Born and bred in Tongaat, Sunday Tribune’s young and upcoming reporter Nabeelah Shaikh has scooped the regional award in the Editor’s Choice section of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year.

The award was presented to Shaikh at a prestigious event in Umhlanga recently.

Shaikh, who matriculated at Fairbreeze Secondary School in 2010, has been hailed as one of the journalists who can push boundaries to get stories and share them with the country and the world. She has been in the industry just for two years, but she is already recognised for her ground breaking assignments.

“It feels amazing to win this award. I didn’t expect this. It’s an honour to achieve my first award at the age of 23,” she said.

When asked what this award meant to her, the Durban University of Technology BTech graduate said that it motivates her to continue to be the best journalist that she can be. “It means that there’s no going back. Once you’re on the level of an award winning journalist, you have to keep the name going and that’s what I plan to do in the years to come.”

While many get into journalism to gain fame or thinking that it is a glamorous profession, for Shaikh, the profession is no gilts and glam but it is about making a significant contribution to humanity through her reporting.

Giving advice to those who would like to pursue the career after schooling, she said all it takes is hard work and dedication. “If you want to be a journalist, put in the hours, the effort and you will reap the rewards afterwards,” said Shaikh.

Her talent became eminent after she wrote an article titled: Isis wants you- how we cracked the secret route, which was published in Sunday Tribune in March this year (2015). The article involved making contact with South Africans who alleged they were fighting for Islamic State. She faced threats from members of the organisation and criticism from the local community.

– This edited article was published in Makhulu News.

Pictured: DUT graduate Nabeelah Shaikh with her award.