Year-End Message from Mapepeza News Media
Dear Valued Readers, Advertisers, and Communities,
As we conclude 2024, Mapepeza News Media extends our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support throughout this eventful year. Your trust in our journalism has strengthened our commitment to serving our communities with integrity and dedication.
This year has been marked by significant changes in our nation.
Our hearts go out to the families who lost their young ones in the tragic spaza shop poisoning incidents, and we join the nation in mourning the passing of prominent South Africans who shaped our society. Through these challenging times, we remained committed to bringing you accurate, timely information that matters to our communities.
We’ve witnessed historic moments: from South Africa’s impressive performance at the Olympics to the successful national elections that ushered in a new government of national unity. The significant reduction in loadshedding, with almost 300 days of uninterrupted power supply, has brought relief to many households and businesses.
The media landscape has faced its own challenges, with the closure of established publications like City Press and Daily Sun.
As a free community newspaper, we recognize our heightened responsibility to serve our communities, particularly those who rely on print media for their news. We firmly believe that print journalism remains crucial for preserving our heritage and history, even as we embrace the digital age. The question we constantly ask ourselves is: “Who will serve those without digital access?”
What’s the future for Mapepeza
Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to announce several expansions and improvements:
New Digital Initiatives:
- Dedicated service delivery news coverage
- Comprehensive labor market updates
- Financial markets analysis and insights
- “Community Heroes” feature series celebrating local champions
Print Media Enhancement:
- Monthly newspaper publication schedule
- Expanded distribution to West Rand and Tshwane townships
- Increased print circulation to reach more communities
These changes reflect our dual commitment: embracing digital innovation while maintaining our vital print presence in our communities. We believe this balanced approach will allow us to serve both our tech-savvy readers and those who prefer traditional print media.
As we enter a new year, we reaffirm our dedication to multilingual, community-focused journalism that informs, inspires, and empowers.
Your stories are our stories, and we remain committed to amplifying the voices of our diverse communities.
Thank you for being part of the Mapepeza family. Here’s to continued growth and service to our communities in 2025.
Warm regards,
Stephen Seakgwe- Editor-in-Chief Mapepeza News Media