“Hardworking,
dedicated, winner,” are the words that describe me, says Karabo Ngoepe. It is
rare that one gets a job offer to report for Forbes Africa Magazine while they are
expecting an interview. After hearing his story of success I decided to get hold of Ngoepe and hear from the horse’s mouth.
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New Forbes Africa Magazine
reporter
Karabo Ngoepe.
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It is often said
that we all need to start somewhere and surely Ngoepe had to start somewhere. He
says his passion for news started when he was at the tender age.
“I guess it all
started when I was in grade 10 or 11. I never loved school, I used to bunk most
of my classes except for English and Geography. My English teacher saw the keen
interest I had in the two subjects and she said I must try it out. As I did my
research, I fell in love with it (Journalism) and decided that it is what I
will do for the rest of my life and here I am and loving every moment of it.”
After his mother
who worked as a domestic worker lost her job while he was in grade 9 attending
at Hoerskool Pretoria-Wes, he had to move back where he grew up in Soshanguve.
This new Forbes
Africa reporter says things got difficult as he ended up looking for alternative
ways to make money. “To make some money for myself, I started taking pictures at school just to have transport and spending money. That small business pulled me through until I matriculated. With that in mind, I can safely say my childhood was a bit rough but it groomed me into what I am today,” he recalls.
After hearing his childhood story, I was inspired by the bravery of this 23 year old. Determined to fulfil his dreams and change the situation at home, Karabo enrolled at Tshwane University of Technology for the National Diploma in Journalism after he matriculated in 2007.
“I felt (going to university) was the only way I could change my situation and better the state of my family. I was determined to reverse and change some of the things that were seen as a norm in the community. People would finish school but just stay at home gambling on the corners or try to find odd jobs to keep busy but I did not want to do that. I wanted to leave a mark in the world.”
The interview
started to be tense and I realised that it was time to lightning it up by
focusing on the main reason why I am profiling this light in complexion Orlando
Pirates and Manchester United fan.
When we started
talking about how he feels to work for one of Africa’s biggest Magazines, I
just saw a million smile on his face.
“Never in a
million years did I think I would be working for a magazine. I always thought
that when I leave newspapers I would be going to radio but here I am at Forbes
Africa and actually loving it. I guess you can never predict where you going to
end up.”
In 2009 Karabo was
awarded Rekord Noweto Print Journalist of the year and Live@12 Broadcast
Student of the Year by the Journalism Department at Tshwane University of
Technology. He was also a finalist in the 2013 Standard Bank Sikuvile
Journalism Awards in the category of Hard News.
With his vast
experience, surely he has something to say to young aspiring journos.
“Don’t go into this
profession for the money or fame, those things should be the last thing on your
mind. You have a duty to inform and change people’s lives. You need to have a
tough skin when you get into this industry, you must roll with the punches and
be able to return them as well.”
You can follow Karabo Ngoepe on Facebook and
on Twitter @krbsean
