"I am excited about joining The New Age and being part of an exciting and talented team launching a new daily newspaper into the South African market," said Howa, who believes the title will add a new and vibrant independent voice to the South African media landscape.
"I am under no illusion about the size of the challenge facing us, but the hard work done by the team so far will hold us in good stead," he added.
Howa, who has 30 years publishing experience, is a director of the South African Press Association (SAPA), a director of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and serves on several committees of the Print Media and Newspaper Association (PMSA). Over the years, Howa has held key editorial positions including assistant editor of the Sunday Times, deputy editor of The Star and the Sunday Independent, as well as editor of the Saturday Star. He has also held the positions of GM and MD of the Independent Newspapers in Gauteng and later the COO, responsible for newspaper operations.
In recent years, Howa has been responsible for the newspapers represented by the Independent Group. He was also involved in driving several of the centralisation initiatives within the group, as well as heading its transformation project. He is said to have played a key role in launching some of the group's newest titles, including, Isolezwe ngeSonto and Daily Voice, and has been central to the revamp of the group's websites and the launch of its online classified platform.
Atul Gupta, executive chairman of The New Age, commented, "We are delighted that Nazeem, with his wealth of experience within the publishing trade, joins The New Age. His experience ensures that we have, together with our editor Henry Jeffreys, the ideal media personalities who will in the words of Nazeem 'add significantly to the media diversity and the richness of our democracy'."
For more, go to www.tnamedia.co.za or www.thenewage.co.za.
