| Isolezwe | |
| Type: | Daily newspaper |
| Format: | Tabloid |
| Foundation: | 2002 |
| Owners: | Independent News and Media SA |
| Language: | Zulu |
Isolezwe is a Zulu-language newspaper launched in 2002 by Independent News & Media. It is published daily in Durban, South Africa, in the tabloid format. Editor Kiki Ntuli describes their target market as "the modernising Zulu ... [s]omeone who may go back home to the rural areas to slaughter a cow to amadlozi [the ancestors], but is as equally comfortable taking his family out for dinner and a movie in a shopping mall".[1]
In June 2004, Isolezwe launched their online edition; their fellow Independent News & Media publications described it as the first Zulu-language news website. In the five years after its founding, it performed much better than Independent's English-language South African dailies, growing from a circulation of under 30,000 to more than 95,000, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations figures. Much of their circulation consists of single-copy sales rather than subscriptions. It continued its strong performance in the first quarter of 2010, with a 34% increase in circulation to 104,481, as compared to industry-wide 2.3% drop in sales. Circulation for their Sunday edition, Isolezwe ngeSonto, also reached 71,219. Paper insiders disagreed on the reasons for the growth; editor-in-chief Mbathi credited human-interest stories and local news, while joint managing director Brian Porter mentioned editorial content and sports as "vital ingredients".
Isozwele is known for using a more urban form of Zulu, in contrast to its competitor Ilanga, which describes itself as using a "purer form" of the language.
| 2008 | 2013 | ||
| Eastern Cape | Y | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Free State | Y | Y | |
| Gauteng | Y | Y | |
| Kwa-Zulu Natal | Y | Y | |
| Limpopo | |||
| Mpumalanga | Y | Y | |
| North West | Y | ||
| Northern Cape | |||
| Western Cape |
| Net Sales | ||
| Oct - Dec 2015 | 99 500[2] | |
|---|---|---|
| Jun - Aug 2015 | 104 510 | |
| Jan - Mar 2015 | 110 155[3] | |
| Jan - Mar 2014 | 119 846 | |
| Oct - Dec 2012 | 106 858 | |
| Jul - Sep 2012 | 107 628 | |
| Apr - Jun 2012 | 113 786 | |
| Jan - Mar 2012 | 117 266 |
| AIR | ||
| Jan – Dec 2012 | 943 000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2011 – Jun 2012 | 867 000 |