Hayibo.com - Sandton magazine hailed as just what rich whites need

Sandton magazine hailed as just what rich whites need

JOHANNESBURG. The residents of Sandton have hailed the launch of lifestyle magazine Sandton, saying it will boost morale in a suburb long dogged by ennui, afluenza, and a non-specific loathing for the poor. The cover of the first issue features two wealthy young white people "to help frightened Sandtonians forget about Alexandra township next door".

The magazine's tagline is 'The good life in the great north', but the magazine's lavish launch last night was briefly interrupted by a fracas, when four Mozambicans wandered into the ballroom apparently in search of the good life in the great north, and had to be tazered before being shipped to a refugee internment camp.

According to publisher Adolph Oppenheimer, Sandton's editorial policy is built around using the word 'Africa' as often as is realistically possible.

"We felt it was important to foreground Africa in the magazine," he said, "because if you keep saying it enough people might not notice that we're glorifying an obscene temple to conspicuous consumption on the planet's poorest continent."

While the first issue is largely about branding, styling, and why lip gloss is more important than reading a book, future issues promise more in-depth features.

Oppenheimer said his team was already researching articles such as 'The Blacks: can we live without them?', 'Ten Zuma-proof offshore investments you can hide from the taxman' and 'Botox your Botox: why your face can never be paralyzed enough'.

He said there would also be strong reader interactivity, with a team of experts dedicated to answering readers' questions.

"A lot of people in Sandton want to know: are Malawians more trustworthy than Xhosas, or should you get a Zulu garden boy?

"Likewise, should we be looking at Perth or London post-2010?"

However, he said, the magazine would ultimately send out a positive message.

"We want to remind people that there is no problem this country can throw at you that you can't solve with electric fencing and a pedicure."