Remember the old saying: “The quickest way to learn to swim is to get thrown in at the deep end of the swimming pool”? Well, for Ridgeway College Form 3 student Azra Asvat, this was exactly the case.

As part of the college’s annual student placement programme, Azra spent a week at the Zoutnet group of newspapers and its Makoya 7-11 radio station in Louis Trichardt. The aim of the programme is to place students in a proper working environment, in their field of interest, so that they will get a better understanding of what they would like to study with regard to a future career.

Azra opted for a career in journalism and was almost immediately placed behind the radio microphone for an interview by the Makoya team after pitching up for work on Monday morning.

“They [the Makoya team] were awesome. The DJs are so enthusiastic and motivating, not only toward me but also towards each other,” said Azra. The highlight of her first day, she said, was listening in on the interview with Lionel from Big Brother as well as being on radio.

“The rest of my day was just as exciting. Things never stopped happening. When the radio show was over, I helped the crew plan for their next show. That was fun. Collecting information for the next show was what I enjoyed most. The theme was “beauty”. Nothing interests me more than make-up and make-overs,” said Azra.

Following her Monday stint at the radio station, Azra also got a feel for community newspaper journalism at the Zoutpansberger.

“The first time I entered the office it was quiet and I felt nervous. Everyone was so busy with their own work, each person trying to get their work done,” said Azra.

But Azra soon realized that newspaper journalism is not a full-time desk job.

“It gets very interesting at times, from car chases and finding bullet shell casings, to school awards and burning trucks. The journalists are there. I was fortunate enough to witness all of this, but, sadly, the truck on fire in the mountain was put out before we got there”.

By Wednesday morning, Azra was back in the radio studio, assisting the Makoya team with the running of the station. She also got a taste for crisis management, as a result of several power failures affecting the Zoutnet offices. The power might have been off, but the work still continued and Azra used the opportunity to go and do some field work at Elim.

“It has only been three days, but I’m enjoying it thoroughly! Working between Makoya 7-11 and Zoutnet is very enjoyable,” Azra said. At the time of going to press, Azra was yet to visit the printing press to see how a week’s work finally culminates with the printing of the final products, the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror.