JOHANNESBURG - “I never imagined that my first big task as investigations editor would be to speak about Nabeelah in this way.”
Those were the words of eNCA Investigations Editor Dasen Thathiah as he reflected on the death of investigative reporter Nabeelah Shaikh at just 34.
Thathiah described this moment as one of his most difficult assignments to undertake.
Thathiah said he had hoped that his first task with the newly formed team would be to celebrate an award a massive achievement that the team would have made, but instead he mourns a colleague whose new path in journalism was just about to begin.
Despite being part of the team for a short time, Shaikh had already hit the ground running as a true journalist; producing two stories for the eNCA investigative team already.
“I've been at eNCA a long time, and this probably ranks as my most difficult assignment, having to speak about this,” Thathiah said.
Beyond the newsroom and on the field, it was Shaikh’s kindness, thoughtfulness, and caring nature that were impossible to miss.
“I've worked alongside her for many years, but beyond that, she's also been a really good friend to us. At some point in the Durban office, I sat across from her. We spent almost every day with each other, and we spoke often.
“We did keep in touch during the times that she was away as well. The one thing that sticks out for me, because I think everyone knows by now what kind of a journalist, she was, but perhaps not everyone that saw her knew what kind of a person she was,” Thathiah said.
Remembering Shaikh’s life, her work and the legacy she leaves behind was eNCA's Head of News, Lukhanyo Calata.
“I first met Nabeelah in 2018 when we had the good fortune to be able to set up Open News on the Open View platform. And she was our only journalist in Durban.
“But her work ethic, just how meticulous she was with making sure that she dotted the I's and crossed the T's with every story. She was just an amazing journalist. She was an amazing person as well,” Calata said.
He said her death is not only a devastating loss to the newsroom but to the industry, country and her family as well.
“Nabeelah was 34 years old. She had a three-year-old little girl, and her husband wasn't much older, and this young and very beautiful family has lost its cornerstone. We send our love and our condolences,” Calata added.
Shaikh passed away in hospital after a short illness and was buried on Saturday night, alongside her unborn child.
A wife, mother and dedicated journalist, Nabeelah told stories that challenged society and fought for justice.
She was never afraid to ask the tough questions.