According to Action Publications, the readers of Bakkie magazine were not in favour of its incorporation into a more general magazine and, in response to this demand, it will launch Bakkie as a monthly magazine from February 2012. Described as more focussed and more freely available, the title will be repositioned closer to its core target of light commercial vehicles, while also continuing to service the needs of the off-the-shelf medium and heavy commercial vehicle magazine reader.
Commercial vehicles continue to account for around a third of new vehicle sales in South Africa. At last count, there were six new car titles in the marketplace, along with news of two more at least coming soon, all predominately concerned with passenger vehicles.
From 1 December 2011, Southern African Tourism Update goes digital. The cost-savings on printing and hard copy distribution means that it can be distributed more broadly and its readership instantly extended, also allowing for easier information sharing.
"The global face of publishing has changed rapidly over the past few years, opening up new interactive, more-immediate, more cost-effective opportunities for creating and maintaining closer trade community relationships," says Natalia Thomson, editor and divisional head for Travel Publications at Now Media.
"By going online, news and information affecting the overseas travel trade's decisions to send tourists to the Southern African region is available immediately, eliminating the need for a costly, time-consuming print process and global postal services to deliver the magazine.
"We now have a distribution base of just over 28 000 - though still highly targeted - which incorporates the rapidly growing local and international business travel sector, including the MICE market."
Furthermore, it allows for more-in depth and closer interaction between tourism suppliers based in Southern Africa and their customers. "The site is designed to offer information in layers - allowing readers to access as much, or as little, information as they need - whether just a quick glance at an advertisement or news headline or downloading a supplier's brochure, rate sheet etc," she concludes.
To view, go to www.tourismupdate.co.za.
"The 2011 Big Issue's Collector's Edition features 50 contributors who were invited to submit any piece of work - an opinion column, fiction, a poem, cartoon or photograph - which represents their 'big issue' for the year," explained Melany Bendix, editor of The Big Issue.
"I found it telling that so many chose leadership as their big issue for 2011, while having no idea what the others were submitting. But I'm not too surprised the issue of leadership kept cropping up in submissions, as it does feel as though this has been a watershed year in that respect and the Collector's Edition clearly reflects this."
The 92-page bumper edition has a large number of the 'who's who' in South African literary, cartooning, photography and poetry circles.
Among them are Moeletsi Mbeki, brother of former president Thabo Mbeki, who doesn't' mince words when he puts forward the argument that inept and insecure leaders are squarely to blame for Africa's malaise.
City Press editor-in-chief and former editor of The Mail & Guardian, Ferial Haffajee, who tackles the widening wealth gap in South Africa and its implications, follow him.
Former cabinet minister in Nelson Mandela's government and renowned human rights activist, Jay Naidoo, then warns how the looming food shortage will be a trigger of mass uprisings unless strong leadership is taken.
Several top cartoonists, including Zapiro, Themba Siwela, Dave Anderson, Nanda Soobben, ZA News and 16 cartoonists from Africartoons, illustrate how leadership is their "big issue."
Spoken word poet Iain "Ewok" Robinson lyrically lampoons Youth League leadership, while fellow spoken word poet Jitsvinger warns of the dire future a sycophantic leadership will usher in.
Last, but not least, Murray Hunter and Fezile Hlangana from the Right2Know campaign deliver a convincing argument on why "burying the Secrecy Bill in the shallow grave it deserves" is the first and most important step in fighting the pervasive culture of secrecy in South Africa.
"The leadership section is the largest in the 2011 Collector's Edition, so it is only fitting then that we chose Madiba as our iconic South African for the cover, to remind us of the type of leadership we've had, and can have again," said Bendix.
The leadership section is one of 10 in the edition. Other sections deal with women's rights, humour, prejudice, the "real" Cape Town and photography, to name a few.
"Due to the diversity of contributors and the wide range of big issues covered, the edition provides a 360-degree view of South Africa with all its quirks, beauties and fallibilities," said Bendix.
In addition to those contributing under leadership the edition includes other renowned names, including Zakes Mda, Henrietta Rose-Innes, Eric Miller, David Goldblatt, Marianne Thamm, Pieter Hugo, Lebo Mashile and Hugh Lewin.
It also features a full complement of up-and-coming talent, such as Khadija Patel, Sipho Hlongwane, Zukiswa Wanner, Fiona Snyckers, Verashni Pillay, Toast Coetzer, Blaq Pearl, Azad Essa, Gary van Wyk, Andy Davis, The Trantraal Brothers, Antonia Steyn and Jitsvinger.
The edition is priced at only R30, slightly more than the usual cover price of R18 but still highly affordable to ensure vendors are able to sell it with ease. Vendors keep 50% (R15) of the cover price; up from the usual R9 per edition they earn selling the magazine to ensure they earn extra income over the festive season.
The Big Issue's job creation programme creates employment for unemployed, homeless and socially marginalised adults. As one of the longest running and most sustainable NGOs, The Big Issue has created employment for thousands of destitute people, who have collectively earned over R15 million since its inception in 1996.
The 2011 Collector's Edition is on sale now until 6 January 2012, while stocks last, from vendors at pitches throughout the Cape Town CBD and the greater Cape Town area, as well as select areas in Johannesburg.
