MIDDELBURG – As Highveld Chronicle marks 10 years since its establishment, CEO Mfanzile Dlakude says the publication’s next decade will focus on making a lasting impact in the communities it serves.
Dlakude was speaking after receiving an Appreciation Certificate and Award during the Nkangala Arts and Music Awards (NkAMA) Gala Dinner at the Sydney Choma Banquet Hall on Friday evening. He said the recognition came as an unexpected surprise.
“Our work at Highveld Chronicle involves putting other people first, hence our slogan – First with the People, first with the News. This is very precious. Normally, when we do that, we forget about ourselves. So getting this recognition means a lot to me. I did not expect this; it’s a huge surprise to me,” he said.
Reflecting on the journey since the newspaper was established in 2016, Dlakude said its first 10 years had focused on expanding its reach.
He co-founded the publication while working as an ICT Business Analyst at Victor Khanye Local Municipality in Delmas. The newspaper initially covered three municipalities – Victor Khanye, eMalahleni and Steve Tshwete.
That changed in September 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, when Dlakude left his full-time job to run the publication. He said the decision was initially not well received by his spouse, who has always supported his vision, given the uncertainty of leaving a guaranteed salary to pursue the business full-time.
The decision has since seen Highveld Chronicle expand its footprint to all six local municipalities in the Nkangala District, with support from municipalities and government departments. This, he said, enabled the publication to recruit a larger team.
“Highveld Chronicle is not just a paper. It creates job opportunities and strives to make a lasting difference in the communities it serves,” Dlakude said.
He said the publication must now shift its focus from expanding its reach to creating greater impact in the communities it serves.
“We spent the first 10 years trying to reach everywhere. Now we have a question: What are we going to do in the next 10 years? The answer is to make a difference in the communities that we are serving, and we understand that we cannot achieve this alone. NkAMA is part of the initiatives which we are using to make that difference,” he explained.
Dlakude said NkAMA was established in response to the needs of artists who approached the publication seeking opportunities to showcase their work.
“We were looking at the people that were coming to us wanting their stories to be told. I am talking about artists who wanted a platform to be heard, seen and to showcase their work in various communities within the Nkangala District,” he said.
He also thanked the leadership of Nkangala District Municipality for supporting the NkAMA initiative.
“I want to thank the leadership of Nkangala District Municipality, politically led by Executive Mayor Thomas Ngwenya and administratively led by Municipal Manager Mandla Mahlangu, for their overwhelming support thus far. When we introduced the NkAMA initiative to them, they opened their hands and availed the resources. Thank you once again for helping us to fulfil this dream of making a difference in the Nkangala communities,” he said.
