Arriving in a newsroom must be the most intimidating time for a first-time reporter.
Everyone is busy, stressed and focused, chasing deadlines with such haste that there is no time to show a youngster the tricks of the trade.
Then you meet the one person who will take some time to get to know you, help you identify your interests and strengths, and give you the space to develop your skills.
For me that person was award-winning journalist and Beeld deputy editor Andriette Stofberg.
Stofberg (58) died this week in Johannesburg after a short illness from liver cancer. During her two weeks in hospital before her death, dozens of journalists poured into the oncology ward at the Donald Gordon Hospital for a chat, a bit of advice or a quick laugh about the ups and downs of life at journalism — a craft to which she dedicated her life.
The fruits of Stofberg’s labour are now role-players in the upper echelons of the media fraternity, government communications, academia and publishing. She developed a cadre of journalists whose passion for the job was made visible in various newspapers, magazines, books and television documentaries.
Her secret was a balanced mix of discipline and humanity.
“Talent will play a very small role of your eventual success,” she used to say, “hard work is the only guarantee.”
She knew her craft, and considered words as sacred.
As a cub reporter in 2002 I was both scared and in awe of her. At first I didn’t dare look her in the eye, later I didn’t dare disappoint her.
One of her protégés, who is now a national publisher of non-fiction books, remembers how Stofberg never shied away from getting the message across with firmness and compassion.
“Bok, wat gaan hier aan? Die intro sit dan halfpad ondertoe in die storie!” [Darling, what is going on here? The introduction is buried inside the story!]
But Stofberg’s legacy goes further than the scores of future leaders she groomed. She led by example. She was a fearless reporter who covered the AWB invations of Bophutswana in 1994 and became the last person to, while dodging bullets, interview the dying men.
As Naspers changed to Media24 in an attempt to dump its apartheid past, Stofberg launched By, a supplement which represented the new generation of Afrikaans people. By became the progressive face of the Afrikaans daily newspapers and served as a platform for many new writers, thinkers and decision-makers.
Although she executed her duties with extraordinary commitment at several Afrikaans newspapers, her career ladder was shaped by the patriarchal era of the seventies and eighties.
Women were not considered as editor material and Stofberg’s critical viewpoints about the chauvinism of apartheid did not endear her to those in decision-making positions. This did not stop her from encouraging young female reporters to break through glass ceilings, and today many women who passed through Stofberg’s red pen occupy leadership positions in media and academia.
She is survived by two sons and two grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on March 17 at the Thom Knight chapel in Vrededorp, Johannesburg.