Sunday World overhaul, new blood joins team

"What I'm trying to do is make a paper for a smart, urban audience. They have varied interests and complex lives. They also insist on quality products in their lives, so their newspaper has to be one too. We can't keep giving them more of the same and expect them to be content with that," he explains.

Reforming the newspaper

To that end, he has been hard at work re-designing the paper. "I have a tiny budget, so even if I wanted to, I could not afford to bring in an expensive consultant from the UK or wherever. What I have done instead is roll up my sleeves and use the talents of our small team to reshape the newspaper in a very organic and authentic way and it is bearing fruit. Our Guptagate cover, for example, saw us pick up readers who would ordinarily never buy our paper, which is fantastic."

On the content front, the newspaper had a poor reputation in the market. "I realised we would have to win over advertisers and readers. Major editorial lapses had eroded the credibility of the paper. The newspaper was dysfunctional and had weak systems. Therefore, I am focused on accuracy and breaking unique stories. We broke the Gupta's 'wedding of the century'; our reporting on the whites-only enclave of Kleinfontein got the rest of the media and government to pay attention to that bizarre community. It is gratifying to see competitors following up a week or two later on stories we broke. So we're starting to see some green shoots."

New staff

Meintjies has been strengthening the editorial team. Darryl Hammond, former picture editor of the Sunday Times, joined in mid-March. He was followed by Nidha Narandes, former deputy chief sub-editor at The Star, who took on the role of chief sub at Sunday World. Award-winning author Fred Khumalo came on board in May as Sunday World's new headline columnist.

"I am thrilled to get Fred, as many people were chasing him. He will tackle everything from the latest politics to the absurdities of everyday life in his own, irreverent, way."

Nkululeko Ncana, latterly of eNews, joined in May and will boost the newspaper's political coverage.

Babalwa Shota, an assistant editor at City Press, will join the team in July as features editor and take charge of Shwashwi and lifestyle content. "She's a major signing. Having a tiny budget helps focus the mind to make every appointment strategic. I am thrilled we are attracting that kind of talent to Sunday World. They believe in what we're doing," he concludes.