Along the way, 013NEWS also became a platform for investigative journalism and stories that attracted attention far beyond Mpumalanga. Our work was subsequently carried by or referenced by larger national publications, including Daily Maverick.
Every newspaper has a story.
For 013NEWS, that story began in May 2013 and when I, together with two colleagues with whom I worked in radio broadcasting developed an idea to form an online radio station, it was to be dubbed TALK013.
It took another three years for the idea to fully crystallise.
And somewhere in the winter of 2016, in this quaint Mpumalanga town of Middelburg I decided it would be an online newspaper.
At the time, I had already established MfisoMEDIA and was looking for an opportunity to explore the media landscape. I had a background in radio and communications and the idea of creating something in the news space had been on my mind for some time.
Then came Zama Khumalo.
I met Zama in Witbank where we were both attending a meeting and quickly discovered that he was a journalist with a deep enthusiasm for news and storytelling. He was also a former Daily Sun journalist who had been unemployed since losing his job in 2013.
We shared a passion for journalism, although we came from slightly different backgrounds but it soon made complete sense.
In May 2016, I invited Zama to my home in Middelburg. We sat down and began discussing what would eventually become 013NEWS.
Zama had his own idea for the publication and initially imagined something focused on a smaller geographical area such as Witbank or Mbombela.
I had a different idea.
I suggested the name 013NEWS and proposed that instead of limiting ourselves to one town, we should cover the whole of Mpumalanga.
The name stuck. And Zama loved it.
The idea began to take shape. Gradually.
A friend of mine, Martin Spautz, who is a web designer agreed to build the first 013NEWS website for. It was a simple beginning; one camera, one MacBook and only the the courage of our convictions.
The first website carried only a handful of stories – about four, as I remember it.
But At last we had something..
It took Martin several weeks to complete the website, working through June and into the middle of July 2016. By then, we were determined to launch.
We chose 1 August 2016, the eve of South Africa’s 2016 local government elections.
And so, on exactly 1 August 2016, 013NEWS was born.
Our first major headline carried the title:
“Mabuza: Mmusi Maimane should join the ANC.”
From those simpler beginnings, the publication grew.
What started as an idea discussed around a table in Middelburg became a provincial news platform covering politics, government, business, crime, communities and the people of Mpumalanga!
We wanted 013NEWS to be different.
We positioned it as a publication that would put Mpumalanga first – a platform that would follow the stories taking place in our towns and communities and ensure that the province had a voice in the wider South African media landscape.
There were difficult moments, of course.
There were challenges that come with running an independent news organisation. That can’t be shied away from.
But we kept going, fuelled by love of journalism.
Our work eventually received recognition beyond the province. In the 2020, at the African Excellence Awards, 013NEWS was recognised by MEA Markets as the Best Local & International News Media Platform in Mpumalanga.
That recognition meant a great deal because it showed that something which had started as a conversation between two people in Middelburg could make an impact beyond our immediate surroundings.
Along the way, 013NEWS also became a platform for investigative journalism and stories that attracted attention far beyond Mpumalanga. Our work was subsequently carried by or referenced by larger national publications, including Daily Maverick.
But every journey has its pauses…
Now, 10 years later, 013NEWS is back and is going to press. How exciting it will be to hold a physical copy in our hands – myself, Martin and Zama today celebrate a journey of dedication.
That’s how passion pays.
Today, we are taking 013NEWS into print.
This edition is therefore more than just another newspaper.
It is a reunion.
It is a reunion with our readers, with our communities and with the idea that first inspired us in 2016.
A lot has changed since those early days. Mpumalanga has changed. The media industry has changed. Technology has changed. The way people receive news has changed.
But one thing has not changed: people still want to know what is happening where they live.
They want their communities covered. They want their voices heard. They want to see their stories told.
That is why we are here.
From a conversation in a Middelburg home in May 2016, to a small website launched on 1 August, to an award-winning provincial news platform – and now we are still here.
It has been quite a journey. And this is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of another chapter.
And so on the eve of these 2016 Local Government Election 013NEWS returns to the arena not as a novice idea, but a timeless institution dedicated to continuum of writing the first draft of history.
013NEWS is back.
Welcome home.
Mpumelelo Mashifane
013NEWS Publisher