The Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) intends to launch a tabloid newspaper in the near future, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said on Wednesday.
“As a government for all South Africans, we have to ensure that regardless of limitations and challenges, we serve all our people,” he told the National Assembly during debate on the GCIS budget vote.
“In this spirit, we intend to reposition the bimonthly Vuk’uzenzele magazine, within the existing budget, into a monthly tabloid format that will enhance its reach and frequency,” he said.
Vuk’uzenzele promoted access to information about government programmes and how to access the benefits of democracy.
It had also brought about an important addition to the government’s communication platforms, especially for people with the least access to media.
“Currently, we produce 1.6-million copies of the magazine on a bimonthly basis.
“By using the existing budget for the magazine, we can publish a monthly tabloid and increase the print run to 1.7-million [the biggest in the country].”
The plan was to increase the print run to two million and go fortnightly as from 2012/13, Chabane said.
He did not provide details of the proposed launch date for the tabloid. — Sapa