Janet Smith, Paballo Thekiso, Rabbie Serumula, Masego Panyane, and Baldwin Ndaba (far right) during the launch of their book, The Black Consciousness Reader, in Newtown.
The media fraternity mourns the loss of Baldwin Ndaba, a talented, committed, hardworking, and fearless journalist who left an indelible mark on the profession.
It is sad and painful that the noble craft of journalism, to which Ndaba dedicated his entire working life, turned out to be cruel and unkind to him, as it did to many other media practitioners - journalists, photojournalists, sub-editors, and others - most of whom served with aplomb, while others are dying in silence.
Despite giving his all, Zithulele Tsielala Baldwin Ndaba joined throngs of journalists who quietly and silently bore the invisible scars of the brutality of journalism. Many journalists are suffering in silence in newsrooms due to various factors, including retrenchments, being expected to do more with less, salary cuts, and lack of unions.
Others resent giving their all to journalism, especially in print media. The recent closure of City Press has left many asking themselves, including aspirant journalism students, "What's next?" Is there a future in journalism? "Should we follow in the shoes of the likes of Percy Qoboza, Joe Thloloe, Thami Mazwai, Mathatha Tsedu, Sophie Tema, Nomavenda Mathiane, Maud Motanyane, Paula Fray, Lizeka Mda, Zingisa Mkhuma, and others?"
