Alex Pioneer is an award-winning monthly newspaper (boasting two Sanlam awards in two categories
in 2012) that addresses the community of Alexandra township and its outlying areas. The publication
was launched in 2008, by a black female entrepreneur under Pioneer Enterprise (Pty) Ltd. The
newspaper is distributed in Alexandra township and in the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan
areas in Gauteng.
The publication’s language breakdown is 70% English, 10% XiTsonga, 10% isiZulu and 10% Sepedi.
This reflects the diversity of Gauteng and the African languages used by the target market, which
affirms the current slogan “Bua, Khuluma, Vulavula, Afrika Dzonga!
Since its inception, Alex Pioneer has managed to truly engage with the community’s education,
unemployment rate, training, housing and cultural norms. Over the years, the publication has
managed to make available numerous platforms for skills transfer and knowledge gaining to young
people within the communities it serves. To date, Alex Pioneer has employed and trained at least 50
staff members, some who have gone on to join mainstream media houses and have successful
careers within the media sector.
The MDDA grant covers printing and distribution, equipment, running costs, personnel costs and
website maintenance.