The story of Bakhulule Ngeleza

This is the story of Bakhulule Ngeleza

the story of a vibrant young man,Xolani Nxuzula

Coveritlive - Digital Skills Training Workshop

by Simphiwe Kanityi


...In reality when it comes to digital skills you are talking a foreign language to (some) journalists today. Peter Verweij, a senior lecturer at the school of Journalism at Utrecht in the Netherlands, made it clear that you do not need to be on school premises in order to learn about using your cell phone as a tool to cover news live. Proactive (data collection) and reactive (voxpop) reporting are the two models that today’s' journalists never thought existed or at least could not distinguish how each is important than another. To put this in an understandable context, many journalists just opt for reactive reporting because it seems to be the easy model. Example, when the petrol price is going up they go around interviewing people on how they feel and how that will affect their day to day living. This is not wrong according to Verweij but there could be a better way that journalists can go for. Journalists can use their phones (internet) to collect data, meaning comparing petrol prices from various cities, previous years as to produce a strong story with relevant facts.

As the heading suggests, COVERITLIVE - means that you can directly cover any event only by using your phone. This gives you time now to collect enough data not just shallowly cover the story based on how people feels without covering the core issues. You see an accident, you do not just take pictures but seek more information about the city, the roads, past accidents and reasons and that will give you enough data for analysis so as to come up with well informed stories.

What was interesting about the workshop is that it was not just a one man talking session but have the practical sides as well. Participants had an opportunity to put into practice what they are learning and given the results they could find, it could be said the real time web reporting is working and necessary for today's journalism. One easy and trusted way that you can go about in finding information from around the world and specific countries, you can use Google public data, gap minder, wolfram alpha and you will find all the relevant information you need. Then for the immediate broadcast of this you can use tools such as coveritlive, Twitter, Audio Boo, Ustream, Qik and Vuvox. These are the tools where audio, video text and pictures can be uploaded. Amongst all these tools once again, blogging is still the way to go.

This therefore calls for all African journalists to report African news in a well informed position and not just goes with the stream of bad news. Verweij exclaimed that "there can be bad news about Africa, but can you not just give me what you see but give me data analysis, and bring together the figures". Therefore web reporting is important and todays' news rooms should be working towards this direction compared to television which is based on emotions. But the most important message from this first session is that journalist must not be so deadline minded to a point where they leave the facts behind. Figures, data, calculations and knowing the difference when the number are read as text or just as numbers and where they should be in Microsoft office excel matters most when it comes to getting the facts right. We will keep on updating you on the progress of the workshop since it will take the whole day of this last day of Highway Africa Conference.

FJP and HA are legendary via Twitter: An Alumni writes

I wrote a few weeks how bad i felt when I didn't see any new posts on the blog for the past few months and if you read it, you'd know how I felt. Anyway, thanks to Sim for being as active as ever, with one post a month! Atleast we are still getiing a lil bit of traffic.

Welcome to the new FJP's! I'm sure that you, like me, were excited when you got the call that told you that you're one of a few journalism students in the country who can boast of being part of the Future Journalists Programme. Well Done! Use this opportunity as well as you can and trust me, you'll be a success. I am.

Anyway I really wanted to be at Highway Africa this year,  I even enquired about the prices and everything, but alas, due to the World Cup (which I am so sick of... add Zakumi to the picture and I gag) I couldn't get leave, therefore I couldn't exactly come to G'Town for the conference. However not all is lost! Thanks to a little nifty thing called Twitter ( btw you can follow me- Buhlebonga) I can follow the whole conference! From who opened the conference, to who said what and what people wore to the Awards last night (thanks Lebo). :-)

So its great having people tweeting about the conference. It makes me feel like I'm there and hopefully I will get to learn something out of this year's HA. Oh btw, what is the theme this year? *hides*

PIC: 2008 FJP's at the 2008 Highway Africa Conference

Why did you get tested for HIV?

The New Start HIV/AIDS counselling centre has come to Grahamstown during the National Arts Festival. Many have been tested but it is important to realise why they chose to do so.

Zoleka Mthetwa, a new mother, got herself tested because she worries about the blood transfusion received after giving birth. “It’s really important that people get tested so that they can understand their future and protect their partners too”, explained Xolisa Tukute, a receptionist at the counselling centre.



FJP reporters first spoke to a couple who had this to say:
“I want get tested because I’d like to know where I stand with my health and see how I can prolong my life.” Babalwa Sidinana

“I want to know my status so I don’t stay in the shadows.” Mzolisi Sidinana

The rest of the people also had something to say:


“I’d like to know so that I can use my status to promote HIV awareness to the community” Maya Genovesi. American student


Compiled by Selina Bebaako, Lwando Helesi, Anele Ngwenya. FJP reporters

Village Green Moves Show From Town to RU Campus

The National Arts Festival’s Transnet Village Green Market has moved from Fiddlers Green in the centre of Grahamstown to Rhodes University campus. The new digs are more spacious and promise a “family-friendly” environment and a bigger sales platform for South African crafts makers and vendors.

According to Festival CEO Tony Lankester, the move to the Great Fields Complex at was prompted by the need to “turn the Craft Market into something bigger”; one capable of competing on an international scale. Lankester said that the previous location at Fiddlers Green was “shabby, rundown and cramped [with] nowhere to move”. Rhodes University partnered with the Festival organisers in order to open up the campus to the townspeople ensuring that “everyone comes to Rhodes as equals”—an issue that was apparently emphasised by Rhodes Vice Chancellor Dr. Saleem Badat. Lankester admitted however, that there had been a lack of communication between the organisers and the community about the move.

This was on the backdrop of a meeting which was held on 16 June by members of the community, who were disappointed about not being kept in the loop. The community was only notified of the change through recent advertisements. Khaya Thonjeni, a member of the Grahamstown community, said that there was a perception in town that people would lose their festival income with the Market’s relocation to the more leafy Rhodes campus. Townspeople are “more comfortable [with] where it was, because Rhodes has a way of doing things,” Thonjeni said.

Luvuyo Booi, a young casual also expressed his unhappiness about the relocation and said many people such as himself faced constant harassment from security personnel when they are on campus. He said that at Fiddlers Green in town they could “move around freely like everybody else” but on campus they are treated with suspicion and in constant fear of arrest. Booi said move also made it difficult for him to earn an income as he used to wash cars near Fiddlers Green, which is impossible on campus.

Not everyone is so despondent of course. Dylan McGarry, a street performer and puppeteer said that the move was “good for street theatre” because the Great Field Complex provides a big field and stands for the street performers. He said that the positioning of the old venue was not “very equitable” but it was “less segregated at the centre of town” therefore there would need to be more publicity to bring the town’s people onto campus, who still “don’t feel they have access to Rhodes University”.

The Village Green Market is one of the most popular aspects of the Arts festival and seems to have found a comfortable new home on Rhodes campus.

• Reported and written by Chwayitisa Futshane, Colin Wardle, Ongeza Ndlakuse and Jane Mathebula.

9 months no houses for tornado victims -Grahamstown

It was in early October 2008 when the mini tornado hit Grahamstown; a number of residents, especially in Vukani location were left houseless. Early this year they were provided with two room –tents and promised to be in their houses by the end of March 2009. Elections came and passed in April 2009 and still the houses were not in place as promised. Attempts to speak with the officials failed a number of times due to their unavailability. In an ever changing Grahamstown weather I personally witnessed that the tents are not in good condition. They have holes and the winter freezing wind just blows in, they are small as you can hear from the audio accompanying this article. Sad enough residents do not even know who their councillor is, they are only depending on the coming of the officials when they like to do so. The hope is on the new government if they can deliver something different for these residents.

Only listen the first part of this podcast which is relevant to this article otherwise you can listen to the rest for interests' sake.

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Simphiwe Kanityi 08