Citizen team loses ‘Yadz’, a shining star

The Citizen has lost one of its shining stars.

While on a training course for Young African Journalists in Cairo, Egypt, experienced journalist and news editor Yadhana Jadoo died yesterday morning. The cause of her death has not been confirmed.

After moving to The Citizen in 2012 following stints at the South African Press Association and The Post, the 34-year-old Yadhana won numerous awards at the newspaper, including the Journalist of the Year in 2017, due to her accurate storytelling.

Her continued coverage of the e-tolls saga was brilliant, as were her profiles on SA icons Ahmed Kathrada, Sophie de Bruyn, Thuli Madonsela, Denis Goldberg and George Bizos, to mention a few.

She produced lead stories almost on a daily basis, regardless of the subject. When in doubt in the newsroom, the lead was always thrown to Yadhana – often on deadline … and she always delivered.

But as good a journalist as she was, it was her softer, caring side that made her so popular.

Yadhana, an avid food lover and family person, was respected by the people she interviewed because of her sincere approach, but equally loved by her peers for her fun-loving nature.

She was always willing to lend a helping hand, mentor youngsters or defend the newspaper against its harshest critics. Her loyalty was especially admirable and she always had a smile, regardless of how late she worked.

In 2012, as soon as her interview was finished, Yadhana was hired to join the Saturday Citizen team. It was the natural choice and she spent the next six years going from strength to strength.

She was soon writing leads for the daily newspaper and it was only a matter of time before she was spearheading the news team, Monday to Saturday.

As news editor, she thrived in the few months she guided the news team.

The Citizen family and journalism is poorer without her.

Rest in peace, Yadz.

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