By: Natasha Archary
Kaya News anchor Gladys Mutele is no stranger to the South African news landscape, having started her career as a journalist in 2008. November marks her 16th year in the industry.
The married mom of one shares the ins and outs of a gruelling 24-hour news cycle, and how she juggles her career in journalism and her journey as a first time mom.
Juggling journalism
Starting her career at the campus radio station UJFM 95.4, Gladys became one of the faces of UJ Student News, an online TV news portal for the University of Johannesburg. She went on to co-present an online breakfast show on Rhythm 100 in 2011 before joining two retail radio stations in 2013.
The multi-lingual personality met her husband at UJFM 95.4 in 2008 when she joined the station as a newsreader.
“He was there for an interview for the Marketing Manager position, which he later got a call back for. He assembled a formidable marketing team which he later fired me from.
Yes! I was fired. Reason?
He said I was his weakness and he was failing terribly to hide his soft spot for me. We didn’t speak for 2-weeks and he came back to firmly clarify why he fired me.
We continued with our growing friendship until July 2010 on Mandela Day, when we both admitted that the feelings we had for each other were just too strong.”
Gladys Mutele shares how she met her husband
The stunning couple have been together for 14-years and will celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary in December.
With her soulmate by her side, Gladys navigated both the TV and radio news environments, going on to produce and present the Africa Tonight programme on DStv.
In 2014, Gladys joined Hot 91.9FM (now Hot 102.7FM) and was Head of News from 2015 to 2019, before moving to EWN where she anchored bulletins on 702 before finding her home at Kaya 959.
As a News Anchor and Desk Editor at Kaya 959, Gladys compiles bulletins and sub-edits stories. After anchoring the news between 09h00 to 15h00, she focuses on morning handovers, liasing with reporters about their story entries and angles for the next day’s news diary.
“My family makes fun of the fact that I have a built-in timer that goes off every top of the hour, exactly at the time when a news bulletin is about to start.
The fixed hours may appear on paper but in reality, journalists are always on standby to attend to any sudden world event, much like surgeons.”
Her duties at Kaya 959 never stops, even on her day off Gladys’ attention is constantly fixed on getting a few doses of the latest news developments.
Journey as a mom
Gladys’ journey into motherhood was a bitter-sweet one, having lost her mom a few months before realizing her husband was so in tune with her body that he was right, she was pregnant.
“I still can’t believe how my pregnancy journey unfolded. Long story short, I lost my mom in October 2020 and on my last video call to her, she asked me a very odd question about where the baby was going to be when we go home for Christmas that year.
Fast forward to January 2021, we found out we were pregnant and the doctor confirmed that our son was conceived on Christmas Eve.
I get goosebumps and cry happy tears to this day when I realize my mom had a glimpse of my future as a mother before she passed.
My husband experienced a condition called Couvade Syndrome. This is when the male partner experiences all the symptoms of pregnancy, while I felt nothing until the last stretch, a few weeks before I went into labour.”
Gladys Mutele shares how she found out she was pregnant
For Gladys her journey into motherhood has been a walk in the park thanks to her hands-on husband and her mother-in-law who stepped in to support and uplift the young mom every step of the way.
The reality of post-partum depression crept in but with her strong support structure Gladys found her feet and wants to grow her beautiful family.
“My husband and mother-in-law, my ultimate superwoman, took the pressure off of me by booking their individual times with my son.
The father and son skin-to-skin bonding sessions and my mother-in-law’s daily nutritious meals saved me from a mental breakdown. I’ve never been a morning person but my husband is.
His inclusion of our son in his early morning routine afforded me the privilege of laying in bed for a few extra hours in the mornings, on those critical post-partum days. Afternoon naps with my son were so good for my mental health.”
While she conquers her dreams and goals as a working mom who’s also studying, Gladys has peace of mind as her 2-year old son is in the safe hands of her doting mother-in-law.
Gladys is currently completing a Media Management Course through the Wits Centre for Journalism and Fray College
Constantly pouring into one another, Gladys says she draws strength as a mom from her husband and God, as the foundation for their union.
It’s their bond and friendship which provides Gladys with the space she needs to keep showing up in life to juggle her journalism career and journey as a mom with ease.
Also read: A day in the life of the enigmatic Mfundo Mabalane
