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Analysing media coverage of Africa in main SA media from 2001 to 2005, Africa and Europe received an equal share of the coverage - 24% or about 60 000 reports each.

Although Africa is still negatively portrayed (20% negative rating), it received less negative coverage than the Middle East and South America. The Oceania region was the only region with a positive rating..

Daily and weekly media as well as the SABC were overall negative in their reporting but Etv had the largest share of negative coverage (28%). The Citizen was the leading daily newspaper in terms of volume, followed by Business Day, The Star and Beeld. Among the weeklies City Press, Sunday Independent and the Mail & Guardian had the most coverage. .

The South African media closely followed the situation in Zimbabwe, thus paying less attention to events in Sudan and other African 'hot spots'. Zimbabwe remains the most reported on African country, with Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a distant second and third. Although the individual countries received negative ratings, except for Mozambique, Angola, Lesotho and Tanzania, the continent was portrayed positively, with a 13% overall positive rating. .

African leaders' focus on the economic development of the continent has resulted in an increase in coverage on business and finance issues in Africa. Foreign affairs, politics and crime remain the top issues, with HIV/Aids almost a non-issue..

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was by far the most reported on African leader, excluding South African leaders. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in third position, following Nigerian president Olesugun Obasangu. .