By Remy Raitt

Before journalism, Watts served as a company commander in the Rhodesian Bush War and then worked as a salesman. His journalism career began in his native Zimbabwe as a cub reporter for the Rhodesia Herald in 1974.

After learning the ins and outs of the newspaper reporting Watts moved onto TV, where he anchored the SABC show Top Sport. And then came Carte Blanche. In 1988 Bill Faure approached Watts to make the jump from sports to investigative journalism.

“In this country we need to remember that we have a more free press than anywhere else on the continent, and we need to cling onto that,” Watts says. “Investigative journalism is really the final end of free speech and it has a pretty responsive handle.”

He says it can be a pretty frustrating space to occupy. “There are many people trying to get to the bottom of everything that makes us tick, things like the parastatals. The problem is they are not very responsive. They are unconcerned about the deficiencies and the corruption, and we’re at stage where those in power don’t feel they have to react in every case.” The Carte Blanche audience on the other hand are exceptionally receptive, and with a viewership of over 500 000 people every week, Watts says they consistently receive feedback from their audience, but still, he wishes there was more response from the authorities.

“We are not missionaries, although some people think we should be, we are reporters, we can expose things, but the problem is there isn’t a great deal of response from those who can make a difference. And that, I think, is worrying.”

Something Watts is resoundingly confident in is his squad at Carte Blanche. “Our team is made of people whose passion is beyond belief. They work until the wee hours of the morning on research and stories. We all have a desire to find stories and get to the bottom of them.”

Watts believes this curiosity is the pinnacle of a successful career in investigative journalism. “I know it’s a cliché, but you have to be curious. I have always been. When I watch TV or listen to the radio I want to know more about who the people are and what they do.”

He says being at ease outside of routine is also important. “I’m the sort of person who thrives on change. Consistency is boring. I love a challenge and being tested.” He says he’s spent 27 years at Carte Blanche in a zero comfort zone; “I like that every week we are on the line, we are on the edge.”

With over 87 000 followers on Twitter himself, Watts says thanks to social media those starting out have many avenues to explore. “The field was very confined when I set out, there were one or two broadcasters, no internet and no social media. So there were limited jobs. Nowadays there are so many opportunities but you can’t make a living out of all of them.”

“My advice is to have a very defined goal, because you could get confused by the number of opportunities out there. Everyone is a broadcaster these days using Twitter, WeChat, Instagram and blogs so I would say find what you’ll be passionate about and work out how to make a living off of it.”

He’s been making a living as the longest running anchor on Carte Blanche’s and says the show’s programming has certainly changed over the years. “We used to do far more glamorous overseas stories; diving with whale sharks and sharks, shaking Mark’s (Shuttleworth) hand before he blasted into space. All unique experiences. This fun and glamour makes for exciting TV but we don’t do as many of these stories anymore because it’s just too expensive. The bonus of this is that our own stories in South Africa are far more interesting and hard hitting.”

“As far as journalism goes we are at our peak,” says Watts. “There’s a great story focus on the journalism, and that’s exciting. And this development results in more gritty stories.”

With career highlights a plenty, Watts says it’s very hard to qualify what experiences come out on top.  He says standing on base camp Mount Everest, out of climbing season in nothing but a thin tracksuit, ranks among the best though.

He says his inherent curiosity constantly updates his interview wish list. “I would still like to meet many people I admire. Right now the story everyone wants is to talk to Elon Musk. I interviewed him about six years ago. I mean what an achievement, it’s beyond reality, and he’s just setting the world alight. In terms of dream interviews I want to talk to people who make the world tick; I’ve got a thing about showbiz, so I would love to talk to people like Jay Z and Kanye West, I mean Kanye would probably rip my throat out.”

And because Carte Blanche always lands the stories, stay tuned, because that just might be up next Sunday.

For more information, visit www.derekwatts.co.za. Alternatively connect with him on Twitter.