Zimnat enables reporter to attend summer school in South Africa 

A local financial and business reporter, Nelson Gahadza, has been selected, courtesy of Zimnat, to participate in the Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists at Pecan Manor in Hartebeespoort, just outside Johannesburg, South Africa, next month. 

The week-long summer school takes place from November 10 to 16. Zimnat is covering the cost of Mr Gahadza’s participation in the training course, including the cost of the course, accommodation and meals. 

Sanlam, with which Zimnat is associated, has been running the annual summer school since 2003. Initially it was just for South African journalists but since 2013 journalists from other African countries where Sanlam has business partners have been invited to attend with the local business partners sponsoring the journalists. 

This is the second year running that Zimnat has sponsored a Zimbabwean journalist to participate in the summer school. 

The summer school is intended to contribute to good journalism by providing training for young financial journalists with limited experience in financial or business journalism. 

Mr Gahadza, who is a financial and business reporter with The Financial Gazette, was selected from among several journalists nominated by editors of the country’s major newspapers. 

He joined The Financial Gazette, in August last year after working in the same capacity for five years for the Financial Express, an online financial news service. Prior to that he was a business reporter with New Ziana, the national news agency.  

The Sanlam Summer School is conducted by expert trainers and includes talks by senior journalists and other senior media industry players, mainly during evening sessions. 

It is intended to equip participants with skills that will enhance their business and financial reporting. 

Zimnat group chief executive Mustafa Sachak said Zimnat is happy to contribute to the enhancement of local business and financial journalism by sponsoring Mr Gahadza’s participation in the Summer School. 

“Financial and business reporting is not the easiest branch of journalism. It requires specialist business and financial analytical skills and an understanding of the meaning behind the figures contained in financial statements and bandied about by economists and financial experts. 

“We are confident that the Sanlam Summer School will benefit not only Mr Gahadza himself but the publication he works for and the country as a whole,” he said.  – Agencies