- Tabloid Newspaper
- Printed on Newsprint Paper
- 33 000 Copies Distributed Weekly
- Frequency: Weekly Tuesday/Wednesday
- Target Audience: Local Community
- Area of Distribution: Azaadville, Bushkoppies, De Deur, Ennerdale, Lenasia, Lenasia South, Migson Manor, Nancefield, Roshnee, Dadaville, Zakariyya Park
The 1980s were turbulent years in South Africa; the resistance against apartheid was in full force, but all forms of political dissidence were brutally suppressed. Whereas, for many, the hope for a better life seemed an impossible dream, the sense that a new era could become a reality began, slowly, to grow amongst members of South Africa’s racially oppressed and marginalised peoples. It was during this difficult period that Rising Sun founder and CEO, Vijay Maharaj, in 1986, launched the Chatsworth Rising Sun. The newspaper was designed to meet the singular needs of residents of “Indian only” communities with regards to the provision of independent news that was credible and spoke to the experiences of its readers. Vijay, however, saw the Chatsworth Rising Sun as more than a reliable and high quality newspaper; instead, it was also to play a meaningful role in the creation of a non-racial and non-sexist South African society.
Owing to the rapid uptake of the publication, and its almost instantaneous success, more titles were added to the stable, all of which adopted Vijay’s vision. It was thus that all the publications falling within the Rising Sun stable became respected and trusted members of the communities they served. Audiences of the Rising Sun publications reside in Chatsworth, Verulam, Phoenix, Tongaat, Overport and the Mid-South Coast in KwaZulu-Natal; and in Mayfair, Fordsburg, Lenasia and Laudium in Gauteng.
Today, as a fully-fledged democracy, South Africa’s past zoning laws are no longer in place. Many South Africans of Indian descent, however, continue to have news demands that are not met by the mainstream media – for these needs, the Lenasia Rising Sun is the newspaper to which Lenasia residents turn.
The publication has remained firmly committed to achieving and maintaining exceptionally high standards of journalistic excellence and integrity, and consistently delivers community news that its readers relate to. In this regard, the Lenasia Rising Sun is the premier local newspaper in its area of distribution.
The Lenasia Rising Sun, additionally, plays an important role in the expenditure decisions made by economically active households. The paper’s advertising inserts are used by readers to draw up weekly and monthly shopping lists, and thereby serve as an effective marketing channel for established and growing businesses in the area.