There are only three mainstream African-language newspapers in South Africa, but their health is strong proof that the vernacular publishing market holds huge potential. All in Zulu, and all based in KwaZulu-Natal, Ilanga, Isolezwe and UmAfrika have been showing consistent growth in revenue and circulation for a number of years. According to the editors and managers, the sense of cultural allegiance amongst the readership is the common denominator underlying this success – a view lent much weight by Ilanga cleaning up at the 2003 top brands survey conducted by Sunday Times and Markinor, where the bi-weekly showed that its readers are more loyal to the brand than any other in the country.
Founded by John Dube in 1903, Ilanga is plainly something of a South African institution. As was pointed out by Deputy President Jacob Zuma at the centenary celebrations two years ago, ”both the Ilanga lase Natali, as it was known then, and the Indian Opinion, founded by Mahatma Gandhi during the same period, played a significant role in distributing information and mobilising people against repression.”
Today Ilanga’s political heritage has largely made way for the tabloid approach – a strategy perhaps lamented by Zuma, who expressed a wish that it should ”endeavour to become an open market of ideas, in order to articulate and maintain the spirit and objectives of its founder” – but it can nonetheless boast that it’s read by more people than any other newspaper in the province. The latest audited circulation figures of 101,011 (ABC Jan-Jun 2004) are a steady improvement on the previous reporting periods, and monthly ad sales are averaging at just under R2-million per month (Nielsen Media Research).
While the latter isn’t much to get overexcited about – at five times the circulation the Sunday Times earns more than 10 times the revenue – Ilanga is still attracting more spend than English-language weekly tabloids Sunday Sun and Sunday World. Moreover, Olav Westphal, sales manager of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB), which handles Ilanga’s sales, marketing and booking functions in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, points out that revenue is growing at around 20% per annum.
Says Westphal: ”The challenges are trying to change the mindset of the media planners. It’s an educational problem. Letting the guys know that there is disposable income in the LSM 3 to 7 bracket, that it’s aspirational. We need to sell on the numbers here. Ilanga has a massive readership to circulation ratio, with, for example, one newspaper being passed around per taxi. The fact that it is in the vernacular means you can get in touch with consumers in their own language.”
A linked challenge is widening the advertising base. Andy Stanton, Ilanga’s internal manager of strategy and advertising, says the title’s biggest money-spinners are furniture, groceries, cell phones and classified recruitment. ”I can’t remember the last time we had a top four bank in here, unless it’s a sporting event. The only bank that advertises is Ithala.”
In his other incarnation Stanton is co-owner with Cyril Madlala of Ikukasa, the company that rescued Umafrika from liquidation three years ago in a joint venture with The Witness and Media24. ”It’s not a conflict of interest,” he avers. ”They may be in the same space, but Ilanga is mass market. Umafrika is almost the Mail & Guardian of the vernacular market, it’s aimed at the more educated reader.”
At unaudited copy sales of around 20,000, Westphal says Umafrika‘s monthly revenue is nearing R150,000 (NAB also handles national sales and marketing for this title). Editor Madlala feels the best the paper could do on circulation is 50,000, although he’d personally be happy with 30,000.
”This is a new market we are developing, and we need to grow a new type of reader. But I think the model is going to work. The fact that we attracted The Witness is proof of it. They are happy with the progress we are making.”
Madlala is former political correspondent of the Sunday Times and left the editorship of Independent on Saturday to relaunch Umafrika, so he’s not about to boost sales by going the tabloid route. ”There’s a niche for a serious publication in Zulu. The Zulu tabloids do not really contribute to the national debate on issues.”
As an example, Madlala cites former president Neslon Mandela going public with his son’s death to HIV/Aids, which was given the whole front page as well as an editorial in Umafrika. The tabloids, he says, typically wouldn’t hold that much space.
Of course Umafrika’s political history (stretching back to UDF days), its relationship with the Catholic church (Stanton and Madlala are church laymen), and the Zulu culture itself haven’t made for an easy ride. ”KwaZulu-Natal is one territory that has always been difficult for the ANC. When you say some things in Zulu, in the context of the region’s politics, they do come out differently. The ANC keeps an eye on this newspaper.
”And the church affiliation comes with its own problems. Like the debate that people shouldn’t use condoms, that we should be more sympathetic to their point of view. Another big one recently was communicating the paedophile crisis. Also, Zulu is a strange language. People expect that you don’t communicate these matters to younger people. But younger people are changing.”
Thulani Mbatha, acting editor of Isolezwe (the new entrant from Independent Newspapers), readily admits that these aren’t all concerns of his. ”We’re not a very political paper. We do cover politics, but we ask how it affects people. What does it mean to the reader?”
At current circulation of 58,848 (ABC Jan-Jun 2004), the country’s only mainstream vernacular daily sold an extra 14,000 copies over the corresponding period in 2003, and advertising revenue is consistently tracking at R1,5-million per month (Nielsen Media Research).
Some recent big-selling lead stories, explains Mbatha, were the deaths of Brenda Fassie and Orlando Pirates striker Lesley Manyathela. ”We’re not really your standard English tabloid newspaper. Our readers want the personal stuff, like what [Manyathela’s] mother’s reaction was.”
Going forward, Mbatha would like to get Isolezwe’s female readership up. It’s at 45% already, but he feels there’s space to bring it even higher – the plan is that the women will bring their kids up on the paper. Also, for the next five to six years he’ll be focusing heavily on soccer, in anticipation of the World Cup. ”There are 4-million literate Zulu-speakers in KwaZulu-Natal. One has to keep looking for new ways to attract them.”
It’s a statement that begs an obvious question: why are there no mainstream newspapers in South Africa’s other vernacular languages, in Xhosa or Sotho for example? What about attracting the millions of readers in these markets?