In memoriam: Jopie Witzand (1961-2022)

Journalist Jopie Witzand has sadly passed away on Tuesday, at the age of 61. She was batteling ovarian cancer. Jopie started at SBS Dutch in 1995 and worked for the program for more than twenty years. With former SBS colleague and friend Yvon Davis, we reflect on her death.

Jopie Witzand aan het werk in de radiostudio van SBS Dutch. Credit: SBS Dutch

The interview is in Dutch.

Jopie was born in 1961 in the Dutch city of Zeist. She lived most of her life in the Netherlands in Utrecht, where she also studied journalism. Over the years she lived and worked in different countries, including in a Kibbutch in Israel. After seeing many parts of Australia, she decided to settle in Melbourne in 1994. Shortly afterwards, in 1995, she started at SBS Dutch.

Yvon Davis (left) with Jopie Witzand.

Jopie left SBS in 2013, to return in 2018. During her farewell broadcast on March 1, 2013, she said that she liked making the news bulletin the most.

Jopie about why she liked doing the news bulletin

Jopie over het nieuws.mp3

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In July 2016, Jopie contributed to a video for Dutch TV with Carole Overmaat, in which she cooked her comfort food: sauerkraut stew. She also talked about her work at SBS Dutch. Watch the video below.