"The new format will be a bigger, better read, so I think the new price of R14 is still a very good buy for the consumer. The vendors will continue to get 50% of the cover price, which means they will now earn R7 per issue instead of R6," says Donald Paul, editor of The Big Issue.
"And, hopefully, with the increased demand for our product, they will be selling more magazines, and have a chance at making a better living."
"We have not increased the price of the magazine in over two years but, with ever-increasing production costs, we've had no choice but to up our cover price. At only R2 more, we've kept the increase as low as possible so as not to prejudice vendor sales, and with the magazine size going up by 8 pages, we are confident that our readers will still be getting really good value for their money," adds Trudy Vlok, MD of The Big Issue.
"While the magazine will be bigger it also promises to be an even better read, with former Springbok prop Robbie Kempson coming on-board as our sports columnist."
"Robbie is well known to me as I am an avid rugby fan. He emailed me and said he liked what we were doing with the magazine, and offered to write a column for us for free," explains Paul.
As a former Springbok player, Kempson made his international debut in 1998 against Ireland, and played 37 games for South Africa before joining Ulster in Ireland in 2002 and Northampton Saints in the UK in 2004.
A long-time supporter of The Big Issue and an avid writer for various local and international sports publications, Kempson's column promises a frank, straightforward, no-holds barred account of the issues that SA rugby delivers.
"Except for Natal, my involvement with South African rugby has been soured by the greed and self-indulgence of administrators, coaches, and so-called captains! They always have an ulterior motive behind everything they do.
"This has convinced me more than ever to speak the blatant truth, no matter what the consequences, and to be accurate and informative about real issues," states Kempson.
The March edition of The Big Issue will see him tackling the prospects of South Africa against Australia and New Zealand in the Super 14 series, which kicked off last week [Friday, February 15]
Readers can also look forward to some interesting views on the energy crises and a wonderful story on our continent's sacred spaces.
"Plus we have lots of music coverage. The Cape Town Jazz Festival is next month and the MyCoke mega rock show is also happening, which brings a number of international and local big bands to Cape Town. We have tickets to give away to our readers," says Paul.
"So make a difference; buy the magazine and help put someone on the road to dignity."
