Knowledge is key

The two days training was very insightful as we get to know the status of mining and media in the country. According to Herman Scholtz from the Press Council, journalist must ask questions that speaks or covers the entire story. This also refers to conducting of research and gaining knowledge on the field you want to report on, to prove accuracy of the story. “Look outside the window to see if it is raining”.  

The current state of media shows that the social media is dominating in news reporting. I found it very interesting to know that bloggers can register themselves with the Press Councill, as I though it only catered for big publication companies. This eye-opening training does not only empower journalists to report but it also gives an opportunity of being part of the process as we got visit the mining sites. Through the training information was received from different expects in the mining industry.

Lucas Ledwaba presents his experience in Marikana

Among the guest speakers was Lucas Ledwaba who shared his experience of covering the Marikana Massacre. Ten years later the Marikana story is still very touching and painful, which is even worse when you interact on a personal level with someone who was present throughout the time. Ledwaba took us through the first day he was assigned to cover what was initially thought to be normal wage strike and later turned to a massacre.

On the second day of the training, we visited Kangra Mine in Mpumalanga, where we were expose to the daily activities in a coal mine. During the visitor’s induction we learnt about different types of Personal Protective Equipment. The most outstanding thing for me is the importance of safety and teamwork, being a “brother’s keeper”, which means to looking out for your fellow workers.

 By Busiswa Mrasi