/ 7 May 2007

M&G Media takes over Mafube management

M&G Media, which publishes the Mail & Guardian newspaper in Johannesburg, has been contracted by Mafube Publishing to take over its key management functions, it was announced on Monday.

M&G Media will market and distribute all magazine titles published by Mafube and assist with advertising sales. This will allow Mafube’s managerial staff to concentrate on the core function of producing quality magazines.

The strategic management alliance will enable Mafube to implement a regional roll-out of Enterprise, the country’s pre-eminent black economic empowerment magazine, which will be regionalised from July this year as an attempt to broaden the appeal and reach of the publication.

Enterprise will have an eastern edition, which will serve KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State; a central edition for Gauteng, Limpopo and North West; and a Cape edition for the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape.

Said M&G Media chief executive Trevor Ncube: “This is a strategic partnership for M&G Media. We are proud to be working together with Mafube in the interest of strengthening its publications. M&G Media, through its new business arm, M&G Ventures, is making inroads in the publishing arena and we are happy to be of assistance to Mafube Publishing.”

Siza Khampepe, chairperson of Mafube, added: “We have reorganised our business since our contract with South African Airways came to an end. We are happy to inform our market and stakeholders that we are a leaner, stronger organisation, ready to scale new heights.

“We must express our delight that M&G Media is prepared to guide us as we continue our journey. We also give our heartfelt appreciation to the National Empowerment Fund [NEF] for its continuing faith in us by allocating to us the appropriate resources. The support from the NEF and M&G Media is empowerment in action.”

Mafube has also entered into a joint venture with Masake Communication to resume the popular Enterprise Development Forums. An announcement on the start of the forums will be made in due course.