It wasn’t an easy road to success
EvEry time I drive along the roads in Harare’s central business district, I feel so proud when I see NewsDay billboards competing with other newspapers as this gives me fond memories of a newspaper that I helped guide to be what it is today.
yes, I was part of the core team of journalists that created the news tabloid, which has no doubt captured the attention of many readers locally and globally.
It wasn’t an easy road to success as we had to constantly change page designs and other issues related to newspaper production, a situation that would sometimes result in us clocking 16 hours of hard work per day.
We were a small team of journalists that kickstarted NewsDay, which was then located at Number 1 Kwame Nkrumah Avenue in downtown Harare, before offices moved to Graniteside Industrial area.
I remember some of the journalists who pioneered this newspaper included Barnabas Thondlana, Moses Mudzwiti, Moses Matenga, Tinashe Sibanda, Kelvin Jakachira and Feluna Nleya, among others.
I started off as a chief sub-editor of the newspaper and later became features editor, a portfolio I gladly accepted because I have always been a feature writer. Feature writing always provides a detailed description of a story.
Not forgetting the cheerful human resources manager Loud ramakgapola, now town clerk of the southern border town of Beitbridge who regularly popped into the newsroom just to cheer us up at a time when certain quarters of AMH thought NewsDay
would never see the light of day, maybe due to skepticism.
And of course not forgetting the vibrant advertising and marketing team of Loyola Nyangoni, Cynthia Dube, Wilson Masawa and many others, who I worked closely with when I was also doing supplements. NewsDay initially started off as a four pager insert in AMH weekly titles The Standard and Zimbabwe Independent before it became a fullyfledged newspaper in June 2010.
Because we were housed at the deep end of the CBD, I remember requesting for a microwave oven at an editorial meeting, to warm food that we carried from home in our lunch boxes. There were no decent takeaway restaurants within the location of NewsDay premises.
The request was granted. Journalism is a time-consuming job, it is hard work and the role that journalists play ensure a free and informed society. Sadly, this group of professionals is targetted in many countries because they are viewed as enemies.
Do I miss the newsroom? The answer is a big yes. The art of expression through photography and writing news is a calling, and duty calls at any given time of the day. It is unfortunate that the news business is so unfair to journalists with children and that has to change for the better going forward.