September 30, 2005
By Thomas Thale
POOR, rural people now have their own glossy magazine, dedicated to reporting on their experiences and informing them about government services to improve their lives.
Launched at Constitution Square in Johannesburg on Thursday, 29 September, Vuk'uzenzele was produced by the Government Communication and Information Services (GCIS), at a cost of R23-million.
The 32-page magazine will be handed out for free. It will come out every two months, with a print run of one million copies, and will be distributed by an independent company.
Rafiq Rohan, the magazine's editor, said advertising space would be limited to five pages, which are expected to generate about R500 000 per issue.
Vuk'uzenzele would use all official languages, including Braille, Rohan said.
Speaking at the launch, Minister in the Office of the President Essop Pahad said the magazine would provide an avenue for ordinary people to better their lives and voice their concerns.
"The magazine will provide information on government programmes to improve peoples' lives. It will be an interactive medium, providing space for readers to articulate their grievances freely."
Rohan was at pains to emphasise that the magazine would not be an outlet for government propaganda. "I must dispel right from the outset, the myth that it will be used to spread government propaganda."
It would cover "serious bread and butter issues and there will no sensationalism", he explained.
But this magazine is not destined for shop shelves. Rohan said Vuk'uzenzele would open up a new distribution channel for print media.
"We will push the boundaries of distribution in print media."
Baby Tyawa, the chief director of policy and research at the GCIS, said Vuk'uzenzele was aimed at the poor, the barely literate and the rural.
"We realised last year the need to pull together government programmes, skills and opportunities for the benefit of people who are not catered for by the media at present."
Tyawa said the GCIS sought to produce a magazine that spoke to a market that had previously not been catered for.
"We will ensure that they are treated with respect."
She said parts of the magazine were to be serialised on SABC2 from October.
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