Bereng Mpaki
LESOTHO Times, the country’s leading newspaper, has been recognised as one of the most admired media brands in Lesotho in the past year.
Lesotho Times Editor Herbert Moyo received the award on behalf of the publication at a Friday ceremony at Mpilo Boutique, Maseru. The awards ceremony was organised and hosted by Brand Africa Network which conducted the survey on Lesotho’s most admired brands.
The Lesotho survey was part of a broader African survey conducted by Brand Africa 100 which ranks the best performing brands on the continent.
The survey results are meant to inspire African brands to grow and recover from Covid-19 and accelerate the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTRA) goal of growing intra-African trade from 18 percent to 50 percent by 2030.
Established in 2011, the Brand Africa 100 surveys and analyses brands and underlying businesses in Africa, based on a study by international research company, Geopoll, across 25 countries.
The inaugural Lesotho edition of the survey was facilitated by Tangerine Co. Africa, Brand Africa 100’s local partner. It conducted the surveys in April 2021 in urban, peri-urban and rural areas through face to face interviews and online questionnaires.
Lesotho Times was recognised along with MoAfrika FM and Public Eye as the top three media brands in the country. Mobile communications giants, Vodacom Lesotho, won the overall most admired brand in the country. Fellow mobile giant, Econet Telecom Lesotho was also recognised as the other admired brand in the telecommunications sector.
Standard Bank Lesotho was awarded for best overall brand in the financial sector, while Lesotho Postbank (LPB) was recognised as the local best brand in the country.
The awards were presented by Brand Africa Lesotho Chapter chairperson, Phelane Phomane. Advocate Phomane is also CEO of Mamoth Citrus Group. The Group’s subsidiary, Tangerine is Brand Africa’s local partner.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Lesotho Times, Mr Moyo expressed gratitude to Basotho for trusting the newspaper as their publication of choice. He promised that the newspaper will always strive to outdo itself with each passing year in order to give the nation value for money.
“In the coming weeks, we will be celebrating our 15th anniversary,” Mr Moyo said.
“By the standards of the major media companies around the world, we could be considered as a baby. But we were born fully geared for the challenge. We were born running not crawling. We are an aggressive brand and we are the only ones who have Lesotho as part of our name and identity, showing that we fully identify with the nation and we accurately record its voice.
“We adopted Lesotho in the Lesotho Times brand as a testament to our firm belief that we would instantly be the publication of choice regarding all things Lesotho.
“Looking ahead, exciting times are in the offing due to the forthcoming key events on the national calendar. These include the general elections slated for October and the ongoing reforms process. There will surely be lots of excitement and activity with all the new political parties joining the fray. There are also high-profile criminal trials. You can trust us to capture all the news and excitement as it unfolds,” Mr Moyo said.
Lesotho Times is owned and published by Africa Media Holdings who also publish the Sunday Express.
Africa Media Holdings Acting Group Chief Operations Officer, Muta Pule Muchemwa, attributed the newspaper’s commendable performance to the commitment and dedication of all staff, from editorial, marketing, finance, to distribution.
“The award is a testament and dedication of all our staff who have gone out of their way to ensure a top quality product which competes with others on the continent and beyond. The staff and publisher have remained resilient and committed despite the challenges and ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mr Muchemwa said.
The awards event also served to launch the 2022 Africa Brand Top 100 survey season, with the winners scheduled to be announced at an even bigger glittering ceremony penciled for 31 May 2022.
May is Africa month in commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963. It has since been renamed the African Union.