Malaika Ditabo, a media researcher at the City of Tshwane, believes her path into communications was divinely aligned. Trained as a journalist, she found her purpose in shaping narratives and amplifying unique voices. As a 2025 PRISM Young Voice, she hopes to bring a fresh, authentic perspective that celebrates creativity beyond convention.
In this exclusive interview series, we get to know the Young Voices better, uncover what they hope to take away from the experience, and hear how they believe young professionals can influence the future of the PR and communications industry.
Malaika Ditabo.
Tell us about your path into PR / communications. What led you here?
My journey in communications, as I often say, happened through the grace of God – the universe literally led me in this direction. As someone who is qualified as a journalist, a part of me always knew that it wanted to go beyond that industry, and so when the opportunity was presented to me in 2023, I was excited to explore what communications consisted of. And since then, I have worked with a political organisation and went on to work at two PR and marketing companies.
Briefly tell us about your experience in the industry
My experience in the industry has been a rather interesting and enjoyable one. I began my journey at a political party where I led the campaign of one of the principals and played an important role in their visibility during the election period. This included organising interviews, handling and drafting of statements, prepping for any upcoming discussions and leading their social media account. From there, I moved on to 882 People and Sgwili Media where I managed various client accounts, prepared strategies, assisted with social media and built media relations amongst many other responsibilities.
What do you hope to bring to the judging process as a Young Voice?
I hope to bring an alternative perspective to the judging process and to see the uniqueness of each application. Often what is unfamiliar to us can seem odd, and I believe that it is usually those people who stand out and transform spaces – so my approach will be intentional about looking into that aspect and identify untraditional voices.
In your own view, what do you think makes an award-winning campaign?
For me a successful campaign is one that is centred around the people – to be able to bring to life a message which relates to many and touches the hearts of those who interact with it. An award-winning campaign is one which brings together a vision bigger than the organization and me.
Lastly, what do you hope to gain from this experience?
I hope to grow and to trust my voice even more. I believe that this experience will force me to be assertive and to be decisive in terms of the choices I make throughout. My goal out of this is to affirm my voice, be guided by the industry bests and to gain a better understanding of what makes a successful PR specialist and campaign.
