The career of this award-winning scribe started more than 19 years ago while she was working as a home economist for Metal Box, now Nampak. “I have always enjoyed working with food, even when I was working at Metal Box; I used to contribute to various magazines especially, the food sections. I contributed to You, Drum and True Love, but it was True Love that I contributed to the most – after a while True Love magazine offered me a permanent post which I accepted,” says Sitole.
Sitole' appointment as the editor of True Love comes at a time when magazines in South Africa are said to be going through a difficult time because advertising and growth are said to be stagnant – seven of Media24's titles have been closed down recently.
Nevertheless, Sitole says she is not deterred by all of that: “True Love is a brand that has gone through a lot over the years yet it has managed to grow into the brand that it is today. I will not be making any changes to the magazine; my main concern will be to increase our readership.
Back when True Love offered Sitole a job, she had no formal training in journalism. Within three months at the Media24 title, she had been promoted to an associate editor, a position she held till 1995 when she decided to expand her horizons and move on to other challenges.
“My purpose had been served and I needed to grow. I stayed on as a retainer working on a freelance basis while I was busy exploring other avenues, working as a consultant, did TV shows, wrote a book and travelled a lot,” explains Sitole.
Through Media24 training programmes, Sitole was able to up-skill herself by attending various courses. “All I could do was cook, but I knew that that was not my destiny. I love to read books and magazines and I enjoy writing. I studied for a PR and marketing diploma and studied writing through Media24's in-house training programmes,” says Sitole.
Over the years, Sitole has grown to become an icon of the True Love brand and its spokesperson, and says she is now ready to take on the baton from former editors and carry it to the next level.
“I have reached the ceiling in as far as working with food is concerned, and need to face new challenges. I have cooked for the President[and] was honoured with one of the four inaugural SA Chefs President Awards for outstanding contribution to the country's hospitality industry. [The] time has come for me to give back to the magazine what I have learned over the years,” says Sitole
The True Love food guru has been awarded with three Galliova Awards and written two cook books, Recipes with a touch of Africa and Cooking from Cape to Cairo. She has showcased and presented SA cuisine from Japan to the US and travelled to Italy with the President to cater for top dignitaries and delegates there.
“I am very delighted to accept this new position that will allow me to apply the knowledge that I've gained over time,” explains Sithole.
Sitole says they are still looking for someone to replace her as food editor.
