Dear explain.co.za readers 

Since our launch in 2019 it’s been over three years of learnings, setbacks and wins. We were awarded the best news literacy project in Africa by the World Association of Newspapers in 2021 and shortlisted as the best newsletter in Africa by the same organisation last year. 

We have now decided to take all these learnings and go back to the table and think about what kind of journalism product we want to create going forward.

explain.co.za has provided an initial pilot of the kind of work we want to achieve. We would like to consolidate those learnings and come back with a more robust and financially sustainable news offering. 

What will this look like? We’re not sure yet, nor do we know if it will still even be called explain.co.za.

One part of the process towards creating this new product will be assembling a great team of journalists and editors to take the product forward.  We were able to provide over three years of service thanks to some grant support along with profits from the communications marketing agency we set up to help fund this work, and a small dedicated team. We want to do more. This means expanding our financial base to attract even better talent going forward. I.e. Tell your journo friends to call us and get involved in creating an exciting news product for the future. 😉

We want to say a big thank you to all who kept up with our work and championed us on, as we experimented and grew. You guys have given us the impetus to keep innovating, even as we pause this stage of our journey and prepare for the next. 

Our goal was to provide empowering and easy-to-follow news in a landscape where confusing and depressing news has been the norm. We know that no matter how complex the challenge, there are ways to convey that with understanding – and a sense of hope regarding possible solutions.

This hope is what carries us into the future. Our ongoing work reporting South Africa’s just energy transition continues at jetexplained.co.za project. This is the sort of work we want to continue doing as we evolve. We hear about what’s going wrong so often, and that’s never truer than when it comes to Eskom and the load shedding crisis. Rarely do we discuss the solutions being put into place, and interrogating what our future will look like. Look out for more of this work in our ongoing partnerships with The Financial Mail and The Citizen on the dedicated microsite. 

Finally, as we embark on this journey, we ask for your support for our agency division. We have just launched our website: explainagency.co.za. We need your support to spread the word about the communications work we do, to fuel our journalism mission. 

We work with mission-driven organisations, often with a pan-African bent. We love helping corporates, NGOs, think tanks, academics and more communicate their story and message in engaging formats and conversations across social media and digital platforms. We want to work with a small bouquet of clients to whom we can offer a dedicated, quality service. We have three in the bag including the likes of Showmax and fintech giant MFS Africa. We are looking for a few more. You could put us in touch with our next client – and help them get in the door as we re-open our services to new clients for a limited time only. Tell them to mail info@explain.co.za if they’re interested in a free session understanding their needs and putting together a proposal.

Till we next meet, stay hopeful, stay informed.

All the best

Verashni Pillay and the explain.co.za team.