Previous editors wish NMT well for the next 50 years
In all the celebrations, it is imperative to also give thanks to our readers and community for being the "heartbeat" of the publication.
As the paper celebrates its half-century, we heard from two previous editors, Daniella Graham and Kennedy Mudzuli.
Daniella Graham was the group editor of the Joburg North branch.
She writes:
The Northcliff Melville Times has a very special place in my heart.
From covering festive sporting events to guiding journalists on news stories, I have so many fond memories of working for this publication.
What stands out in all of them is the boots-on-the-ground connection I shared with our community members. Readers are this publication’s greatest resource – and there’s cause for celebration that they’ve held it accountable for a whopping 50 years.
As I give three cheers to the Northcliff Melville Times on its golden anniversary, I’m sharing an extra shout of hooray for its readers – you are the heartbeat of this publication.
May Tuesdays always be synonymous with collecting this newspaper from our doorsteps.
Kennedy Mudzuli led the team from 2008–2012 and wishes ‘this giant everything of the best in the next 50 years and beyond’.
He writes:
Like its siblings within the Caxton Local Media stable, the Northcliff Melville Times has always been a special publication and highly respected by the community it serves.
In my time as editor, there was added pressure because our boss at the time, Karen Geurtse, was one of its readers. We thus had to make sure we created a newspaper that spoke not only to the general public but the boss lady as well every week.
We delivered what the readers wanted. For instance, they loved their animal stories and community upliftment and development issues. Crime and poor service delivery got their attention, and we went out of our way to alert them about the crime hotspots, safety tips, and emergency contact numbers. Municipal news was also a top priority.
We were intentional about ensuring no other publication reported on a story from our area before us. In the event that we got scooped, we would make sure that ours was more detailed.
I was privileged to lead a team that saw the transition to the digital era, at a time when no one knew what this would mean to the traditional print media. Without any history to lean back on, we ran with it – and came out fine. And of course, I would not have done it without the news team – the likes of reporters Nie Cele, Jevanne Gibbs and Thuli Malinga come to mind, and so did the copy sub-editors Julia Lloyd and others.
Sue Upton in HR, manager Norman Dawe, the advertising team of Rene Koen and others, the page layout team of Lucas Khumalo and Thabo Boshomane and others all worked hard.
We delivered on our mandate at the time and formed long-lasting friendships and bonds. Thanks to the foundation laid by my predecessors, including the legendary Ellen Raubenheimer, followed by Nicky Belseck, who later became the managing editor for the Northcliff Melville Times and its sister newspapers.
Happy 50th birthday, NMT!
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