Tributes stream in for media stalwart

Tributes streamed in for veteran Pretoria News journalist, editor and overall media stalwart Val Boje who died during minor heart surgery at a Pretoria hospital earlier this week.

“Val was very supportive, a team player and a hard worker. She led from the front and tried to be everything to everyone. A good trainer and perfectionist who disliked bad spelling and incorrect grammar,” assistant editor for Pretoria News Kennedy Mudzuli said.

Mudzuli and Boje had worked together at the daily newspaper for eight years.

He further said the unexpected news of her passing left him feeling “shattered”.

Mudzuli said that Boje’s loss was massive for the media fraternity.

“She should be here showing the future newsroom leaders the ropes, but I guess it’s in our hands now,” he said, adding she had run a good race and was “undoubtedly a doyen of South African journalism”.

Former colleague and friend Lali van Zuydam said Val was a mentor from when they met when she was an intern at the Pretoria News in 2012.

“She taught me the value of local news in and around Pretoria. She encouraged me to pursue science journalism and she always told me she loved a feel-good angle to stories because that’s what people relate to,” Van Zuydam said.

“She was a great leader for the time she was the editor at the Pretoria News,” she said.

“I’m happy she mentored so many of us to continue the work she felt so passionate about. More editors should take that approach.”

Earlier in the week, NPC general manager Jos Charle said he was devastated to get the news about his colleague of almost 30 years.

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Boje also served as chairperson of the NPC, since her election around two years ago.

“Although she was not feeling well over the past few weeks, she was still upbeat and looking forward to making a full recovery when I spoke to her last week,” said Charle.

At the time of her death, Boje was part of the team organising the annual Percy Qoboza memorial lecture which was to be held on October 19.

“We would like to offer condolences to her husband, Roy Devenish, son John, daughter-in-law Carli, daughter Christine, both of whom are overseas, her doting parents, her grandchildren and the members of the NPC,” Charle said.

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