Why I Fell In Love With The Bulletin, and Why You Must Too!

We value community listening and place our audience members at the centre of our product designing processes.

BY THE CITIZEN BULLETIN | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | SEPT 11, 2021

‘The Bulletin is different from other news sources in that it reports in-depth about issues and challenges that affect the people of Mthwakazi.’

BULAWAYO (The Citizen Bulletin) — Last month, our e-paper turned one. We launched the publication during the coronavirus crisis to bring all our hard-hitting stories in one place, and to address an alarming demand for health news and information in Matabeleland, southwestern Zimbabwe. Over the past year, we’ve worked with dedication and punched above our weight to sustain this unique news product.

However, of all things creative we’ve done, reader engagement has always been our arsenal. Our work is rooted in community listening and places our audience members at the centre of our product designing processes. In this Issue, our Content Publishing & Distribution Editor, Douglas Ncube (DN) spoke to one of our superfans, Bhekinkosi Dube (BD) who has been rooting for our e-paper since he began reading it early this year. Below are excerpts of the chat.

DN: May you tell us about yourself: your full name, where you are from and where you are based.
BD: My name is Bhekinkosi Dube of Magedleni village in Gwanda under Chief Masuku. I was born on the 21st of June 1985 to Annah Hlabangana and Rabson Dube. I'm currently based in Polokwane in the Limpopo province of South Africa.

DN: When did you start reading The Bulletin e-newspaper?
BD: I started reading The Bulletin e-newspaper at the beginning of this year after it was shared on Facebook by musician and comedian, Madlela Skhobokhokho.

DN: How different is The Bulletin from other local news sources?
BD: The Bulletin is different from other news sources in that it reports with depth and rigor about issues and challenges that affect the people of Mthwakazi (Matabeleland). Its reporting is hyperlocal and touches on grassroot issues at the heart of our communities.

DN: How has the publication impacted your life?
BD: The Bulletin has had a positive impact on me in that I am now able to engage meaningfully on civic debates and discussions about challenges affecting our communities. Without The Bulletin, I wouldn’t have been able to debate from an informed position.     

DN: What have you learnt through The Bulletin e-newspaper?
BD: I have learnt about the challenges that our communities in Mthwakazi are facing and the positive strides that our fellow community members have taken to address their own challenges, and often without government assistance.

DN: Where would you like to see The Citizen Bulletin as a local news organization in five years time?
BD: My wish is to see The Citizen Bulletin becoming the leading source of local news in the whole region of Mthwakazi.

Since You’re Here, We’ve a Small Request

Our hard-hitting hyperlocal reporting and analysis reaches one in every three people across the greater region of Matabeleland, southwestern Zimbabwe. That means our content reaches approximately 60,000 readers each week.

However, in order for our well-rounded journalism to reach more people who need it to make informed decisions about their lives and their communities, we need to build a strong audience of followers that would receive our rigorous reporting in just one place.

Because of exorbitant internet data costs we know most of our readers use messaging apps such as WhatsApp to get all our content in one place. But the platform, predominantly used by our readers, has limitations when it comes to content distribution and reader engagement. These limitations make it difficult for us to better serve our audience needs.

To navigate this problem, we’re building a WhatsApp Bot with support from the Google News Innovation Challenge Initiative. But in order for this strategy to work effectively, we want more followers, especially our casual readers, to be part of our growing WhatsApp Community.

To be part of our community of registered users, WhatsApp the word "JOIN" to +263 71 863 6459. If you’d like to hear more about this initiative before you subscribe, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We look forward to engaging, and building a lasting relationship with you. Thank you.