Joburg, a world-class African city?

“I have learned a lot about the different kinds of people I may encounter when reporting on a story, and how to deal with them without succumbing to frustration or annoyance.”

“With every new accent I heard, cultural ideology I learnt, and story I unpacked, I felt grateful to be able to be studying a degree that gives me the space to combine my love for people with my love for storytelling.”

“What I realise now is the power of talking about your research to everyone who cares to listen, people know things and many are willing to share their experiences.”

“In a city of gold, not all glitters as it should. I’m settling into the idea that it never will. My idealism and innate optimism was challenged for the entirety of this project…”

“Speaking to her, I realised the weight of the responsibility I carried. I had to listen, not just extract; to honour, not just formalise. Her words did not sound like data collected, they sounded like survival, endurance, ordinary dignity.”

“Listening also meant confronting my own impatience. Johannesburg trains us to multitask scroll while walking, edit while eating, plan while you listen. I realised how much I mirrored the very same culture I was critiquing.”

“Throughout the process, I discovered something profound: challenges aren’t walls to stop you, they’re doors waiting to be opened. I realized that I could overcome anything if I put my mind to it.”

“After briefly considering using a persona for the investigation – again, thinking that if I uncover a big secret, I should protect my identity – reality hit, and our ethics lesson kicked in, so I truthfully introduced myself and explained my project.”

“It forced me to reimagine what learning meant, not as a quiet act of reading and writing alone, but as a living dialogue between people, ideas and place. Over time, I discovered that journalism isn’t just something you study, it is something you live.”

“ I have so much more respect for investigative journalists after completing this project. More than just fulfilling an academic requirement, this experience laid a foundation for my future career, reminding me that adaptability, perseverance, and honesty are essential traits.”

“That day, I also realised how journalism connects empathy and truth. I learned that I could not separate my humanity from my work. My empathy did not make me less of a journalist, it made me a better one.”

“I improvised fast, a skill Wits Vuvuzela tattooed on me. Before a new wave of sadness could paralyse me, I switched gears…”

“Ultimately, this experience has taught me the true depths of working under pressure, having to think on the spot, and having to repeatedly pivot from your original plan.”

“Everyday I went out to work on the story, talk to sources and capture beautiful photographs, I had worked my routes the night before. With each experience and experiment of the previous day, I gained more confidence and less doubt.”

“I’m left wondering if my work is merely schoolwork or just my way of understanding something more profound. Maybe it is both.”

“I learned that observation is not just about describing a place, but about decoding what it says about the society around it.”