Speaking for myself, I was still fairly young in the media space and even though I had already gotten the privilege of covering some big stories, getting the ultimate journalism baptism, for an African journalist at least – arrests and experiencing a jail cell – I felt like I still had more to learn, more to give. So, we pushed forward with our ‘scary’ mission. Back then we didn’t have enough money to rent a fancy office like this one, so we settled for a small house in Nyumba Yanga, which became our first office. We swept and mopped it up ourselves and put some tiny stools so that anyone who wanted to visit us could at least have somewhere to sit. We then hired a few journalists, and our general manager here, Sipilisiwe, was one of them. If you asked her today she will tell you that we had nothing, and what kept us going was the belief and hope that one day, Zambians would believe in us.

I remember covering a press briefing as a Diggers reporter back in 2017, it was at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some journalists from other media houses and ministry officials kept asking what I was doing there because at this point, The Post had been successfully shut down and our website had not yet been launched. Yes, we covered news events for about three months before launching our operations to the public because we wanted to build our database and test our highly programmed website. I told them I was representing a new upcoming publication called “News Diggers” and I could see they were laughing in their hearts because this did not make sense to them. When the minister finally walked in, the whole room fell silent and we were asked to introduce ourselves and the media house we represented, as per tradition. When it got to me, I said “my name is Mukosha Funga and I…”, and I instantly saw that minister tense up, the ridges on his face getting tighter, with a hint of disgust, as he gave me a good stare down. I cannot remember what comment he made about the “unknown News Diggers” but the look he gave me itself was enough to make me feel like nothing more than an annoyance. I tell this story because I think it is a tiny glimpse of what we had to put up with during those times.

When we finally launched the publication, we were instantly side-lined and branded “hostile media”, the hostility part being that we had history with The Post. They could not invite us to State functions and we had to rely on some livestreams to cover news. In fact, we could hear some sentiments from people who said it was Fred M’membe’s project. So, with that public perception, we had to inherit our former boss’s friends as well as enemies. With that in mind, I had to limit my movements because at the time, it was possible to be lynched if spotted somewhere. I was a young lady in her 20s with no social life, but that’s okay, I used to get excited by uncovering scandals and generally just writing good stories. I’ve always loved to write.

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, I know many of you are wondering what the real reason is behind my decision to step down. Let me just say that I am a woman who loves a good challenge and I always try to go where I feel like God is leading me. News Diggers has been my home, it has been my baby. To this very last day, I never doubted for a day the mission statement for this newspaper and the resolve by its founder. So, my departure is neither because I lost hope in the publication nor because my friends here lost confidence in me. My farewell party here on Monday speaks volumes to this effect. This remains my home and I will miss my friends. But more important, my decision now paves way for others to grow and get the opportunity to add their own pizzazz on News Diggers, to take it to higher heights.

I have grown so much as a person throughout my journey here, I had to work on my being a little more extroverted in order to manage the newsroom, I also had to work on my kama hot temper in order to deal with my lovely humans. I went from only thinking about my three ideas for the day to overlooking several people in a second. Throughout the eight years in which Diggers has been in existence, I’ve had the privilege to work with so many talented and interesting people. I feel honoured to have contributed, in some small way, to the growth of so many journalists who have passed through this newspaper.

Now, I am only human and maybe in my line of work, I may have offended a member of staff here, maybe some esteemed reader out there or one, two sources I delt with. I would like to sincerely apologise for that. Just the other day, someone reminded me that I laughed at their Grade 12 Math results during interviews. I had even forgotten about it – but that definitely sounds like me, I am known to say whatever pops up in my head. Once again, I’m sorry.

To Joseph; I have learnt so much from you. While at The Post, you identified some talent in me and pulled me away from the court desk back to the news desk, a move that helped me to overcome shyness and shoot for the big stories. I learnt everything from interviewing techniques to other tricks of extracting information, fancy investigative online tools to use, how to best analyse documents, the list is endless. You’re arguably one of the best journalists in this country and this is why I didn’t flinch when you invited me to join you on this project, Diggers. It was definitely very hard when I had to tell you that I’ve now decided to take a different path in my life. I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve in this very critical role which has taught me so much, all the laughs and lessons which we have drawn from numerous setbacks and successes. So, once again, thank you.