�I came as a boy, I leave as a man�
Lesang Maswabi | Friday June 27, 2014 16:28
Serene in that it is the morning after Africa finally came to the party, with Ghana securing a point and both Nigeria and Algeria registering wins, following what seemed to be yet another disastrous appearance at the on-going 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Somber, because it has finally sunk in that this day will officially mark the end of my DPC work relationship with my interviewee.
My decision to pen this interview is actually a culmination from an earlier Facebook (FB) tribute that I posted to pay homage to the outgoing Editor of The Monitor newspaper, Kagiso Sekokonyane. On the post I had acknowledged that Sekokonyane’s journey with DPC was one well travelled with great valour, commitment and passion that nobody could dispute.
He had himself earlier on posted; “My long journey with Dikgang Publishing Company, publishers of Mmegi and The Monitor, comes to an end on June 30, a few days from today. It has been a pleasant 20 years of good service to this company. This is how it ends, however unpleasant it may be, but I have to move on. Thank you all guys for the value, no matter how small, you added to my career over the years. Please tell all those that I can’t reach through this medium. I came in as a boy but now I leave as a man. I have come full circle; came in as a cub reporter and I am leaving as an Editor. I couldn’t have asked for more! I hope the outside world will welcome me in a pleasant way as I begin a new chapter in my life. I will be unemployed as of June 30 but I will still be your friend. God bless you. We will meet on the other side”.
As I walk into his office on the third floor, I find Sekokonyane already clearing his desk and office. While he still had a few days, this Sunday was his last to put The Monitor to bed.
After settling down, I ask Sekokonyane to share with me his long relationship with the Mmegi group. In a calm but evidently emotional tone, Sekokonyane begins by taking me back through his little over two-decades journey, dating back to September 6, 1993 when he first joined the organisation. As he starts to reflect on his career, his deportment is in no way different from the very body language expression when he first broke the news to me about three months ago. In a melancholic mood he says he feels the end of his chapter with the organisation comes in a manner that he had not expected.
“It has come in a rather abrupt way and unfortunately at a time that I also felt that I still had a lot to offer,” says Sekokonyane.
At this juncture, I nostalgically recall his response to my tribute to him posted on FB, which read, “Tear drop, Mr Les. I fall short of words to describe my journey with this company. Some people may not appreciate it but its fine though. I am at peace with myself because I know that I contributed to the growth of the company. What a wonderful journey we have had together, Mr Les. We started together much earlier on, though at different times. You came in first. Even though I am leaving DPC, I will always cherish the friendship we have cultivated over the years. Hope it continues forever. It’s a matter of two weeks and I will be out. Thank you for everything Mr Les!”
Back to the interview, Sekokonyane states that, “I am just two months short to the month that I actually joined this establishment 21 years ago, minus the five months stint that I had resigned temporarily to work at the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) as an investigator. I take it that the prolonged period of my dedicated service to this organisation in itself tells a story”.
The Bachelor of Science in Humanities graduate says he had responded to a vacancy for a reporter that was advertised in Mmegi/The Reporter (as it was called then). A little later, he came before an interview panel that comprised of the then Managing Editor Methaetsile Leepile, then Editor Sechele Sechele and the late Sam Kamphodza, who was the Business Editor at the time.
He passed and was hired as a cub reporter. In a stretched but vibrant newsroom he immediately found himself amongst a company of great and committed scribes of the likes of Keto Segwai, Mesh Moeti, Mike Mothibi, Prof Malema and Pamela Dube. He says he owes a lot to that team of the early 1990s that he regarded as a small but effective crew that he ultimately learnt a lot from. Lasting friendships developed, as was professional respect.
“For instance Mike and I were more like friends, but both of us knew where to draw the line when it came to work. I was however, basically open to learn from everyone and ever ready to get my hands dirty anywhere, anytime”, says Sekokonyane, in a now nonchalant voice.
Sekokonyane had been an integral part of the Mmegi growth, having first steered the development of the Sport section of Mmegi into what it is today. Sport reporting, that had always been very close to his heart was obviously his first love, hence the many awards and accolades that were bestowed upon him. His love for Sport, especially football was further demonstrated when upon its maiden voyage, he was anointed captain of Mmegi’s social football club Kakapa. It is a ship that he sailed successfully, well over a decade.
The professionalism in KS (as he is affectionately called by his peers) at the Mmegi group did not go unnoticed, as he was called to serve among various institutions of repute like the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) - Botswana Chapter, Press Club, among others.
He says notable and prestigious awards he won like the MISA Best Journalist of The Year and Coca Cola Sports Reporter of The Year in 1998 are some of the greatest highlights during his career. “This was the moment that signified the fact that I had not only arrived but also gained some recognition.”
These awards bear testimony to his success in the industry as he leaves The Monitor an easily recognisable brand that has established itself as an authority on coverage of weekend events especially on Sports and Showbiz. He is quick to quip that though it was his name that would be called to receive the awards, it was never really about himself as he always recognised that it was all a team-effort. “It actually motivated me more to encourage others who in fact also went on to do well, with some eventually being headhunted by other companies,” he says.
“Though I have mixed feelings on my departure, I am however happy that I leave the industry having come full circle. I know the entire newsroom operations, having first started as a junior reporter to becoming a News, Features and Sports Editor, the first full-time Editor of Naledi and ultimately The Monitor Editor. I have never at any time begged for these positions but instead I believe they came as a reward for the hard work I put in as I continued to receive more acclamations. Being a weekend Editor, I laid my life for this publication as I did not have a weekend as is evident, even up to this very moment. Fine, I may have gained professionally but I also lost on the social aspect. Often, I could not attend social events that I was connected to and this led to clashes with my family and relatives. But overall I believe I did my best.”
Asked who from outside the Mmegi group made an impact on his career, he says; “At the time I joined there was serious competition between Mmegi and The Botswana Guardian. I would therefore to pick out someone like Outsa Mokone, who was not only an insightful and courageous journalist but also possessed entrepreneurial skills, as was later evident when he and others set up their own newspaper flagships.”
Just as in other industries, it would be expected that there shall be some high and low-lights at some point in one’s vocation and unfortunately Sekokonyane’s career, decorated as it has been was not going to escape one of those challenging moments. He had thought he would exist on a clean slate but that has not been the case as he leaves with a legal matter pending before the courts, which he and the newspaper have to answer to. Ironically, he says, “I have never in my career had to appear before the courts to defend this newspaper against any libel. Not that I have not received complaints from members of the public. I have in fact successfully defended all of the cases brought before the Press Council. I leave confidently knowing that I have not cost the company money through legal matters.”
One of the most serious challenges that Sekokonyane admits he has had to face in his profession was the advent of the electronic-media, especially in the form of social media. He cites the declining sales of the newspaper as a direct result of this phenomenon. “Look, at some stage after I had been appointed Editor, The Monitor sales hovered around the 20,000 mark, but have since dropped and as you know, that also has a bearing on the advertising revenue. It has also negatively impacted on staff salaries,” he says.
Is there anything that he feels he could have done differently? “Well, I know I had fought a losing battle at this one, but if I had my way I would have long had The Monitor team separated from Mmegi. All for the sake of identity and I hope the group considers this as we move forward.”
And with that came KS’ last word to the comrades he leaves behind; “This is your company, work hard because at the end of the day it is you and I that are beneficiaries and this great institution is the only thing we have. I have cultivated many a friendship and I believe I am and will still be friends to many for I will be around. It is a small world mind you. I wish you all the best.”