Isolezwe's circulation boom continues

Isolezwe's management called for an interim ABC certificate as the circulation of the Zulu-language daily is growing so rapidly that the normal six monthly ABC cycle is lagging way behind the paper's growth. The Independent Newspapers title shows a gain of no less than 21.4% for the 2005 January to March period over the comparative 2004 six months.

Sales growth measured by the Audit Bureau of Circulation over the short three years of Isolezwe's life has been substantial:

• January to June 2002: 27475

• January to June 2003: 44518

• January to June 2004: 58848

• January to March 2005: 71443

Independent Newspapers KZN circulation director Lorne Maclaine notes, "When sales of Isolezwe are expressed on a copies-purchased-per-week basis, the title's share of the Zulu language newspaper segment exceeds 60%. Continued fine-tuning of the paper's distribution is producing gratifying results: we are achieving substantial sales growth outside the established large towns where the bulk of our other KZN titles are sold.
Indeed, Isolezwe's growth is coming from all regions across KZN."

Acting editor, Thulani Mbatha says that there are here are a number of factors behind the continuing success. "Since the beginning of this year we have carefully watched our readers' reaction to certain stories. We pick these and make sure that they're followed to the death - almost like a series. An example would be the story of a bride who disappeared a few days before her wedding day. This drew a lot of interest. We stayed with it, recording every new piece of information leading to the big day. When she was found, Isolezwe was there with the groom," notes Mbatha.
"Another related to a seriously ill man who was kicked out of a government hospital and told to go to die even though he was unable to walk. We found him at a bus rank, traced him the following day at his shack where he was 'waiting to die'. A hospice finally came to his assistance but could not get ARV's from a government hospital due to some bureaucracy and red tape. During the four weeks this story ran, it turned out that the man was a close relative of the KZ-N MEC for Health. He eventually died of AIDS."

Isolezwe's editorial team consists of people who come from the very communities they write for. Mbatha says this means they understand readers' needs, which issues get them talking and the events and decisions that affect their daily lives. "As much as celebrities make our news pages, our market wants to know about ordinary people too. So we make it a point that there are faces in the paper, not just issues."