International news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has announced that, from 2015, its English news content will no longer be available through Sapa.<\/p>\n
In a press release<\/a> sent to Grubstreet, AFP said that in the new year the group would explore “new commercial approaches” in the southern African region.<\/p>\n AFP commercial manager for southern Africa, Harry Lee-Rudolph said the decision to pull out of Sapa was deemed necessary due to the changing landscape of SA media.<\/p>\n The news follows just weeks after Sekunjalo Investment Holdings announced that it made a bid to acquire the news agency in order to form a new company with participation by other media houses.<\/p>\n Sekunjalo said it would invest as much as R50 million into Sapa, to rescue its business and turn it into a pan-African news agency.<\/p>\n Sapa has faced an uncertain future for a number of months, after its operation model was disrupted by a mass exodus of publishers from its board.<\/p>\n Times Media Group withdrew its membership from Sapa last year, with Caxton following suit in July, and Independent Newspapers planning to withdraw from November this year. Media24 remains a Sapa board member.<\/p>\n Gallo Images also announced in July that it was doing a due diligence process into the possibility of acquiring Sapa and commercialising it from the current non-profit business model.<\/p>\n Sekunjalo chases after Sapa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Sapa future to be known soon: chairman<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on Sapa<\/h3>\n