Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Last Thursday evening at the NTV Awards ceremony, I was honoured to receive the Sam Nujoma Custodian of the Media Award.

This is truly a special honour that has been bestowed upon me.

However, during my acceptance speech, I overlooked thanking all those who played a role in making my 42 years in media possible.

First and foremost, I want to thank our heavenly Father for granting me the ability to contribute to the Namibian media.

I also wish to thank the NBC, where I spent about half of my working life. I was fortunate to start at the very bottom as a videotape operator, and when I left NBC some 22 years later, I had reached the position of head of television.

I also wish to thank Newsprint Namibia for the many wonderful years spent printing most of Namibia’s newspapers.

This includes the development of a state-of-the-art printing and distribution operation. Not only did we print the papers, but we also ensured their distribution to every corner of Namibia – each and every workday. At one point, Newsprint was responsible for printing every newspaper published in Namibia.

I also wish to extend my thanks to Network Television (NTV) for allowing me to contribute to this exciting new adventure. NTV represents the new media, broadcasting not only on television but also across most social media platforms. I am extremely proud to say that everything we broadcast on NTV is locally produced.

Thanks also go out to former minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana for presenting me with this award on behalf of the Sam Nujoma Foundation. The media plays a vital role in society, and I am proud to have contributed in the way that I have.

Thanks to friends and colleagues for your contributions, and a special thanks to all of you who contributed to the handover on Thursday.

Lastly, thanks to my family, especially my wife Festa, who has supported me throughout the years.

May we continue to have a free press and peace in our wonderful country, Namibia.

Ernst Venzke