SA satire site going strong

Some of the recent headlines that have greeted readers:
“Eskom vows to keep lights on, will burn Zim banknotes”;
“Outrage as Boer prophet sees black government in South Africa by 2010”;
“Albino journalist heartbroken after exclusion from blacks-only Forum”;
“No special Valentine's plans for Mugabe, will probably just stay home and screw Zimbabwe”.

“We've started small, but we've had a great response,” says Sunday Media co-owner Anthony Pascoe. “It's early days, only the end of our third month online, but we're averaging growth of about 50% per month.”

Former Mail & Guardian columnist and author Tom Eaton oversees content.

“We need a robust and brave media, for the political health of our country,” says Eaton. “But I think we also need robust and brave people to take the piss, for our emotional health.”

He says Hayibo's primary job is to make people laugh. “There's enough angry satire out there. Hayibo is just meant to be a great way to start your day in a country and a world that seem increasingly loony.”

A recent cheeky viral marketing campaign also bolstered numbers: an online game in which Jacob Zuma grabs his “mshini” and shoots “lame ducks” out of the sky over the Union Buildings, all to the catchy soundtrack of ‘Awlethu mshini wam'.

For more information, go to www.hayibo.com or www.sundaymedia.co.za.