and to have made Newzroom Afrika a leading news network. She says the channel aims to prioritise telling the stories of ordinary South Africans as a way of raising the many injustices they face, and contributing to nationbuilding.
She advises young women who want to follow in her footsteps to take the baton by exploring more work opportunities in the media field, besides just appearing on TV. “Being the youngest black woman in South Africa to acquire a news channel by the age of 28, is a major feat, and I am proud of myself. However, people will be surprised to learn that there is still so much more I want to achieve,” Ngwato enthuses.
People will be surprised to learn that there is still so much more I want to achieve.