Not only for her family and friends, but also for Sedibeng Ster and her colleagues. Gugu, as everybody calls her, is the newspaper’s Online Journalist. She is the tech savvy one who knows what to do and who to contact when the website is acting up or when our Facebook pages go all haywire.
Gugu also has the ability to know just what to share and when to share it in order to attract the most readers’ attention online.
Nowadays, she might be a primarily self-taught online guru, but originally, she wanted to specialize in broadcast journalism.
After school she obtained her Diploma in Journalism from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria. “I loved the broadcast part of the course, but somehow my career path has always taken me down the publishing and online route instead,” she muses over a cup of tea.
She remembers her first job as an editorial intern at a health and wellness magazine in Randburg. “I was very young, and I must confess, I wasn’t that interested in all the articles on anti-aging and how to look younger,” she says and laughs. “Well, now I wish I still had all those secrets at my fingertips.”
Gugu is a married mother of two adorable children; Atlegang (Atli) and Khumoetsile (Khumo). She moved to Vanderbijlpark six years ago when she married the love of her life, Gabaiphiwe who works for Sasol. The couple will be celebrating their sixth anniversary next month!
Adapting to the Vaal Triangle after being used to city life in Krugersdorp, where she grew up, was a bit of a challenge, but now Gugu enjoys the area.
She enjoys her work as an online journalist a lot. “I love my job. Every day is different. There is always something new happening around here. It also gives me the freedom to be a real hands-on mum for my kids. I want to be there for most of their school events,” she says.
Gugu believes that hard work pays off. “When I was an intern and in all the subsequent positions I had, I always made sure I did more than what was required of me. I also taught myself. I will sit and figure out a new system until I know the ins and outs and can help others. I love to train others. One day, I would like to give lectures to students on digital journalism and social media management. Maybe as a part time lecturer. I really enjoy what I’m doing currently,” she says and opens the Vaalweekblad’s website on her laptop to show me the latest stats. “See, over a million visitors. They are not unique visitors though, that million includes the people that come back again and again. That’s our unique visitors,” she says as she re-direct my attention to the over 230 000 number on the page. Our Treasure indeed! Gugulethu, you were aptly named.
