Sowetan reports that Mzwanele Manyi, owner of Afro Voice newspaper (formerly The New Age), which shut its doors last month leaving workers in limbo, has applied for the company's liquidation.  

He acquired the newspaper from the Guptas for R150m on a vendor-financing deal, but has indicated to the North Gauteng High Court that in a period of four months revenue declined from more than R5m to R255,650.  In his affidavit, Manyi said Afrotone Media Holdings was commercially insolvent and there were no prospects of company rescue under prevailing circumstances.  Meanwhile, Afro Voice journalists who were abruptly told not to come to work last month are still fighting to get their severance packages.  An employee said on Monday that Manyi had withheld information regarding the liquidation and that they had only been notified a day before the closing date to make opposing submissions.  Meantime, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) plans to join the liquidation hearing in court in the interest of Afro Voice employees.  General secretary Aubrey Tshabalala said:  “Under normal circumstances when you retrench a worker, there are packages.  Those are the things we must go and argue for before the judge.”

• Read this report by Yoliswa Sobuwa & Peter Ramothwala in full at SowetanLive

Read too, ‘Zupta ties killed Afro Voice’, at The Star

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page