Dear Readers,
The devastation caused by the hail storm has left many areas of Newcastle in tatters.
Homes and cars were destroyed and the cost of damages is said to be in the millions at this stage.
With only two journalists physically in town, the pressure of covering significant events took its toll on the newsroom this week.
For ‘newbie’ journalist, Charmaine Mazibuko, this was definitely a trial by fire, and I commend her for keeping calm despite having to cope with an enormous weekend duty workload.
With the editor and senior journalist out of town, a newly-elected mayor under arrest and facing charges relating to murder, plus continuous damage being reported from the hail, it has most certainly been a challenging time.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the residents whose homes have been damaged, and I thank those who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help those in need. Your efforts may not always be recognised, but they are appreciated.
This week, I want to pay tribute to the Newcastle Advertiser staff, who managed to bring this edition to shelves and your homes despite our working circumstances.
We had severe technological and structural difficulties in the newsroom: broken windows, damaged servers, computer issues, flooding and damages to the office itself.
With our strict printing deadlines, we were still required to send our paper to the factory by Wednesday morning.
I apologise for any printing quality issues – gremlins in the system meant some of our photos were lost without hope of recovery, and this may have impacted our schools pages negatively.
As I type this to you, it is 9pm and we are still hard at work compiling your favourite weekly newspaper so you can enjoy another edition with a cup of coffee.
This week, you have much to whet your appetite: we take a closer look at political killings leading up to the national elections, bring you a story of hope amid the destruction of the storms, and even go on an exciting night walk with conservationist, astrophotographer extraordinaire and resident columnist Angus Burns.
I hope you enjoy this edition – it took many long hours, frayed nerves and lots of caffeine to put together!
Well done to my team for persisting and staying the course.
Our journalists are truly dedicated to the community and we would love to hear from you: send your tips, feedback, photos and more to reveshni@caxton.co.za or call me on 034 312 6021.
Contact us
WhatsApp: 082 874 5550
Email: Reveshni Douglas (Editor) at reveshni@caxton.co.za
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