Cathy Dlodlo first experienced journalism when she was still a learner at Steinkopf in the Northern Cape. Her sister-in-law, who is a journalist, encouraged her to join the school newspaper. 

"She was a journalist at a little community paper that was funded by the Chilean government. She said to me if I write for the school paper, have an interest in it and enjoy it, then maybe I could apply for a bursary from the newspaper to go and study."

She then received a bursary to study at the Cape Town University of Technology, which was at that time known as the Peninsula Technikon. "I don't think I passed anything except typing in my first year. After my first year, I thought I did not belong there. Everything happened in English and I came from an Afrikaans school and town. I was lost."

She was ready to give up, but her brother convinced her to go back and finish what she had started. "I could not believe it. This guy is really sending me back. So I went back and it was amazing, every bit of it. Suddenly I was not doing so badly. I realised I actually liked journalism."

She then worked as a freelancer and did a year-long internship at the SABC. In 1997 she was offered her first permanent job as a journalist at OFM, which she left in 2002. She tried a few other things during this time, including being a housewife for four years, and even tried her hand at tourism, which only lasted for about two months.

Dlodlo also worked as news editor at Volksblad from September 2006 until November 2010. She then went on to work as a Senior Journalist at TNA Media from November 2010 until April 2011. 

She set up the Free State Bureau for City Press from April 2011 until June 2013, while working as Free State Bureau Chief. She was self-employed from July 2013 until December 2014 before coming back to Central Media Group as a senior political reporter in 2015.

"When I came back, it felt like I was coming home. As a student, you visualise your future and career in a certain way, but reality then kicks in and it's often not what you expected. And then your dreams start changing to where you actually want to take your career. I've had the good, the bad and the extremely ugly, and I'm still dreaming."

Dlodlo concluded by stating that she will not be reinventing the wheel, she will be polishing the team she already has and will ensure that they become trendsetters in the news industry. 

"If something is happening in our footprint area, we will bring it to the listeners, fast and furious. We will make Vin Diesel look like an amateur. We are going to tap into community journalism because we think there are so many people out there who have stories to tell.

"So, listeners and readers can feel free to share information with us as things happen. And we want them to know that they won't be without a topic at the family braai, as OFM will always keep them informed."

Seithathi Semenokane/Bloemfontein Courant