On June 14, 2023, there was a Gauteng Provincial Membership meeting. The event was organized at the Mail and Guardian, Johannesburg, at 10 o’clock. There were members of the Association of Independent Publishers. Actavia Hlungwani was the one who welcomed everyone who attended the meeting.
The Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) invited the CEO of Rising Sun Printers, Vijay Maharaj. “We are not competing with too many people in the space. We identify a mass footprint and see that particular footprint; clients are benefiting from the footprint, and they get feedback from the footprint”, said the CEO of Rising Sun Printers, Vijay Maharaj.
Rising Sun Printers was established in 1999. Based in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, and Bloemfontein. The company has become a leader in commercial closet web printing. The company is big in South Africa. It has six publications in Durban, and two of them are covered in a broadsheet; the other one with a footprint circulated 53 250 per week, and the other one on the north coast circulated 65 000 per week.
Vijay Miharaj said that they run seven publications, averaging just over 300,000 copies per week. He added that they print publications and circulate them in different areas. The company is equipped with efficient and effective machinery to handle its stock.
“One thing those of you should know is that the quality of our print is good, we pride ourselves on clarity and good print quality. We take photos in the dark, we take photos that are blurry and we move the camera “, Vijay Mihaj said.
He added by saying they had 48 hours to print 8500 copies, six pages, and eleven different languages and get them through all branches. The company is equipped with generators in the event of a power failure to power up all their printing presses. Vijay said they are prepared to sell one plant. He said they don’t want to sell to people who will take it and dump it because his focus at the moment is a little bit out of the country.
The CEO of the Mail and Guardian welcomed and encouraged all members of the Associated Independent Publishers. “Welcome, and it is good to have you here for the day. When I look at you, I share your pain, and I hope you can share my pain because what you are going through in this industry, we go through it”, said the CEO of Mail and Guardian.
He said that he wants to offer all members of the Associated Independent Publishers the opportunity to read the Mail and Guardian. He said they want people to come work at their newsroom for a couple of days per month so that they can share with them some of their work or experience and see how it can assist them.
