Dear Reader

It is no secret that the media industry globally has suffered tremendous pressures, economic and otherwise in recent years.

The Covid-19 pandemic has for many publications, including those here in SA, been a point of no return.

Yet, despite this challenging landscape, we believe unequivocally that the craft of journalism is here to stay. It is an important pillar of our democracy and a crucial instrument to build an informed society.

This is why today we launch a campaign that serves as our commitment to continue to tell your story, authentically, with integrity and even greater zeal.

For almost 40 years, Sowetan has unapologetically reflected your life earnestly and in all its shades. We have told your story of trial and triumph.

With you we have stared down at political, economic and social systems that set boundaries for you, systems that told you what you can and cannot do.

Our platforms went beyond informing you but magnified your voice as you raised your fists, demanding the respect you deserved and a shot at opportunities to excel.

We cheered with you when you broke through limitations, occupied spaces that were never meant for you and flipped the narrative to affirm your true identity.

The #KnowYourPlace movement is precisely that - it is in recognition that throughout history you have been told to know your place, to dream only as far as others let you, to aim only as high as their ceilings permitted.

But you didn't.

You knew your dreams were much bigger, your resolve much deeper and your talents much greater than many imagined.

You knew your place is wherever you decide it ought to be.

This is why we celebrate you for the strides you make to flip the script in your spaces and to push back against barriers designed to confine you.

This campaign is in recognition of the pioneers who came before us and a commitment to continue to give you the knowledge you need to break new frontiers of possibilities.

Through these difficult times we urge you to always know your place, to seek it, to own it.