Meet Joanna Munengwa. The fearless and bright smiled young woman who took our stereo by storm when she made her radio debut on ZiFM. We know you would love to get to know her so consider this your treat from us……

What is your life outside the media environment like? 

Outside of any office, I’m a student, daughter, big sister and friend! I love spending time learning, time with family and also some personal down time.

And what’s your social life like?

Being in a foreign country in your first year of Tertiary Education during a pandemic is a lot! It means learning online and being quite far from what was “normal” pre pandemic. The new normal is making friends during online group assignments and calling friends from home and around the world. I’m also super blessed to have regular outings with family here.

 How would you describe your personality? 

I’m quite friendly, keen to make new friends! I laugh at a lot of things and love little children. I’m outgoing, not loud, but I’d like to believe my presence can still be felt.

Take us through the journey to your radio career path at that age?

Radio is actually something that I stumbled across. I just received the flier from a friend who thought I would do well and so I just took it on. It came at a time when I had sort of just decided to go into media but I wasn’t really sure what ‘media’ meant. This opportunity didn’t look like one that anyone would want to miss. Fast forward a little bit, I made it into the class, became the class representative, made some wonderful friends and did something I’d never dreamt of doing – I was on radio! I got to meet, learn from, and even present alongside some of Zimbabwe’s best presenters!

Getting into the industry at such a young age meant you had to compete with people way older than you. Were you ever intimidated?

I’m so grateful for everyone at the Station I was placed! The amazing people we worked with and worked under didn’t have the “these are the people that are trying to steal our jobs” mindset. From the experience I had, I’d like to say that as giants in the industry they were so ready and willing to walk us through, teach us, and helps us be the best we could be.

Who has been your support system in all this?

My most consistent support system is definitely my family, and my parents in particular. They really make sure that I’m able to show up as the best version of myself and when I show up, they’re right there on the sidelines to cheer me on!

Moving to SA, do you ever consider taking up radio there? 

I thought of continuing with radio here in South Africa but I never really did my research and when an opportunity came up, it didn’t make sense for where I was. I’d like to believe radio is an important part of my journey but presenting isn’t the final destination.

If you were to have a podcast, what topic would you speak on?

I would discuss edifying topics, the kind of things that will help you grow and develop into a better version of yourself.

 Blogging and Vlogging are two things that have grown massively especially in the last year with the lockdown. Would you be keen on going bigger on that space? 

In my dreams I’d actually love to be a travel blogger and vlogger! In real life, I’m working on reviving my blog site and writing short pieces that are inspired by my day to day experiences.

Let’s talk style- how would you describe your style?

I like to joke and say if I had a uniform, it would definitely include a white t-shirt. My style is super chilled vibes, cute but not over the top (unless it’s necessary of course!).

Is there a special somebody hidden somewhere?

LOL

What’s the first thing you would notice on a guy?

During the pandemic I think it’s haircuts or height that I notice first…

By: Sithandekile Nyoni