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Cape Town - 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 promotes access to information about government
programmes and how to access the benefits of democracy.
It also brought about an important addition to
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 elimination of the one-month gap would allow for
continuity as readers would be better able to develop loyalty to the publication.
The plan is 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.
