A journalist building her career at the intersection of business reporting, human storytelling and digital media.
For Rethabile Joala, journalism has never been just about information. It has always been about people.
Currently a Digital Media Content Reporter and Presenter at CNBC Africa, Joala’s work integrated the worlds of business, media and storytelling. Her role requires her to translate complex economic and leadership narratives into content that resonates with audiences across platforms, without losing the humanity behind the headlines.
One of her career highlights has been covering the All Africa Business Leaders’ Awards in partnership with CNBC Africa, where she interviewed some of the continent’s most influential business leaders. Beyond documenting their achievements, she found herself drawn to the personal stories that shaped their leadership.
“Seeing how personal journeys intersect with professional excellence changed the way I think about impact,” she says. “It’s not just what people build, but what they’ve lived through that informs how they lead.”
A newsroom rhythm grounded in curiosity
Joala’s day-to-day reflects the fluid nature of modern journalism. Flanked by multiple cups of hot chocolate, her mornings begin with scanning global business and economic news, while staying closely connected to local community stories. From there, her work moves quickly between writing scripts, recording in studio, collaborating with editors, and producing voice-overs for panels, events, and broadcasts.
Her “office” is rarely fixed. It shifts between her desk, the newsroom studio and the voice-over booth, a rhythm that mirrors the pace and adaptability required in digital media today.
At the core of it all is the same focus: shaping stories that are informative, accessible and human.
Learning to distill complexity
Joala holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism, with majors in Journalism, Radio Production and Television. While the degree equipped her with technical skills, she credits it more for teaching her how to listen deeply and translate complexity into clarity.
That skill was sharpened early in her career, first as a Junior Sports Journalist interning with the South African Proteas Indoor Cricket team. There, she learned how to interview without a script, think on her feet and allow conversations to unfold naturally.
She later joined a communications agency, where she worked her way from social media management to Project Lead Assistant. One of her most formative experiences during this period was managing digital content for a South African Minister and supporting the BRICS online think tank.
“At the time, everything felt important,” she recalls. “That forced me to learn how to prioritise, structure information and communicate clearly, skills I use every day now.”
What once felt like background work became essential training in precision, judgement and editorial responsibility.
The Path as storytelling
If Joala’s career represents a path, it is guided by a belief in storytelling as both craft and responsibility. Whether she is reporting on business leaders, covering events, or recording voice-overs, her work consistently returns to the same principle: every story has a human core.
“The human story is worth telling,” she says. “And worth listening to. In every story, we find a part of ourselves.”
For Joala, The Path is not about chasing visibility, but about building trust – with audiences, with sources and with the stories themselves. It is a career shaped by curiosity, discipline and a commitment to telling stories that matter.
