The Mail & Guardian is one of the very few newspapers in South Africa showing strong and steady growth. Sales for the country’s leading independent, quality paper in the last six months are up 7,7% over the previous six
The release of Audit Bureau of Circulation figures is a time of hyperbole and obfuscation among papers. The Star proclaims it is “number one in Johannesburg”, even though its sales are down 12%. The Sowetan claims that its sales are bigger and it’s “not a one-town
The truth is that most newspapers showed declining circulations. The real news is that almost every paper in Tony O’Reilly’s Independent (Argus) Newspapers stable shows dramatic drops in circulation: The Star, The Cape Times, Daily News, Natal Mercury, Natal on Sunday, The Argus and Sunday Tribune.
The M&G was one of the few papers showing significant growth. M&G average weekly sales for the first six months were 28 603, up from 26 565 the previous six months. In April, the paper passed the 30 000 benchmark for South African niche publications.