Transnet gets flak for choosing English media for results

Ray Smuts TRANSNET is under fire for its decision to henceforth publish its annual results in the country's English-medium newspapers only and has been advised to look anew at official statistics to determine its markets. This decision, says top business journalist Flip Meyer, means that the organisation's advertised year-end results made available last week will not reach 42% of of all those who read national daily business newspapers, specifically those dependent on the Sake (Business) edition of Beeld, Die Burger and Volksblad, for information on companies and state corporations. Transnet, which has shown an after-tax profit of R3,437 billion for the year ending March 2002, maintains its advertising and marketing budget is too small to allow for results to be published in all languages. Meyer, group editor for Sake, advises Transnet to look afresh at official figures to determine which markets it reaches when it comes to taking decisions over publicity.