The newspaper was launched by Lucky Moshimane, Managing Director of Jumbo Security and Afri-Eagle.Noweto stands for North Western Townships. The publication aims to bring about common understanding among the disparate communities of the northern parts of the city, including Diepsloot, Cosmo City, Fourways and Lonehill.

Noweto further seeks to provide a mutual platform where advantaged and disadvantaged communities can address pertinent community issues. As much danger has been done to the environment, the new publication will be used as an educational platform to raise awareness and educate communities on environmental hazards.

Community leaders recognised that much damage has been done to the environment and the paper will facilitate initiatives to clean up the area and help create awareness on environmental friendly practices. These initiatives will include sustainable green businesses, growing of organic vegetables and planting of trees.

Journalists and photographers for the publication were drawn from the youth of Diepsloot and other townships in the Noweto area. Employment of youth within the community will give community members the opportunity to document stories the way they experience them. The paper currently employs twenty staff and there are plans to increase the workforce in early 2011.
Employees will be mentored on journalistic practices and news reporting processes. 60 000 copies have been printed for the first issue. This number will increase with each subsequent edition until the entire Noweto area has been covered.

Noweto residents will receive Noweto News free of charge every month. The newspaper will also be available in malls around the area, at spaza shops, and in some areas it will be delivered door-to-door.

Moshimane’s family was part of the initial community which was forcibly removed from farms in the area which now comprises Fourways, Dainfern, Lonehill and surrounding areas. Moshimane and his sister are the founding family of Diepsloot, which is now home to 150 000 families. The launch of the publication also forms part of an initiative to preserve the history of Noweto and document the culture and everyday life of the community.

Speaking at the launch ceremony of the newspaper held at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Moshimane said:

“The paper is our way of giving the community of Diepsloot and surrounding areas an unadulterated voice in the media. The publication seeks to educate and create awareness on available employment and business opportunities for community members to help ensure communities are self-sustaining. The publication also aims to bridge the gap between various community groups.”


He added that, “There’s a need for a medium which speaks directly to Noweto communities and accurately reflects and creates awareness of the culture of the communities. In the past we’ve seen how inaccuracies in media coverage have led to misunderstandings, tension and violence within the Noweto communities.”

“Communities in the northern suburbs should try harder to reach a deeper appreciation as they depend on each other for essential services. For example, shop-keepers and house-keepers who work in Bryanston and Fourways come from Diepsloot. So there’s a need to shift the stakeholders’
relationship paradigm to a community and partnership model, through the creation of communication platforms that can be used by stakeholder or target audience groups.”

Speaking at the launch, Chris Vondo, Chairperson of the ANC Havana City Branch, welcomed the launch of the paper saying, “The initiative is long overdue and the ANC will support this initiative. We hope it will assist in the rehabilitation of the image of townships in the northern suburbs.”

Vondo said, “The paper must be critical and ensure that leaders of the community are kept on their toes regarding service delivery.”

Vondo encouraged the community to also use the newspaper as a platform to raise issues affecting the community.

The first issue of Noweto News will be distributed on 30 October 2010.

Fact File:

Circulation: 60 000
Target audience: Urban market
Publication Frequency: Monthly publication Distribution Channel: Hard copy Distribution Locations: Taxi ranks, spaza shops and shopping malls Distribution areas: Diepsloot, Fourways, Cosmo City, Dainfern, Lonehill , Alexander