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FRESHMEN
 Christine-Rita Abankwah, Deputy Editor & Copy Editor, News Company Botswana Ltd., Botswana
Christine-Rita Abankwah is an editor at News Company Botswana, a publishing house that produces The Botswana Gazette and Lapologa Magazine, Botswana’s premier lifestyle magazine. She started working for Lapologa magazine in 2010 as a Features Writer before progressing to Deputy Editor.
Today, her portfolio includes editing online content and social media for both publications as well as advertising copy for the newspaper. She also trains and mentors interns. Her main focus is writing lifestyle features and she has interest in emotional intelligence, prominent personality profiles and human interest stories. Born in Botswana to parents of East and West African descent, she refers to herself as an eternal dreamer who finds much inspiration in the cyclical life of the Phoenix, a powerful mythological bird.
 Lenah Galelemogoe Kedikaetswe, Founder, Avant-Garde Media, Botswana
Born in October 26th 1987, Lenah Kedikaetswe graduated with a Bachelor of Art in Mass Communication from Curtin University- where she double-majored in Journalism and Public Relation. Having also studied Creative Advertising Design and Intro to Film & Television she considers herself a media extraordinaire.
After graduating in 2010, she and 2 friends decided to establish a media company as they were well aware of the limited employment opportunities for media professionals in Botswana. They registered Avant-Garde Media and started publishing an online society and lifestyle magazine, Pristine Magazine (www.pristinemag.com)- a first of its kind in Botswana.
She aspires and intends to be part of the media development of Botswana by growing this company as they intend to have more productions (print, online and broadcasting). She is constantly searching for and using available platforms to develop herself as a well-versed media professional and media entrepreneur- Women In News being one of them.
Ruth Kedikilwe, Reporter, The Sunday Standard, Botswana
 Tebatso Kgakge, Production Manager, Botswana Gazette, Botswana
Tebatso Kgakge is a young Motswana woman interested and passionate about the development of woman in the African corporate world and beyond. She lives and works in Botswana, where She currently works for a publishing house called News Company Botswana as a Production Manager. Her job entails managing production, selling and marketing of photography services, corporate videos, television commercials, infomercials, documentaries etc.
Tebatso studied Public Relations Management at the University of Johannesburg where Media was one of her majors. She has been back in Botswana for three years now, with two and half of those years working at News Co.
She started working in video production, moved on to working in New Co.'s magazine, producing their photo shoots, then went on to marketing the magazine as well as the newspaper. Tebatso is back to video production where she was recently promoted to senior producer in an effort to assist manage the department and bring in more sales.
Tlotlo Mbazo, Special Projects Editor, Botswana Guardian, Botswana
Gothataone Moeng, features writer, Mmegi & Monitor, Botswana
Gothataone Moeng is a features writer and hard-news reporter for the Mmegi and Monitor newspapers, which are published by the Dikgang Publishing Company. She graduated from the University of Botswana in 2007 with a Bachelor's Degree in Media Studies (with a double specialization in Print Journalism and TV&Video Production). She started working for Mmegi in 2011, and has previously worked in television and film production.
Her day-to-day duties include researching, interviewing sources and writing features and hard news stories. She is a published short story writer.
 Dantago Garosas, HR Manager, The Namibian, Namibia
Dantagos is the HR Manager at The Namibian, the biggest English daily newspaper in Namibia. She held the position of Accountant until 2008, until she accepted the opportunity of heading the HR department for the past 4 years. She heads the entire HR portfolio which covers inter alia Recruitment, Payroll, Training, Performance Management and Organisational Development.
She is currently studying towards a HR Degree with the Polytechnic of Namibia, completed a Certificate in Media Leadership at the Rhodes University and was elected as a mentor for the Telecom Katuka Mentorship Program in 2012.
Dantagos lives in Windhoek with her husband and 2 children.
Erica Gatawa, Advertising Consultant, Windhoek Observer, Namibia
Having over 7 years of experience in the media industry, Erica Gatawa is a seasoned marketer who has been working as a Copywriter and Advertising Consultant for the Windhoek Observer for 3 years. Her work involves a high level of commitment, having an innovative mindset as well as focusing on strategic visions in order to ensure operational excellence. She has been highly instrumental in providing real customer satisfaction as well as building sustainable relationships at the Windhoek Observer.
Erica holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from the University of Zimbabwe as well as a Marketing & Advertising Diploma with the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Her career in the industry spans regional and international borders, having provided her services to a national publication in Zimbabwe whose circulation extended to neighbouring Mozambique as well as similar work done at Beijing Forestry University in China.
Her commitment to the industry extends to the promotion of personal development in others through the facilitation of various workshops and corporate events for the promotion of Women in Business with various Capacity Building Institutions where she acts as a Human Development consultant.
Born and bred in Zimbabwe, Erica now lives in Windhoek Namibia with her wonderful husband, amazing daughter and an adorable son.
Vicky Meg, Sub-Editor, The Village Newspaper, Namibia
 Dorcas Mhungu, News Editor, Confidente Newspaper, Namibia
Dorcas Mhungu is a media practitioner with over 17 years experience in the print media and has worked in leading media houses in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
She was appointed the first female editor of Prime Focus, one of the most popular business magazines in Namibia. Her decade and half experience is shared between marketing and editorial.
A graduate with a BA in Communications, Dorcas is an award-winning journalist whose passion is to motivate fellow female media practitioners to occupy the highest echelons in media establishments. Her career spans from 1985 and in Zimbabwe has worked for the Zimbabwe Newspapers Group – The Manica Post & Bold Ads, and Modus Publications, publishers of The Financial Gazette. During her studies in Namibia she has also freelanced for The Windhoek Observer and The Business Post.
 Vincezelle Platt, Events Co-ordinator, Windhoek Observer, Namibia
Vincezelle Platt started working for the Windhoek Observer as a marketing consultant before being promoted to the role of event-co coordinator. She is busy studying a diploma in Finance Management as aspires to study public relations, as she has a passion for it. Being young and vibrant she likes to take on new challenges, which she views as stepping stones to new and exciting opportunities. In her spare time, Vincezelle enjoys modelling and considers it a part-time job. Her future goal is to continue working toward becoming the successful person she dreams of being.
Selma Shipanga, Reporter, The Namibian, Namibia
 Jennine van Jaarsveld, Circulations Manager, The Namibian, Namibia
Jennine started her career in the retail industry in 2005 at the age of 21, after she obtained her Human Resources Management Diploma at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
She was appointed in 2008 as the HR and OPS Support Manager at The Namibian, and in February 2010 took up the position as the Circulation and Operations Manager. This entails managing the distribution network of the newspaper, as well as the circulation section, which entails the management of sales and returns of newspapers. She is also responsible for managing the Operations department, which includes the Fleet management, Procurement function and general day-to-day office operations.
She is currently studying at the Polytechnic of Namibia for a Bachelor degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Jennine is very much focused on her career, and lives by the belief that “There are two major choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or to accept the responsibility for changing them.”
Rebecca Chileshe, Journalist, Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
My name is Rebecca Chileshe, a journalist working for the government owned Zambia Daily Mail. My current position is sub-editor. My main duties are to edit stories and images, design pages, come up with catchy headlines and edit captions.
I have been working for the Zambia Daily Mail for the last seven years. During my stay at the Daily Mail, I have had the opportunity to train with Reuters in London, Fojo in Sweden, Royal Holloway College in Essex UK and I have been to China twice to attend courses in Female capacity building.
I have taken interest in reporting on ICTs and attended attended the ICD4D conference in London My job has exposed me and i love it because it gives me an opportunity to travel and see the world.
I belong to a number of professional bodies both locally and internationally. I have a diploma in Journalism and I intend to enrol into varsity soon for my degree in media studies. During my spare time, I love to spend quality time with my kids.
Panic Chilufya, Deputy Sub-Editor, Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
Majorie Maila Bwalya, Accounts Clerk, Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
 Annette Maluzi senior customer account executive-Advertising, The Post, Zambia
The Post newspaper is a private owned Newspaper and its one of the popular papers in Zambia.
Annette has worked with The Post since December 2006 when she began working as a sales executive in the circulation department. She then moved to the advertising department in 2008 and was promoted to the position of senior sales executive in 2010.
Annette's primary duties include marketing and selling advertising space, liaising with international and local advertising agencies, and supervising and coordinating all in-house sales and marketing.
She lives in Lusaka and enjoys working for The Post because it allows her to meet different people from all walks of life.
Nawa Muyunda, Assistant Circulations Manager, The Post, Zambia
Moono Nkonde, Human Resources, Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
SOPHOMORES
Baboki Kayawe, Reporter, Mmegi & Monitor, Botswana
"Hope is a powerful weapon even when nothing else may remain," Nelson Mandela. This is my quote for the year 2011.
The first time I heard of the craft, 'journalism' was ten years back. I was doing my junior secondary education and one of the reading materials for my Form 2 class happened to be a book by one of the legendary literary icons in Botswana, Bessie Head. The word sounded big and I assumed it meant something dangerous, hence I consulted my Longman dictionary, and there it was and I knew I wanted to be one!
I had a way with expressing myself through pen and paper, and I knew I would never make it in science related courses because of my poor Maths grade. Though I would like to see myself grow professionally, I am happy with the way most of my poverty reporting has changed lives in a positive light. I feel I relate to these people's cause because I grew in a poor rural Botswana village, Mopipi where one needed not to be hungry to see the dismal living condition most were and still are enveloped in. From my life experience I feel I do poverty stories justice because this is a subject I have seen for most of my life!
 Catherine Keitebale, Sales Executive, Mmegi & Monitor, Botswana
I am Catherine Keitebale Sebogodi born in Lobatse in February 1975. I did my Primary schooling in Ramotswa and Secondary schooling in Lethlakane. I did Computer operations, Business Studies, Bookkeeping and Accounts after O’level.
I have worked as a receptionist for BNPC, Data Capturer for Credit Advice Services, Senior Advertising Excutive for Mmegi Publishing Trust (MPT) and as a Senior Sales Execcutive for Dikgang Publishing Company. I have been the secretary for the Staff welfare.
I enjoy reading especially current affairs, traveling and socialising.
Sadie Keitseope, Operations Manager, The Voice, Botswana
Phemelo Ramasu, Journalist, Botswana Guardian, Botswana
Christiana Angermund, Line Manager of the Agency Desk, Republikein, Namibia
Gerine Botha, Senior Reporter, Republikein, Namibia
Sanet de Waal, Senior Reporter, Republikein, Namibia
 Nancy Kachumi, Accountant, The Post, Zambia
Nancy Kachumi is an Accountant with the Post Newspapers in Lusaka, Zambia. She started working with Post Newspapers in March 2006 as a Debt Collector. She promoted to the position of Credit Controller in December 2007. In January 2009 she was moved to the position of Accountant.
Her role includes Preparation of vat returns, Maintain accurate and reliable database of creditors and ensuring prompt payment to suppliers, Timely and accurate processing of invoices in Pastel Evolution
Matching of Invoices against Purchase Orders and Receipts. Also ensuring the reconciliation of Creditors accounts and Bank accounts and follow up on reconciling items, Liaising with Procurement, Logistics, Administration and other departments in resolving reconciling items, Liaising with local and foreign suppliers on payments made and submitting of invoices, Supervising timely input of payments made, bank charges and interest in Pastel Evolution, Daily checking of receipts against bankings made and ensure all receipts have been captured in the system, Liaising with the Bank on uncredited receipts and other unreconcilied items, Preparation of daily Cahflow analysis.
Wezi Mazunda, Sports Editor, The Monitor & Digest, Zambia
Maimbolwa Mulikelela, Business & Health Reporter, Times of Zambia, Zambia
 Maureen Mwaba, Accountant/Treasury, Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
My name is Maureen Mwaba Mumba. I work for Zambia Daily Mail Ltd, a state owned Newspaper organisation as a Treasury Accountant. I am professionally qualified with over 11 years of practice in financial management with four years of post qualifying experience after completing ACCA qualification and I am currently studying an MBA with specialisation in strategic planning. I joined Zambia Daily Mail Ltd in 2002 as an Accounts Assistant and rose to the position of Treasury Accountant, the position which I still hold. I have a proven record of working and making a significant contribution within financial administration and accounting including cost-saving measures and financial accounting while working to tight schedules.
My areas of expertise include Company treasury management, maintenance and actively improving on departmental performance and standards of internal controls, financial accounting, accounts payables, bank reconciliation, and maintenance of effective internal and external relationships, managing and inspiring staff members.
I am a member of the Zambia Institute of Certified Accountants (ZICA) and Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) in England.
Margaret Samulele, Reporter, Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
GRADUATES
Chandapiwa Baputaki, Reporter, Mmegi & Monitor, Botswana
Chandapiwa Baputaki is a reporter with Mmegi and Monitor newspapers trading under Dikgang Publishing Company in Botswana. She started working for Dikgang Publishing Company in 2003 as an intern while she was still at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. She was later employed permanently in 2005. Her capacity involves researching stories, writing news and feature articles. Her main focus has been on education and labour issues in Botswana. She is a two-time recipient of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) award for the year 2007 and 2009 respectively.
A mother of two daughters, Baputaki currently lives in the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone, with her daughters Lesego and Lesedi, and her younger brother Petros and sister Botho. She lives by the motto: "If you can dream it, put your mind to it and act on it, you can achieve it".
 Sinqobile Ndlovu-Tessa, News Editor, The Voice, Botswana
Sinqobile Ndlovu-Tessa is the news editor of The Voice, Botswana's best selling newspaper. She joined the paper in March 2010 as a freelance journalist and was appointed to her current position in August the same year.
Her work involves running the day-to-day affairs of the newsroom which is mainly assigning reporters and photographers, conducting diary meetings and subbing stories. This, however, does not mean that the ink has dried on her part as she also writes stories, mainly features.
Born in Zimbabwe on July 2, 1977, Sinqobile has 10 years experience in the media industry, having worked for two newspapers in Zimbabwe, The Chronicle and vernacular Umthunywa from 2001 to 2006, before moving to Botswana in 2007.
 Leatile Gaolape, Human Resources and Administration Officer, The Botswana Guardian and Midweek Sun, Botswana
Leatile Letty Gaolape is the Human Resources and Administration Officer for CBET (Pty) Ltd; Publishers of Botswana Guardian and The Midweek Sun newspapers. Letty joined CBET (Pty) Ltd in 2007. She is an experienced Human Resources practitioner with a comprehensive and strategic understanding of HRM, business administration and organizational change. Letty is able to devise and implement coherent HR practices whilst improving internal processes and procedures within a demanding environment. She is accountable for carrying out a wide range of human resources and administration activities.
Her duties include, but are not limited to: driving growth in the business by maintaining working relationships with our existing business units and providing an exceptional level of service across all areas of HR including; recruitment, performance, training and development, , employee relations, staff welfare, extra and intra-company communications. She sits on the HR Board Committee of CBET (Pty) Ltd as a Secretary. Letty is also a member of a United Kingdom professional body of Association of Business Managers and Administrators, she has been with this association since January 2001.
Letty lives in Gaborone with her husband, her son, Leboko, and her son’s cute brown curly coated poodle dog called Nicky.
 Anna Shilongo, Journalist, Namibia
Anna Shilongo is a journalist who has enjoyed a career that placed her in a number of high-profile positions with print and broadcast media throughout Namibia. She began her career in 2003 at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), where she gained invaluable experience, before joining the New Era newspaper in 2007 and moving on to the Namibian Sun and the Windhoek Observer in subsequent years.
She has taken part in the 2008 SADC Journalist Exchange Programme in Mozambique, stationed at Maputo Corridor Radio, and, in 2006, enrolled with the University of Wits for a Business and National Economics course, specializing in financial journalism.
Anna was recently appointed as Media Liaison Coordinator and Facilitator for the Namibia Angola Housing Initiative (NAAHI), a partnership which was forged to ensure active participation of Namibian and South African companies in the reconstruction and development of Angola.
 Irene Ingrid Emmy !Hoaës, Senior Reporter, New Era, Namibia
Irene Ingrid Emmy !Hoaës is a senior reporter for the New Era Publications Corporation in Namibia, responsible for sourcing and writing news stories, as well as taking pictures. As a senior reporter, Irene mostly initiates her own story ideas and works independently, as well as conducts research on certain stories that might need in-depth information. She writes both hard news and feature stories. Previously, Irene was employed as a radio and television news reporter at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.
Irene has been a journalist since 2003, entering the profession upon completion of her university studies. She holds a degree in Media Studies Namibia and two other degrees (BPhill & Mphill) in Sustainable Development from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.
 Estelle de Bruyn, Editor-in-Chief, Republikein, Namibia
Estelle de Bruyn is the editor-in-chief of the Afrikaans-language daily newspaper, Republikein in Namibia.
She was appointed on August 1, 2010 and admits to still being rather green in the job. However, since taking up the position, she has been on a very steep learning curve, getting to grips with newspaper layout, marketing, distribution and circulation, human resource management and various other aspects of the newspaper industry she did not have to deal with previously.
Since starting out in journalism in 1981, Estelle has worked in both print and electronic media, spending the most time working for television news as a senior political journalist. “Returning to newspapers, where I started off all those years ago, feels like my career has come full circle. I am really starting to enjoy the new challenges that accompany being the editor-in-chief of Republikein,” Estelle said.
Estelle lives in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia with her two German “Dackel” (sausage dogs). She has a daughter, Nicola, who is a first year student at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a son who works in the film industry in Cape Town.
 Alita Louwrens, Sales Coordinator, Republikein, Namibia
Alita Louwrens is a Sales-coordinator at the Republikein, the Afrikaans daily newspaper in Windhoek, Namibia, which was established 34 years ago. She joined the Republikein team 10 years ago, got married 18 months later and moved to the South of Namibia where she lived for three years. Once back in Windhoek, Alita again joined the Republikein as a service representative (advertising) and worked her way up to sales representative. She was officially promoted to Sales-coordinator on December 1, 2009.
Her job as Sales-coordinator is to manage her sales team of 12 – a team whose personalities differ quite a bit – from “Goths” to “plane Janes” as well as two men. Alita needs to see that clients’ needs as well as targets are met, keep her team’s spirits raised and liaise with the design team, newsprint and the other departments in the Democratic Media Holdings Group. The past year has been quite a challenge, since she was selected from her post as sales representative and now has to manage a team – a team whose members often don’t see eye to eye. She has to feel comfortable enough with them to have difficult conversations while at the same time reminding them that they have her support.
A Namibian Citizen, Alita studied Marketing Management in Stellenbosch and worked with the fashion designer Jenny Button, for a year, mainly as admin assistant, but also organising fashion shows and working in the stores. She married Jaco on September 1, 2001 and has a gorgeous little boy, Herco.
 Emelda Libanga Musonda, Sub-Editor, The Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
Emelda is a sub-editor with the state-owned The Zambia Daily Mail newspaper, where she is responsible for, among other things, editing, fact-checking and clarifying articles, editing images and captions and writing punchy, eye-catching headlines. Before joining the Zambia Daily Mail, Emelda worked for Radio Christian Voice as a reporter and newscaster.
Emelda holds a Bachelor of Mass Communication degree from the University of Zambia. She also holds a certificate in sub-editing from Wits University in South Africa. She has also undertaken short courses in Advanced TV and Video Production and New Media and Digital Journalism at the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication.
In 2005, Emalda was part of a team of media experts, lawyers, academics and civil servants that was tasked to assess the state of Zambian media under the Media Barometer project initiated by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. She is also member of Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA).
Emelda lives in Lusaka with her husband and three children.
Brenda Zulu, Freelance Journalist, Zambia
Doris Kasote, Chief Reporter, The Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia
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