Stirring waves while on internship with MISA Zimbabwe

THE year was 2015. On my first day, I was very fresh from college; confused and excited as I entered the MISA Zimbabwe gate. I had attended an interview about two weeks back and had been offered placement for internship.

As any new intern would, I was formally dressed.

Right at the entrance, I was welcomed by Annie ‘Madam’ Musodza who showed me around the offices and introduced me to colleagues I would work with.

One particular colleague, Koliwe ‘Kodza’ Majama, was to supervise me together with two fellow interns, Yolanda Moyo, and Bubblejoy Chimbwanda. She quickly noticed I was dressed formally, with a tie, of course, much to her delight.

I was obviously overdressed, a conclusion I arrived at after observing how everyone else was dressed. Kodza told me that I was free to wear anything that was comfortable and that wearing a tie was not necessary. I was relieved.

Days passed into weeks, weeks into months and boom it was a year already. MISA became my family, my home. Each day, I would face a new experience, and Koliwe was always on our throats for perfection.

When she walks into the Resource Centre, expect a full audit of the tasks that she would have assigned. Some of the duties she was particularly thorough about were on updating the membership database, filing of newsletters and media monitoring.

If one was found wanting and with no positive feedback to report on, a chastisement would be appropriately served to whip the comrade into shape.

Working hand and glove with Koliwe was a tough experience in the early days. She was quite a taskmaster and workaholic. I feared her, but with time I got accustomed to her methods and also got to understand her personality, which brought me closer to her.

She became a friend and big sister. I wanted to be like her. She would guide me on how workshop reports are written, how to write articles and pushed me to have an interest in digital media, which I am now a full time practitioner in.

On the other hand, Nyasha ‘Jena’ Nyakunu, would walk in with several newspapers in his hands. "Mfanami (Youngman) Tamu Tamu, how come you missed this alert?" Softspoken and composed, he would hand me the newspaper to write a media alert and send it to him.

After completion, he would call me to his office, point out several corrections and tell me to do it again. And again, he would summon me back into his office; point out another mistake on the retake. This was an everyday experience, but one that shaped my writing skills even to this day.

Jena challenged me to write. He pushed me to publish in the local newspapers, leveraging on the peer professional relationship he shared with prominent media houses. I then started by publishing letters to the editor before slowly getting space for opinion pieces.

That became the solid foundation upon which I built my career on.

Chris and Chido Musodza were also some regular faces. These two were digital security technocrats. It was through working with them that I got to further develop interests in cyber-related issues. They taught us how the internet basically works, how to protect our everyday digital platforms such as social media pages among other issues.

Today, I boast among friends and colleagues as an expert in digital security through their assistance.

Tabani, ‘Boss T’ Moyo, Farai ‘Fatso’ Nhende, and Jackie Chikakano, were the softest go-to bosses. I hardly had hard times with them; their assignments were easy and could be completed with less hustles. Boss T usually gave assignments that could be unearthed in the resource room library which I could submit even before needed, so were Jackie’s and Fatso’s.

At the back office, there, I would find the ‘most loved’ colleagues, Cde Simango and Sekuru Ophias, the finance guys. There, I would go with documents which needed authorisation, reconciliation statements and cash requisitions. It was a quiet and serious office, you would hear the sound of a pin dropping on the floor.

Cde Simango was a man of few words, and usually busy on his computer. Sekuru Ophias, jokingly, had time for a little chat before signing my papers. He would ask about my family, my girlfriend and my welfare at the institution. I felt at home.

Then there was Sekuru Jose. He was usually the first person I would meet at the gate before work. He was always laughing and would make sure that as interns, we would be involved in discussions, especially during meal times.

He would sometimes walk down the memory lane with us, being equipped with institutional memories, on how things were done.

Indeed, every colleague was there in his or her own way. It was a whole ecosystem with different unique parts working together to form a bubble of life.

MISA Zimbabwe became my entry door into the media space. The professional network I made through the institution saw me becoming one of the youngest freelance journalists to publish articles in local papers while still at college after the completion of my internship.

After college, MISA was still there looking out for me. I would be invited to workshops. One avenue led to another, and to date, I am the youngest reporter at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation in charge of three districts, Chipinge, Chimanimani and Buhera.

I am proud to trace my roots to this welcoming institution which I am forever grateful to be associated with.

Happy anniversary MISA Zimbabwe.