Zulu papers lead SA sales

Zulu newspapers Isolezwe and its Sunday sister newspaper Isolezwe ngeSonto have topped sales figures in the SA newspaper industry, their publisher say.

“The latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures released last week show that while newspaper sales fell by an average of 2.3 percent in the first quarter of this year… Isolezwe increased its circulation by 34 percent... with a daily average of 104,481,” Independent Newspapers said in a statement.

Isolezwe ngeSonto was also performing very well at an average of 71,219 copies sold a week.

The company's joint managing director in KwaZulu-Natal, Brian Porter said editorial content was satisfying the market's needs, with football and sport in general being "vital ingredients".

Editor Thulani Mbatha said the Sunday edition complemented the daily.

"We focus on the weekend mood and vibe with healthy helpings of sport and entertainment, but we don't compromise on the intelligence and respect of our readers. The news is covered and assessed and we break the news when it happens,” he said in the statement.

Mbatha said human interest stories and local news were a good way to boost the paper's sales figures.

Circulation manager Lorne Maclaine said Isolezwe had a low subscriber base and high single copy sales, in contrast to the more established English-language titles in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Isolezwe's daily and Sunday sales are dynamic. It takes publishing skill and a flexible operation. For example, with the recent train and transport strike, we shifted our street sale copies into the residential areas and sales didn't drop.”