MAKHADO – The Limpopo Mirror received messages of congratulations on its 15th birthday from several local leaders this week.

In expressing his gratitude on behalf of residents within the district, the executive mayor of Vhembe district, Cllr Sam Moeti, said that the existence of Mirror over the past 15 years is evidence that it has the support of its readership. He said that this support means the newspaper’s contents satisfy the clients as their voice.

“It also means that reporters and their editor have a cordial relationship with their readership because they receive information from them and disseminate the true reflection of their messages,” he said.

Moeti said that his personal observation of Mirror for the past 15 years was that the newspaper has maintained the balance of subject matters while covering court and crime reporting, sports, violation of human rights, domestic violence, election, corruption and all other issues within municipalities as well as in the private sector. “I wish Mirror everlasting life in order to be the voice our people in the district. I encourage reporters to continue giving voice to the voiceless without fear.”

Cllr ML Manyuha of Mutale Municipality said “I want to congratulate and pay tribute to our giant newspaper of the Great North for being in existence for such a remarkable period embarking on a war of distributing information and being a mouthpiece of our communities and institutions.” Manyuha said that the people of Mutale have enjoyed and benefited enormously through the newspaper’s information-sharing reports.

He said that the well-experienced and patient reporters serve the community with courtesy and pride. “As the community, we wish you a long and successful lifespan and are determined to benefit further from yourself as our beloved newspaper. It is indeed our pride to have you as a newspaper which reports even beyond the borders of our rural areas and makes it possible that the voices of our communities are heard all over the country,” he said.

As the newspaper is based within his municipality, Cllr Sarel Rhulani Nkuzana, mayor of the Makhado Municipality, had this to say: “Happy birthday to Mirror. We wish you many more years to come, continue with your good work of informing the public, we are proud of you.” Nkuzana, who also congratulated the newspaper as it celebrates its 15th birthday, on behalf of residents of Makhado, young and old, black and white and across all the political spectrum, said that he could not begin to imagine life in this region without Mirror. “You do not only inform us about the world around us, and expose corrupt tendencies and all ills that continue to undermine our freedom as people, but you are also educating the nation and continue to instil a sense of pride in us. We are proud of being citizens of this region and proud of our cultural diversity. Above all, you continue to keep us informed about the developments around our environment,” he said.

Nkuzana said that he is confident that the newspaper will continue with its good work, to keep people well informed.

Representing the Musina Municipality, mayor Cllr David Phologa said: “It is still in our memories when this newspaper published articles about ourselves during the civic movement era and consumer boycotts, in its role of giving voice to ourselves who were voiceless. As government and the private sector, we appreciate the vital role of this newspaper of being the moral watchdog of the society,” he said.

Phologa said that, for reporters to deepen democracy, they must guard against hypocrisy, intensify their fair and balanced reporting, and thereby make the newspaper grow. "We “wish you good luck in your endeavour," he said.