#TheHerald180 | Ex-editor-in-chief pays tribute to colleagues, readers, people of Gqeberha

A message from former editor-in-chief Jethro Goko on the occasion of The Herald’s 180th Anniversary

Congratulations to Rochelle and the entire Herald family, which includes its wonderful and loyal readers, as the title celebrates its 180th birthday.

It is good to see that the newspaper is still going strong despite all the changes and the challenges which continue to affect the media industry in SA and around the world.

May this important paper continue to thrive and to play a critical role in the development of Gqeberha, the Eastern Cape and Mzansi at large for many more years to come.

I have fond memories of being at The Herald, including its amazing and hard-working staff, as well as its passionate readers who cared a great deal about what we did.

That Nelson Mandela Bay was, and remains, a great place to live and work in made my time at the newspaper even more memorable.

Though I came to Gqeberha rather reluctantly, and at a challenging time for Arena Holdings’ Eastern Cape titles, it is probably true to say that I had my most fulfilling experience as a journalist and editor there, and will forever be grateful that I was given the opportunity to work there.

Unlike in Johannesburg where editors only worried about their content, in my time there I had the privilege of getting involved intimately in the entire production process which included marketing, printing and circulation — which proved invaluable even after I left Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha).

But it was my special colleagues — I admit I drove some of them crazy as we relentlessly and successfully worked together to turn things around — as well as the engaged readers and the incredible people of Gqeberha generally, whom I have the fondest memories of.

Here is to more years of incredible and meaningful journalism by The Herald.

The Herald