[:en]The entire run of 250 issues of the South African investigative magazine, Noseweek, was donated to the Stellenbosch University (SU) Library and Information Service by Open Media Trust earlier this year.
The donation includes physical copies of the magazine as well as a complete digital archive.
Published by Chaucher Publications, Noseweek sadly published its last print issue in March this year. The publication ran monthly from June 1993, with Martin Welz as editor.
The publication describes itself as “South Africa’s only investigative magazine and features irreverent, independent, inside information about business, the professions, politics and society in South Africa […] it is essential reading for anybody interested in what’s going on in the rainbow nation” (Noseweek, 2021).
The forerunner of the publication was titled Nose and was established by Martin Welz in 1983 with prize money he received as Parliamentary correspondent of the Sunday Express for an exposé of “the corruption of doctors and public health services by a major pharmaceutical group” (Welz, 1996). Nose was run until 1987 from Welz’s garage and importantly, some of these early typed and stapled issues form part of the physical collection donated to the Library.
The Noseweek collection is undoubtably a rich resource for research on contemporary South African history, politics, government, society, business and journalism. According to Prof Lizette Rabe, Chair of the Department of Journalism, SU, “It is thanks to journalism, especially investigative journalism, that South Africa’s brittle democracy has been safeguarded. Noseweek will provide rich material for further research thanks to the courageous work of Martin Welz over so many decades – from pre-democracy’s dark days of apartheid, and, since the dawn of democracy, the incredible range of corruption, fraud and state capture”.
The collection also enriches our manuscript collections which have over the last few years been diversified by the addition of more contemporary collections such as the Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Collection, the IDASA collection and the digital Vrye Weekblad collection. Most recently, we received the South African Debt Crisis 1985/1986 Collection, launched on 7 May this year. This critical collection is one very significant piece of the puzzle in terms of the road to democracy in SA and the end of Apartheid.
As an independent publication, Noseweek had “unashamedly taken up the cause of the underdog, spoken truth to power and managed to survive the odds with good humour for 28 years” (Welz, 2021). The magazine often featured the line-drawing cartoons of Gus Ferguson (1940-2020), celebrated poet, publisher, cartoonist, and pharmacist.
According to radio journalist John Maytham, Noseweek has “broken many major stories which subsequently appeared often without credit to Noseweek in mainstream media and [played] an invaluable role in our media ecosystem”. He also described it as an “idiosyncratic important publication that marches to a different drum” (Maytham, 2021).
Prof Janis van der Westhuizen, Chair, Department of Political Science, describes the importance of the resource as follows: “A vibrant and active civil society constitutes the lifeblood of a democracy, with a free and independent media sector playing a key role holding state leaders accountable to the people. As a small but vocal outlet, Noseweek played a critical role in exposing corruption and the abuse of power during South Africa’s recent history. As such, it made a considerable contribution to the creation of what the philosopher Karl Popper, described as an ‘open society’ in South Africa. In as much, as one is saddened by the closure of small, independent media outlets, such as Noseweek it is heartening to know that the entire collection of Newsweek will now be available to researchers and future generations through SUN’s digital media collection.”
The Library is honoured to make this journalistic jewel freely accessible to researchers and the wider public by hosting the digital collection on our digital heritage repository, SUNDigital Collections. The collection can be accessed at http://digital.lib.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.2/16692, where all 250 issues can be searched and viewed in PDF format.
- For any queries or more information, please contact Mimi Seyffert-Wirth (mseyf@sun.ac.za).
References:
- Maytham, J. 2021. Noseweek set to close down. [Interview]. Available from: https://omny.fm/shows/the-john-maytham-show/noseweek-set-to-close-down
- Noseweek, 2021. Noseweekonline. Available from: https://www.noseweek.co.za/index.php
- Welz, M. 1996. All the names in Noseweek [excerpt]. Publication unknown. Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Collection, Manuscripts Section, Stellenbosch University Library.
- Welz, M. 2021. Noseweek as a print publication is unlikely to survive. The South African [online]. Available from https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/noseweek-as-a-print-publication-is-unlikely-to-survive/
[:af]Die hele reeks van 250 uitgawes van die Suid-Afrikaanse ondersoekende tydskrif, Noseweek, is vroeër vanjaar deur die Open Media-trust aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) Biblioteek- en Inligtingsdiens geskenk.
Die skenking sluit fisiese eksemplare van die tydskrif asook ’n volledige digitale argief in.
Ongelukkig het Noseweek, wat uitgegee is deur Chaucher Publications, se laaste gedrukte uitgawe in Maart vanjaar verskyn. Die publikasie het sedert Junie 1993 maandeliks verskyn met Martin Welz as redakteur.
Die publikasie beskryf homself as “Suid-Afrika se enigste ondersoekende tydskrif en bied oneerbiedige, onafhanklike, eerstehandse inligting oor die sakewêreld, beroepe, politiek en die samelewing in Suid-Afrika […] dit is noodsaaklik vir enigiemand wat wil weet wat in die reënboognasie aan die gang is” (Noseweek, 2021).
Die tydskrif se voorganger het as Nose bekendgestaan en is in 1983 deur Martin Welz op die been gebring met prysgeld wat hy as parlementêre korrespondent van die Sunday Express ontvang het vir ’n onthulling oor “die korrupsie van dokters en openbare gesondheidsdienste deur ’n farmaseutiese groep” (Welz, 1996). Nose is tot 1987 uit Welz se motorhuis uitgegee en dit is belangrik dat sommige van hierdie vroeë getikte en gekramde uitgawes deel uitmaak van die fisiese versameling wat aan die Biblioteek geskenk is.
Ryk bron
Die Nosweek-versameling is ongetwyfeld ’n ryk bron van navorsing oor die hedendaagse Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis, politiek, regering, samelewing, sakegebeure en joernalistiek.
Volgens prof Lizette Rabe, voorsitter van die Departement Joernalistiek aan die US, is dit “te danke aan die joernalistiek, veral ondersoekende joernalistiek” dat Suid-Afrika se brose demokrasie beskerm is. “Noseweek sal ryk materiaal vir verdere navorsing bied, danksy die dapper werk van Martin Welz oor die verloop van so baie dekades – vanaf die donker dae van apartheid vóór die demokrasie en, sedert die koms van demokrasie, die ongelooflike verskeidenheid korrupsie, bedrog en staatskaping”.
Die versameling verryk ook ons manuskripversamelings wat die afgelope paar jaar uitgebrei is danksy die byvoeging van meer moderne versamelings soos die Frederik van Zyl Slabbert-versameling, die IDASA-versameling en die digitale Vrye Weekblad-versameling. Ons het onlangs ook die Suid-Afrikaanse Skuldkrisis 1985/86-versameling ontvang wat op 7 Mei vanjaar bekendgestel is. Hierdie belangrike versameling is ’n betekenisvolle stuk in die legkaart ten opsigte van die pad na demokrasie in Suid-Afrika en die einde van apartheid.
As ’n onafhanklike publikasie, het Noseweek “sonder om te blik of te bloos vir die onderdruktes en lydende partye geveg, die waarheid onthul en daarin geslaag om teen alle verwagting in vir 28 jaar te oorleef” (Welz, 2021). Die tydskrif het dikwels met lynskets-spotprente deur die gevierde digter, uitgewer, spotprentkunstenaar en apteker, Gus Ferguson (1940-2020), gespog.
Volgens radiojoernalis John Maytham het Noseweek “talle groot stories vir die eerste keer aan die lig gebring wat daarna sonder erkenning aan Noseweek in die hoofstroommedia verskyn het en het ’n waardevolle rol in ons media-ekostelsel [gespeel]”. Hy beskryf dit ook as ’n “idiosinkraties” belangrike publikasie wat nie gekonformeer het nie” (Maytham, 2021).
Prof Janis van der Westhuizen, voorsitter van die Departement Politieke Wetenskap aan die US, beskryf die belangrikheid van die hulpbron soos volg: “’n Lewendige en aktiewe burgerlike samelewing is die hart van ’n demokrasie, met ’n vrye en onafhanklike mediasektor wat ’n sleutelrol speel om regeringsleiers verantwoordbaar aan die land se mense te hou. As ’n klein publikasie wat nie gehuiwer het om sy stem te laat hoor nie, het Noseweek ’n uiters belangrike rol daarin gespeel om korrupsie en die misbruik van mag gedurende Suid-Afrika se onlangse verlede bloot te stel. Daarom het dit ’n aansienlike bydrae gelewer tot die skepping van wat die filosoof Karl Popper as ‘’n oop samelewing’ in Suid-Afrika beskryf. Hoewel ’n mens dus hartseer is oor die sluiting van klein, onafhanklike mediahuise soos Noseweek, is dit as sodanig bemoedigend om te weet dat die volledige Noseweek-versameling nou tot navorsers en toekomstige geslagte se beskikking sal wees deur die SUNDigital-versameling.”
Die Biblioteek voel geëerd om hierdie joernalistieke skat vryelik aan navorsers en die breër publiek beskikbaar te stel deur die digitale versameling op ons digitale erfernis-bewaringsplatform, die SUNDigital-versameling te huisves. Toegang kan tot die versameling verkry word by http://digital.lib.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.2/16692. Al 250 uitgawes kan hier in PDF-formaat gesien en nagevors word.
- Vir enige verdere navrae of meer inligting, stuur asb ’n e-pos aan Mimi Seyffert-Wirth by mseyf@sun.ac.za.
Verwysings:
- Maytham, J. 2021. Noseweek set to close down. [Interview]. Kry toegang by: https://omny.fm/shows/the-john-maytham-show/noseweek-set-to-close-down
- Noseweek, 2021. Noseweekonline. Kry toegang by: https://www.noseweek.co.za/index.php
- Welz, M. 1996. All the names in Noseweek [excerpt]. Publikasie onbekend. Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert-versameling, Manuskripte-afdeling, Universiteit Stellenbosch Biblioteek.
- Welz, M. 2021. Noseweek as a print publication is unlikely to survive. The South African [online]. Kry toegang by: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/noseweek-as-a-print-publication-is-unlikely-to-survive/
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