Petronilla Chikambi Samuriwo, 42, who virtually created Catholic Church News in the 1990s died on Sunday, 17 January 2010, at Fr OHea Mission Hospital Kutama, near her rural home, Chikambi Village. She leaves a husband and a young son, Tapfuma Michael. Petronilla, after obtaining a diploma in journalism and working for some time with the Community Newspapers, joined the Social Communications Department of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference as editorial assistant for Catholic Church News. She soon became editor and turned the little paper into a respectable magazine.
Her skills in computer technology and as a lay-outer, her lively and curious mind and her talent for writing gave the magazine a new face. Sadly, she left in 2001 over an editorial disagreement with the publishers. She acquired a deeper knowledge of her Catholic faith thanks to a special one-year course at St Josephs Seminary/Faculty of Theology, Cedara, near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. After a spell as information officer with an AIDS organisation, she went to the UK to do gender studies where she obtained a masters degree.
Typically for the present media situation in Zimbabwe, she failed to find permanent employment on her return, despite being one of the best in the field. She did freelance work and was commissioned by various organisations to do research for them. Her unexpected death after a short illness deprives the Zimbabwean media of a great talent. The staff of Jesuit Communications would like to express their sympathies to the Chikambi and Samuriwo families. May she rest in peace.
Post published in: News