Impi online

After two years of operation Isolezwe has established a loyal readership of 339 000 readers per day and has seen incredible growth, placing it as the biggest daily newspaper in KwaZulu Natal.

Philani Mgwaba, editor of Isolezwe, explains the positive impact that the website has had: "We are really excited by the site as it means we are now accessible throughout the country - and even globally. Until now, we were restricted to the KwaZulu Natal region but this site makes it possible to reach so many more people."

Mgwaba adds that the site will be useful to people interested in learning Zulu as a language.

The new website is the world's first Zulu news site and aims to target the emerging, urban-based, aspirational and knowledgeable Zulu market. Whereas before, Zulu readers may have been hesitant or unable to go online, this site stands to change that.

Following on from the trend that has seen mainstream media becoming freely available in most of South Africa's eleven national languages, this site capitalises on the media revolution and becomes the first new medium to support this movement. This could have far-reaching benefits for advertisers, as the site will now provide a new media channel for a segment of consumers to experience messages that would previously have been unavailable.

The website will mirror the print version in terms of content. Initially, online content will be available free to view as an incentive to encourage online users. Ultimately, the site will be subscription-based, allowing users to access premier content for a fee. The site comes as a result of the remarkable success of the Isolezwe newspaper, which positions itself as a paper that champions the reading needs of its audience.

Babs Abba Omar, content manager of Independent Online, explains the rationale behind launching the site: "The newspaper's distribution is confined to street sales, however this site greatly enhances Isolezwe's readership amongst Zulu people of which there are nine million in the country. It is a major achievement and forms part of the industry's commitment to providing relevant content to all South Africans."