Introduction to South African News Media
South Arica is home to Africa’s biggest media organistaions. The vast network of media operating in the country reflects the population diversity well via both broadcasting channels as well as print publications. English is the most common language of media here. However, there are 10 more official languages that are spoken and read in South Africa and thus, there is media for that as well.
In the print media, Afrikaans is the second most used language after English to serve the South African users.
South Africa has a rich history of print publications as community broadsheets, student newspapers, censored publications and bilingual weeklies were quite popular among the citizens until 1994. However, after the elections and 9/11 terror attacks, such alterative publications started to reduce.
Early Newspapers
In the 18th century, Cape Colony governor started publishing Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, both of which were controlled by the government. These publications inspired SA Commercial Advertiser, the first privately owned daily newspaper that started its operations in 1824. Renowned journalists Thomas Pringle and John Fairbairn were the editors of the SA Commercial Advertiser.
In 1830, De Zuid-Afrikaan came into existence and became the first Dutch newspaper. The readers of the African languages, had to wait a little while, until the entry of Umshumayeli Wendaba in 1837. Die Afrikaanse Patriot, which was the first Afrikaans language daily, started publishing in 1876.
Development
Newspapers industry has developed well over the years in South Africa. The South African Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) conducted a survey in 1996 and found that 36 daily and weekly newspapers were operating in the urban regions of the country. English newspapers were 29 in number, while four published in Afrikaans, two in Zulu and one newspaper published in Xhosa language.
While English is the most popular language in South Africa, readers of other regional languages also contribute to a high literacy rate of the nation.
Censorship
South Africa has had a long history of censorship as well and therefore, the culture of newspaper readership has been under threat for a long time. The country has numerous community newspapers that circulates its free copies, heavily loaded with advertisements. Even after that, around 1.3 million newspapers are sold every day in South Africa.
Leading Newspapers
Currently, many independently owned daily newspapers operate in South Africa. The Mail & Guardian is the most notable among all, while the four prominent publishing houses of the nation include Avusa, Sekunjalo Investments’ Independent News and Media, Naspers and CTP/Caxton.
Magazines
As many as 280 magazines publish in the country and the number keeps increasing with time due to the high demand of magazines among the South African readers. In 1998, the annual turnover of the South African magazine industry was about R 1.7 billion.
Online Media
The news websites are constantly increasing in South Africa but the business is still quite expensive. Telkom has the monopoly over the communication lines in the region. Mobile network operators like Vodacom and MTN provide users with adequate telephone and internet access but they are also very expensive.
South African newspapers, websites and agencies list
South Africa has a big network of newspapers and websites and here below we have shared a list of them. With this list of prominent South African newspapers and news websites, we have tried to explain the origin, operations, status and relevance of these South African media entities.
Part 1: South African newspapers
In the first part of the article, we will describe everything about the South African newspapers that are widely read in the country and its neighboring nations.
City Press
City Press is a national weekly newspaper that publishes every Sunday in South Africa. It is one of the most trusted and popular newspapers of the country as besides the flagship print edition, City Press owns a group of mediums for the dissemination of news. The news brand has a daily newsletter, news website and various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Parliament Paper
City Press publishes a newsletter that comes every morning called On a Point of Order. It reports and comments extensively on the South African Parliament. On many of the occasions, members of the parliament have cited reports from the On a Point of Order newsletter to support or protest against any matter of discussion.
Other Publications
Other popular newsletters owned and published by City Press are Football Fever, Sundays With City Press and #Trending – The Good Guide. As the name suggests, Football Fever covers all news related to football and presents analysis of the game. It comes thrice a week.
Sundays With City Press is a Sunday newsletter that comes along the regular print edition and carries feature stories. #Trending – The Good Guide carries all news related to entertainment, culture and technology.
Website
The Sunday newspaper has a website as well that publishes news on a real time basis. One can mail out Editorial Complaints and Tip-Offs using the direct link on the website. The news website has its presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and offers latest updates through mobile applications for both Android and iOS devices.
For “Black Middle Class”
In the About section of the City Press Facebook page, the Sunday newspaper claims to offer “cutting-edge journalism and meaningful content to a diverse demographic”. The newspaper adds that its principal target audience is “the black middle class: urban, young, well-educated and upwardly mobile”.
Witness
The Witness is a South African newspaper that publishes daily in Pietermaritzburg. Besides the city of Pietermaritzburg, the national daily has its readers based in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal as well. The newspaper was formerly known as The Natal Witness.
Origin
The Natal Witness was first published on February 27, 1846. In 2000, the Media24 group — a subsidiary of Naspers — bought 50 percent stake of The Witness. In July 2010, the Media24 group bought the remaining 50 percent shares in the Natal Witness Printing and Publishing company.
David Dale Buchanan was the founding editor of The Natal Witness, while Yves Vanderhaegen is the current editor of The Natal Witness.
Independent Online?
Independent Online, which is popularly known as IOL in South Africa, is a news website owned and managed by the Independent News & Media group. The publishing group is the largest and most prominent in South Africa. Until 2013, the ownership of the company was independent until a major chunk of its shares was sold out to the Sekunjalo Investments.
Ownership
The Sekunjalo Independent Media has possession of 55 percent company shares, while the Public Investment Corporation of South Africa has 25% percent of the stake. Two companies from China, though both owned by the South African government — China International Television Corporation and China Africa Development Fund — have the possession of remaining 20 percent of the newspaper shares.
Website
The publishing company has a group website called Independent Online, which hosts other South African newspapers owned by the Independent News & Media group. The Star, The Daily Voice, Pretoria News, Cape Times, Weekend Argus, Cape Argus, The Mercury, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Post, Isolezwe, Sunday Tribune, Daily Tribune, The Sunday Independent and The Independent on Saturday are among these newspapers that feature on the IOL website.
Readership
In the About Us section of the website, Independent Online claims that all of its websites collectively serve “millions of readers” across the nation and beyond. The IOL websites offers breaking news along with real time updates on news related to Politics, Business, Current Affairs, Lifestyle, Travel, Entertainment, Sport, Technology and Motoring.
Prominent South African business publications — Business Report and Personal Finance — also come under the ownership of the IOL and thus, find their space on the main website.
Resources
The news website boasts of a “team of digital journalists” that curate and present news to the online audience. Meanwhile, news covered by Independent Media and other media houses, such as African Community Media and the African News Agency also get published on the website.
Independent Online also has subscription of newspaper Washington Post and news agencies like Reuters, Xinhua and IANS for the coverage of international news.
Independent Online (IOL) Online
Independent Online (IOL) Android App
Independent Online (IOL) iOS App
Daily News
Daily News is a Durban based newspaper that comes under the ownership of the Independent News & Media organisation. Online, Daily News is accessible through the main website of Independent Online.
Origin
Daily News claims to be a “139-year-old institution” in the About Us section of the website. The newspaper has been relevant for the readers across South Africa, with most popularity in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal’ for its coverage of the sports news.
The website tries to deliver news quickly without compromising on its credibility.
Key People
Aakash Bramdeo is the Editor of The Daily News, while Lee Rondganger is the Live Editor and reachable at (031) 308 2177 and lee.rondganger@inl.co.za for editorial queries.
Cape Times
Cape Times is another newspaper owned by the Independent News & Media organisation. The Cape Town-based newspaper has its website on the subdomain of the Independent Online website.
Key People
Siyavuya Mzantsi is the Editor Cape Times and reachable on the telephone number 021 488 4500 and email: siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za.
History
Cape Times was established on March 27, 1876, as a small four-page newspaper. Frederick York St Leger was the founding editor of the newspaper. It was a daily for the poor working class as it reported extensively on the government corruption in early years.
Readership
According to the South African Advertising Research Foundation, Cape Times had had a daily readership of 261,000 in 2012.
Post
The Post is another English-language daily newspaper from Durban that is owned by the Independent News & Media group. The IOL website has a separate section for the Post website.
The Post website has sections like News, Sports, Opinion and Features. One can follow the Post newspaper on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for latest updates.
Circulation
According to the Facebook page of the Post, the newspaper currently has a “circulation average of over 45 000”. The readership of the Post is over 300 000, claims South Africa’s “highly influential and successful ethnic paper”.
History
In 1955, the Post started publishing as a tabloid under the title ‘Golden City Post’. The Argus Group took over the newspaper’s operations in 1971 and renamed it to Post.
Independent on Saturday
The Independent on Saturday is a South African weekly newspaper owned by the Independent News & Media group. The website of the Independent on Saturday, which is accessible from the main website, has sections like News, World, Sports, Opinion, Arts and Behind The News.
Origin
The Independent on Saturday was first published on April 18, 1998, as a successor to the Saturday Paper. The Saturday editions of the Daily News and the Mercury had stopped publishing in the mid-1990s and thus, the Saturday Paper was formed.
Circulation
The primary circulation of the Independent on Saturday is in Durban but it is quite popular in other parts of the KwaZulu-Natal province as well.
Independent on Saturday Online
Independent on Saturday Android App
Independent on Saturday iOS App
Mercury
The Mercury is another part of the Independent News & Media group that calls itself “KwaZulu-Natal’s leading daily newspaper & media partners of The Sharks”. According to its Facebook page, the newspaper was first published in 1852.
Earlier known as The Natal Mercury, the Durban-based publication reports the national and local news with complete background. It published analysis and opinion pieces on various news topics to share the information in best shape.
Loyal Reader Base
The Mercury has a loyal reader base for its Business Report that covers international market trends along with news related to national companies. GoodLife, Network and Motoring are the supplements of the newspaper and have special pages dedicated on the news website.
Star ? ?
The Star is another publication owned by the Independent News & Media company, which claims itself as “South Africa’s most in?uential daily newspaper”. The Facebook bio of the newspaper page adds that The Star reports all local, national and international news with extensive coverage of sport.
Revenue
The Star boasts of a revenue model driven by a “superb advertising environment” on the broadsheet as well as the website. Most of the readers of the Star belong to Greater Johannesburg, which is South Africa’s economic hub.
The Star has a history of 132 years and now covers sections like News, Sports, Verve and Opinion & Analysis on the website hosted by IOL.
Cape Argus
Cape Argus a Cape Town-based daily newspaper published by the Independent News & Media group. The newspaper has a website too that features sections like News, Opinion, Life, Sport, Motoring and Cycle Tour.
Equality
Cape Argus says on its official Facebook page that its prime role is bridge the gap between diverse communities of Cape Town. The publication covers news from Khayelitsha to Constantia and aims to a meeting place for readers “regardless of their race, sex, colour or creed”.
“It is a rare privilege to edit a newspaper that essentially writes itself once we have answered the key question: what will the community be talking about today?” Cape Argus emphasis on the message further.
Times
The Times was a daily newspaper of South Africa which has now been discontinued. The Times of South Africa was given free to the subscribers of Sunday Times for five days in a week. The Times was also available at the market for purchase at an affordable rate.
Resurgence
After the print edition of The Times shut down its operations in December 2017, a digital edition, Times Select took its place. It contains the same news, analysis, opinion from all the leading writers. The editor of Times Select is Fienie Grobler. Andrew Trench was the last editor of The Times.
Ownership
TimesLIVE claims itself to be the second-biggest news website of South Africa. It is owned and published by Arena Holdings, formerly by Tiso Blackstar Group. The content on TimesLIVE is completely free to read, barring most articles on Sunday Times as it requires a subscription. The subscribers of Sunday Times can also enjoy the access to Times Select.
According to the website, Sunday Times is the biggest Sunday newspaper of South Africa. Besides South Africa, Sunday Times also has distribution in the neighbouring countries like Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.
Key People
Lebo Nthongoa and Fienie Grobler are the editors of TimesLIVE. It is located at Hill On Empire in Johannesburg. “We offer quality reporting throughout the day, breaking the news with stories, email newsletters, and multimedia,” TimesLIVE claims on its website.
Social Presence
The TimesLIVE is available on social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter for the latest news updates and trending stories from in and around South Africa.
The application of TimesLIVE app, which also includes Sunday Times, is available for both Android and iOS users. One can download the app from Google Play store, the Huawei AppGallery and Apple’s App Store to get breaking news alerts instantly.
Citizen
The Citizen is a tabloid-sized daily newspaper of South Africa. Published and owned by CTP/Caxton, the newspaper was founded in 1976 by Louis Luyt. CTP/Caxton, one of the largest publishers in South Africa, acquired The Citizen in 1998. It is headquartered in Johannesburg, the largest city of South Africa. While Trevor Stevens is the editor of The Citizen, Brendan Seery is the deputy editor and Amanda Watson is the deputy news editor. Trevor Stevens joined The Citizen in 2001 as a sports reporter and became the editor in 2017.
Circulation
Though it is a Gauteng-based daily with 82 per cent of circulation, its readership also extends to neighbouring provinces such as Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West. The Citizen claims to carry “quality content across its various editorial pillars including: news, business, sport, lifestyle and entertainment, motoring, horseracing, gaming and auctions”. Racing Express, Phakaaathi, Motoring, Hammer & Gavel are some of its supplements and special features.
Website
The Citizen also has an online edition. The website was launched on 1 August 2013. According to the website, citizen.co.za is among the “top 10 South African news websites, with around 4 million unique browsers and 20 million page views per month”. The website categorises the stories into different sections such as Business, Sport and Lifestyle among others.
Besides The Citizen and citizen.co.za, local news network (LNN) is also one of the products of CTP/Caxton. Lately, the Citizen has acquired all4women.co.za and livingandloving.co.za.
Social Presence
The Citizen is available on social media platforms. One can follow its official Facebook and Twitter page for the latest news updates. In case there is any suggestion or feedback regarding the online content, one can shoot mail either at hendrip@citizen.co.za or online@citizen.co.za. Meanwhile, for any print-related issues or concerns, readers can write a mail at their email address — editor@citizen.co.za
Sowetan
Sowetan is a daily newspaper of South Africa. Published in English-language, it was founded in 1981. Back then, it was distributed free of cost to the people in then apartheid-segregated Soweto, Johannesburg and Gauteng province. It is believed to have a left-leaning editorial stand.
Sowetan is based in Johannesburg, largest city of South Africa. The editor of the newspaper is Nwabisa Makunga.
Ownership
Sowetan is published and owned by Arena Holdings, formerly Tiso Blackstar Group. The same company owns Times newspaper and TimesLIVE. From 1925 to 2008, The Sowetan was owned by Dr. Nthato Motlana, a prominent South African businessman and physician.
Motlana was also an anti-apartheid activist, who played a key role in the formation of the New African Investments Limited (NAIL). which later went on to purchase Sowetan after apartheid.
Website
Sowetan also has an online edition. SowetanLIVE is the name of its website. For the convenience of its readers, SowetanLIVE has segregated the stories into different categories. It has sections such as Sport, Entertainment and Business among others. Besides content from its print version, SowetanLIVE also carries stories that are exclusively for the online platform.
According to its website, SowetanLIVE is one of the largest online news publications in South Africa. The website claims that it has ‘more than 1.5-million readers per month who spend on average nearly five minutes on each article’.
Sunday World
Earlier, SowetanLIVE also used to publish content from Sunday World, a weekly celebrity news and gossip tabloid. However, this was discontinued in August last year as Sunday World was sold to Fundudzi Media. Interestingly, the web archive of SowetanLIVE has all the content of Sunday World till August 31, 2019.
If there is any feedback or suggestion, one can write a mail at newsdesk@sowetan.co.za. Sowetan is also available on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Die Burger
Die Burger, which translates into The Citizen, is a daily newspaper of South Africa. Published in Afrikaans language, Die Burger is based in Cape Town. The broadsheet-sized newspaper is published and owned by Naspers.
The first issue of Die Burger was published on 26 July 1915. Its sister publications are Beeld and Volksblad. The print media division of Naspers is known as Media24.
Key People
Willem Jordaan is the editor of Die Burger and he can be contacted at the email address — wjordaan@dieburger.com. The news editor of Die Burger is Nadia Honiball. While Herbert Pretorius is the sports editor, Hanlie Stadler is its business editor. Die Burger also has an online edition.
History
Sixteen renowned Afrikaners held a meeting in Stellenbosch on December 18, 1914, to discuss the creation of a national newspaper. Jannie Marais and W.A. Hofmeyr founded Naspers with the financial help from Jan Christiaan Smuts, Louis Botha, and founding president of National Party, J.B.M. Hertzog. This is how De Nasionale Pers Beperkt, which means The National Press Ltd was founded. Its daily newspaper was called De Burger and Dr. D. F. Malan was chosen as its editor.
Originally, Die Burger was published in Dutch. It was only in 1916 that first Afrikaan-language articles were printed. The Dutch title De Burger was finally translated into Die Burger in 1921.
National Movement
Die Burger supported the nationalist cause and apartheid. It served as a mouthpiece of the National Party of South Africa. However, the political inclination of the newspaper started changing after editor Piet Cillié retired in 1985.
Finally, in 1990, Die Burger editor Ebbe Dommisse officially informed the National Party that the newspaper will no longer serve as its mouthpiece.
Social Presence
Die Burger is available on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. One can follow its official social media pages for the latest news and updates.
Soccer Laduma
Soccer Laduma is an English-language football-centric newspaper of South Africa. Soccer Laduma was launched in the year 1997. As per the information given on its website, the print edition of Soccer Laduma still remains the ‘highest-selling sports publication’ in South Africa in terms of circulation figures.
The office of Soccer Laduma is in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa.
Reach
“Soccer Laduma provides breaking news, interviews and analysis on local and international football complemented by user-generated content constantly feeding off each other to create a 24-hour hub of interaction,” the website describes itself in the About Us section.
“On Podcast/SL Radio, we average on a monthly total access of 52,160 and an average of 1,682 unique listeners daily,” Soccer Laduma has mentioned on its website.
Website
Soccer Laduma also has an online edition. For the convenience of its readers, Soccer Laduma has categorised the stories into different sections such as Local, International, Match Centre, Fan Park and SL Gaming among others.
Social Presence
Soccer Laduma is also available on social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to stay updated with the latest news and trending stories.
“The biggest football publication in Africa, Soccer-Laduma gives you up-to-date news and info on the latest happenings in the world of football,” the website claims on its Facebook page.
Fan Base
While 2,723,175 people have liked its Facebook page, 2,727,595 internet users have followed it by September 2020. Soccer Laduma also enjoys a massive following on Instagram and Twitter. While it has 834.6K followers on the micro-blogging site, 479k users follow it on Instagram.
In case one has any feedback, query or suggestion to offer, Soccer Laduma can be contacted through its email address given on the website- editor@soccerladuma.co.za.
Daily Sun
Daily Sun is an English-language daily newspaper in South Africa. The tabloid-sized newspaper is owned and published by Naspers. Daily Sun is based in Media Park, 69 Kingsway Ave, Auckland Park Johannesburg. Reportedly, Daily Sun is the second-largest daily newspaper of South Africa in terms of circulation.
“Naspers is a global internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world,” the owner of Daily Sun has mentioned on its website.
History
Naspers was founded in 1915 by Jannie Marais and W.A. Hofmeyr with the financial help from Jan Christiaan Smuts, Louis Botha, and founding president of National Party, J.B.M. Hertzog. Media24 is the print media division of Naspers.
“The paper targets readers in and around the major urban centres of South Africa,” Media24 writes about Daily Sun. Sunday Sun, Die Burger, Soccer Laduma and Beeld are some of the other newspapers published by Media24.
Origin
Daily Sun was founded on July 1, 2002 by Media24. Veteran journalist Deon du Plessis was the person behind the newspaper. He remained its minority shareholder and publisher until his sudden death on September 11, 2011 at his home.
Website
Daily Sun also has an online edition. For the convenience of its readers, the website has different categories such as News, Celebs, Sport and Lifestyle among others.
Daily Sun is available on various social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to stay updated with the latest news and alerts.
Reach
“Daily Sun is South Africa’s largest – and loudest – daily paper. It is read by over 5.5 million people a day,” it claims on its Facebook page.
While 1,940,606 people have liked its Facebook page, 1,959,906 internet users have followed it by September 2020. In case of any query, feedback or suggestion, an email can be dropped at news@dailysun.co.za.
Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian is a weekly newspaper of South Africa. The tabloid-sized weekly is owned by M&G Media. Founded in 1985, its headquarters is in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa.
The tagline of Mail & Guardian is ‘Africa’s Best Read’. Khadija Patel is editor-in-chief of Mail & Guardian. Hoosain Karjieker is the chief executive of M&G Media Limited.
Origin
In 1985, it was launched with the name Weekly Mail. It was an alternative newspaper established by a group of journalists after two leading newspapers, The Rand Daily Mail and Sunday Express, were shut down.
The Weekly Mail was critical of the then government and its apartheid policies. As a result, the newspaper was banned by then State President P. W. Botha in 1988.
Major Changes
On 30 July 1993, Weekly Mail was renamed as Weekly Mail & Guardian. In 1995, its name was again changed to Mail & Guardian after Guardian Media Group (GMG), the publisher of The Guardian, became its majority shareholder.
Later, Zimbabwean publisher and entrepreneur Trevor Ncube’s Newtrust Company Botswana Limited purchased 87.5 percent of the company in 2002. Ncube also became the CEO.
Another change in ownership took place in 2017 when Media Development Investment Fund acquired a majority stake in Mail & Guardian.
Work Culture
“Mail & Guardian Online’ was launched in 1994. It claims to be the ‘first internet news publication in Africa. The M&G is a quality investigative and comment news publication, based on a culture of editorial independence and excellence,” the website states in the About Us section.
Before 2008, the website of Mail & Guardian was owned jointly by MWEB, an internet service provider and M&G Media. After that, M&G Media purchased it entirely. Mail & Guardian has different sections on its website such as Opinion, Arts & Culture, Business, Education, Health and Environment among others.
Herald
The Herald is “the oldest daily newspaper in South Africa”. Published from Monday to Friday, the English-language newspaper is owned and published by Arena Holdings (formerly Tiso Blackstar Group). On Saturdays, the newspaper is published as The Weekend Post. Its headquarters is in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.
The Herald also ventured into digital medium with HeraldLIVE. The Herald claims to be the voice of the Nelson Mandela Bay. The Herald kick started its journey in media as a black-and-white four-pager on May 7, 1845.
Weekend Market Leader
Describing its Saturday edition, the official website says, “Weekend Post is the weekend market leader in the Eastern Cape. Its editorial content is a successful blend of award-winning exclusives, news and features, with a strong focus on leisure and lifestyle content in keeping with the latest trends”.
Website
Meanwhile, HeraldLIVE is the online edition of both The Herald and the Weekend Post. It publishes latest news, updates, insights, opinions, sports and entertainment stories all day long. One can digitally subscribe to HeraldLIVE to get complete access to the “best content”.
HeraldLIVE is available on social media platforms. One can follow it on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates. Readers can contact the news desk at heraldletters@arena.africa.
Dispatch
Daily Dispatch is an English-language daily newspaper of South Africa. Founded in 1872 as East London Dispatch, its headquarters is in East London. Published from Monday to Saturday, it carries stories that mostly interests people of Eastern Cape.
The weekend edition of Daily Dispatch is known as Saturday Dispatch. The online edition of the newspaper is DispatchLIVE.
Ownership
Arena Holdings (formerly Tiso Blackstar Group) owns as well as publishes Daily Dispatch and DispatchLIVE. While Chiara Carter is the editor, Cheri-Ann James is the deputy editor. Journalists of Daily Dispatch have even won CNN African Journalist of the Year Award in 2010 and 2011.
Daily Voice
Daily Voice is a tabloid newspaper of South Africa founded on March 16, 2005. Published by Independent Newspapers, it is headquartered in Cape Town. It is mostly available in Cape Town, however, one can also get the newspaper in the Western Cape’s Boland, West Coast and Overberg regions.
People’s Paper
“We speak the people’s language, tell the people’s stories and champion the people’s issues by giving a voice to the voiceless,” Daily Voice describes itself on its website.
The tagline of Daily Voice is “Ons skrik vir niks” (Afrikaans), which in English translates to “We are not scared of anything”. Taariq Halim is its editor.
Isolezwe
Isolezwe is a daily newspaper in South Africa. Owned by Independent News & Media, it is a Zulu-language newspaper. Launched in the year 2002, Isolezwe is published in Durban. The newspaper follows the format of a tabloid. Its Sunday edition is called Isolezwe ngeSonto. Kiki Ntuli is the editor of Isolezwe.
Origin
Isolezwe ventured into the digital medium in 2004. According to the Independent News & Media, it is the first Zulu-language news website.
Isozwele uses a quite urban form of Zulu. Its competitor Ilanga states that it uses the pure form of the language. Isozwele is available on Twitter and Facebook.
Die Son
Die Son, which means, The Sun, is a tabloid in South Africa. Published in Afrikaans language, it is headquartered in Cape Town. Die Son follows the style of British tabloids like The Sun. It “focuses on news, scandal, gossip, entertainment, sport, and exposés,” according to its Facebook page.
Origin
Founded in 2003, Die Son is published by Naspers. While in the Western Cape province, it is a daily newspaper, in the other provinces, it appears as a weekly.
Die Son also has an online edition. One can follow it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
Krugersdorp News
Krugersdorp News is a newspaper in South Africa. It is owned and published by Caxton & CTP Printers and Publishers Ltd. According to the About Us section of its website, the newspaper is “distributed free to 30,630 Krugersdorpers every Wednesday”.
Coverage
Krugersdorp News carries stories related to the local news, municipal issues and schools in the Krugersdorp area. As much as 50 per cent of its readers are English whereas Afrikaans comprises of 31 per cent. Clinton Botha is the editor of Krugersdorp News.
Krugersdorp News also has an online edition. The website has different sections such as Lifestyle, Property, Motoring and Kids among others.
South Coast Herald?
South Coast Herald has been in the news business for the past 78 years. It describes itself as “Leader in Local News”. Back in 1935, South Coast Herald was known as South Coast Reveille.
Website
South Coast Herald also has an online edition. For the convenience of its readers, the website has segregated its stories into different sections such as Lifestyle, News and Kids among others. David Rush is the editor of South Coast Herald.
In case readers have any query, suggestion or there is any feedback to offer, one can shoot an email at the address given on the official Facebook page — southcoastherald@dbn.caxton.co.za.
George Herald
George Herald is a bilingual community newspaper. Published weekly, its distribution is in the Garden Route area of South Africa. George Herald reaches the readers every Thursday.
Website
George Herald also has an online edition. Its website has different sections such as Travel, Entertainment, Gallery, Business and Sport among others.
Readers can follow George Herald on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest news and trending stories.
Key People
While Lizette da Silva is the editor of George Herald, Ilse Schoonraad holds the position of managing group editor. Tanya Watson is the online editor of George Herald. She can be contacted at tanya@groupeditors.co.za
Part 2: South African news websites
The second part of the article includes South African news websites, which are quite popular in South Africa and its neighbouring countries.
Briefly?
Briefly is a South African news website that covers news related to Politics, Entertainment and Lifestyle, besides unearthing the stories of ordinary people. On the About Us page of the website, Briefly says it creates the news reports that the current generation “cares about”.
“Our dedicated team of extraordinary reporters aims to embody this era in which it has been created; dynamic, informative, controversial, and entertaining,” states the digital news platform.
Origin
Briefly started its operations in 2016 with an aim to deliver news that has great value and relevance for the common masses. The website and follows a manifesto to make sure that information remains accurate and of high-quality.
Revenue
In the manifesto, Briefly calls itself an “independent source of information”. However, it adds that the company rely on advertisements to make money. No other company or government or individual finance Briefly.
The aim the news portal is to “collect information from all the available sources”, filter it through a system and explain it in the form of simple and understandable English articles. Without compromising on the quality and reliability, Briefly tries to present affordable media coverage of different subjects like technology, culture and education.
Manifesto
Briefly’s manifesto adds that the website promotes knowledge to bring in political stability and economic prosperity in the country.
Briefly publishes opinion pieces but refrains itself from showing single side of a story in its news reports. “Our site is not liable for the author’s point of view, but, at the same time, we reserve the right to publish alternative visions, as long as they are not considered to be propaganda, do not justify violence, do not lead to the sparking of enmity,” the manifesto adds.
Briefly also tries to stay away from controversial content.
One can write an email to contact@briefly.co.za in case of complaints or suggestions.
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News, which is also known as EWN, is a South African news website that focus on local and international news. The sections of the news published on the website includes entertainment, business, sports and politics. The news portal also uses interactive media to engage the readers.
Eyewitness News runs a radio programme besides hosting a desktop website and a mobile version of it.
Radio Show
EWN, the radio show, is aired on Primedia Broadcasting’s channel frequency 947, 702 along with KFM and CapeTalk radio stations.
Oscar Pistorius Trial
When South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was facing trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the entire country’s media was after the subject. EWN made the best of the opportunity on March 3, 2014, as it launched a digital radio station wholly dedicated to the news related to the Oscar Pistorius trial.
Eyewitness News had partnered with channel 702 and CapeTalk for the smooth functioning of the digital radio station.
The radio station could be accessed on both desktop and mobile devices. The Primedia Broadcasting also aired the radio programmes on its audio streaming mobile applications. The digital radio station provided its audience everyday updates of the trial, concluding its operations on the final day of the hearing on October 21, 2014.
Social Presence
Eyewitness News website has its social presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. One can subscribe to the official YouTube channel of Eyewitness News for video coverage on latest news from South Africa.
In the About Us section of the YouTube page, Eyewitness News claims to be an “independent” and “award-winning South African news organisation”.
Team
The news website adds that reporters, videographers and photographers of the EWN network have their base in Johannesburg and Cape Town. For the other parts of South Africa, Eyewitness News has a string of correspondents.
One can write an email to editor@ewn.co.za or webmaster@ewn.co.za for any news tip.
South African
The South African is a website operating in South Africa since 2003. Initially, the news published on the website used to come in a weekly printed newspaper as well. The publication used to distribute the print copies for free at the railway station entrances in London until 2015.
Last Print Edition
On June 15, 2015, the South African printed its last edition of the weekly newspaper that was once quite popular among the readers in the United States. However, following the changes in South Africa to the UK immigration policies, the readership of the newspaper started to decrease.
The publication was quick to shift its focus to the South African readers and started developing content for them online.
Origin
The South African website was launched by Blue Sky Publications, a multinational media organisation, in March 2003. The online news portal is famous for its news on national politics and lifestyle and had its offices in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The former London-based weekly newspaper, which provided news to the UK-based South Africans for more than a decade, in now a popular website among the readers from both the countries. The format of the weekly newspaper was of a tabloid and had a loyal reader base at London Tube stations until June 2015.
Award
The South African was bestowed with the IAB Bookmark Award for Mobile Publications in 2008. In the footnote, the website says it is “independent” and has “no agenda” and “no bias”.
News Sections
#LockdownLife, News, Sports, Finance, Lifestyle, Recipes, Tech, Travel, Motoring, SA Abroad and #StudentLife are among the sections of news on the South African website.
One can follow the South African on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for latest updates. The news website has an official YouTube channel as well that claims to cover “the stories that affect South Africans, wherever they are in the world”.
Maverick
Daily Maverick is a news website that describes itself as “independent and entertaining source of all the news and insight South Africans need” on its official Facebook page.
History
The online newspaper was established in 2009 with Branko Brkic as its founding editor and Styli Charalambous as its publisher. A private company that openly asks for donations on the website owns Daily Maverick.
The Daily Maverick website defines its publication “a unique blend of news, information, analysis and opinion” that is dicussed, filtered and presented from the newsroom in Johannesburg.
Website publisher Charalambous says that Daily Maverick is “a platform for photojournalism, providing readers with a visual insight into what is happening in South Africa, Africa and globally”.
Key People
Marianne Thamm is the assistant editor of Daily Maverick, while Ivo Vegter writes columns on free market. Constitutional law practitioner Pierre de Vos is also part of the editorial team, which includes founding General Secretary of COSATU Jay Naidoo, photojournalist Greg Marinovich and social activist Sisonke Msimang.
Daily Maverick comes under the Africa network of The Guardian.
More About The Editor
Brkic came up with the idea of launching Daily Maverick following the shutdown of South African business magazine, Maverick. He edited Maverick from 2005 to 2008. American news websites like The Daily Beast and The Huffington Post used to influence the reports of Maverick and thus, the Yugoslavia-born editor decided to take launch his business online with the help of Charalambous.
Brkic and Charalambous, a chartered accountant by profession, partnered with the help of Alan Knott-Craig Jnr, a tech entrepreneur who went on to become the first investor of the Daily Maverick website. At the launch, Knott-Craig Jnr called Daily Maverick “a journal of news and commentary that is helping to shape the way we see our noisy, disruptive democracy”.
Maroela Media
Maroela Media is a South African news website, which was established in August 2011 as an independent and objective media house. The website publishes news content in Afrikaans language, with an aim to serve the Afrikaans community with high quality, reliable and non-biased news.
In the About Us section of the website, Maroela Media claims to be “largest” among all Afrikaans websites as well as other Afrikaans language mediums such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio.
Readership
Maroela Media further claims that the website garners over two million unique visitors every month and the number keeps on increasing with popularity. Covering a wide range of topics, Maroela Media aims to inform and entertain readers so that they can be a part of a digital Afrikaans revolution.
Not only South Africans, the news website aims to cater to the Afrikaans speaking community from all across the globe. With focus on Afrikaans language and culture, Maroela Media tries to encourage critical thinking among the readers.
Other Brands
Besides the website, Maroela Media also owns a radio production, which is known as Draadloos. It produces programmes for community radio stations and trains the Afrikaans youth to grab opportunities in radio broadcasting.
The vision, as mentioned on the Maroela Media, is to serve the Afrikaans community with the news that is “balanced and reliable”.
“We believe that it is not the role of the media to dictate to the public how they should think, but to give them all the information they need to make informed decisions. With this, we also want to create hope with our content, which is presented in a balanced and reliable way and is constantly looking for the positive,” Maroela Media adds further.
Social Presence
Maroela Media is available on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
eNCA
eNCA, which is also known as eNews Channel Africa is a television news broadcaster. Launched on June 1, 2008, it became the first 24-hour television news service of South Africa. Owned by e.tv, it operates in English-language.
The headquarters of eNCA is in Johannesburg, the biggest city of South Africa. Since its launch in 2008 until 2012, eNCA was known as eNews Channel. The channel later rebranded itself to eNews Channel Africa (eNCA).
Vast Network
On the website, eNCA claims to be ‘South Africa’s most-watched TV news channel’. eNCA boasts of bureaus across South Africa. It also has correspondents for covering stories in Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania, the US and Europe.
Website
eNCA also has an online edition, which was launched in 2013. For the convenience of its readers, the website has segregated the stories into different sections like News, Business, Sport, Life and Weather among others. Later, the news app of eNCA was also launched. The application is available for both the Android and iOS users.
Readership
“eNCA’s digital division provides an audience of 1.5 million monthly users,” the website claims.
eNCA is available on all social media platforms. Readers can follow it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest news and trending updates.
702
Founded in 1980, 702 is a commercial FM radio station, which is based in Johannesburg, the biggest city of South Africa. It was established by entrepreneurs Natie and Issie Kirsh in Bophuthatswana. It broadcasts on FM 92.7 and FM 106 to the greater Gauteng province.
Ownership
702 is owned by Primemedia and its sister stations are CapeTalk, Kaya FM, 947, KFM. It first aired on 28 June 1980.
Origin
702 was initially a music station for the young generation, later, it shifted to talk shows format in 1988. During South Africa’s apartheid era, 702 and Capital Radio 604, were the only independent sources of broadcast news.
702 used to air only on 702 kHz AM until 2016. In 2006, it received an application to shift to FM radio frequency. After that, the first FM broadcast went live on July 24, 2006. The station broadcasted on AM band till it got shut down on June 2007.
Website
702 also has an online edition. The website has sections such as Featured, News, Shows and Podcasts among others. 702 is also webcast through its website. 702 is available on all social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
ITWeb
ITWeb was founded on March 1, 1996. Based in Rivonia, a suburb of Johannesburg, it claims to be “South Africa’s leading technology news website and publisher”. ITWeb acts as an important source of information for the IT decision makers of South Africa.
According to its Facebook page, ‘ITWeb delivers news, views and information through diverse content platforms, including online, e-newsletters, social media, print and events’. While Jovan Regasek is the publisher, Ranka Jovanovic is the editor-in-chief.
Other Brands
Its other products of ITWeb are myDigitalLife, Defence Web, Brainstorm Magazine, iWeek Magazine, Career Web, iFashion and Informatica. While defenceWeb and TrainingWeb are the websites, ITWeb Brainstorm, ICT Insight and The Margin are in print format.
Social Presence
ITWeb is also available on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Readers can even found ITWeb on LinkedIn and Google+.
“Our Twitter account provides a feed of the most recent headlines, announcements about competitions and promotions, live reporting from events, and interviews with interesting people in the industry,” it mentions on the website.
One can contact ITWeb via its phone number +27 11 807 3294. Readers can even write a mail to the website in case one has any query, suggestion or feedback. Their email address is itnews@itweb.co.za.
?NGO pulse
NGO Pulse is development information portal and NGO of SANGONeT. The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) was established in the year 1987. SANGONeT is one of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Africa which works in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
NGO Pulse provides civil society with a wide variety of ICT products as well as services.
Developmental Journalism
NGO Pulse serves as a media platform for “development news, commentary and debate”, thus promoting networking and interaction in development sector.
“It is a one-stop Internet information resource for and about the NGO sector in South Africa and is a recognised and respected gateway to the development community,” NGO Pulse describes itself on its Facebook page.
Other Services
Besides news content, the website also provides information related to NGO management and sustainability. The website has sections such as Media, Education and Civil Society among others. Its office is located in Johannesburg.
If there is any confusion, doubt, query or feedback, one can write an email to info@sangonet.org.za and can even contact NGO Pulse via its telephone number- +27 11 403 4935.
One can follow NGO Pulse on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to receive latest news and updates.
Cape Talk
CapeTalk is an AM radio station, broadcasting on AM/MW 567 on medium wave band. CapeTalk describes itself as the talk station of Cape Town, which covers the stories that are relevant to the “Mother City”.
Ownership
Founded on 14 October 1997, it is owned by Primedia. The headquarters of Primedia is in Sandton, Johannesburg. It operates four national radio stations along with Eyewitness News service.
CapeTalk is based in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa. CapeTalk is webcast through its website. The website has different categories like Features, News, Shows and Podcasts. Sister stations of CapeTalk are 702, which is FM radio station based in Johannesburg, Kfm 94.5 and 947, which was formerly known as 94.7 Highveld Stereo.
Social Presence
CapeTalk is available on social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube for the latest news and updates regarding its shows. Some of its prominent presenters are Gushwell Brool, John Maythan and Shiloh Noone among others.
On its Facebook page, it claims to have won several awards like “MTN Radio Awards: Best Actuality Show 2010, 2011 for the Midday Report, Best Financial show 2010, 2011 for the Money Show, Best Afternoon Drive Presenter (John Maytham) 2013”.
Cape Town Etc?
Cape Town Etc is a “source of lifestyle news, reviews and entertainment” of Cape Town, the mother city, according to its Facebook page. It is a flagship publication of Highbury Media, which is “one of the largest independent magazine publishers in South Africa”.
Website
Talking about its website, capetownetc.com, it states that “more than 563,000 + unique users” visit the site every month. Besides content that is exclusively created for the site, it also contains some unique and best stories from the magazine. The website has categorised its stories into different sections like Lifestyle and Best Of The Cape among others.
Magazine
Cape Town Etc is a magazine, which talks about “food and drink, art and culture, entertainment, events, shopping, accommodations, adventure, the great outdoors and much more” in each of its issue. Cape Town Etc magazine gets published three times a year, in February, June and October.
Social Presence
Cape Town Etc is available on social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest news and trending stories. While 165,153 people have liked its Facebook page, 186,641 internet users followed it by September 2020.
If there is any doubt, suggestion or feedback, readers can write an email to capetownetc@hsm.co.za.
South Africa Today
South Africa Today is an English-language news website of South Africa. It is owned by Media Link Services LTD. The online news platform was founded in February in the year 2014.
“We are devoted to spread the news on a global scale. The website is free for all to register and submit links of important news. By sharing a link it will accumulate on our website and will be spread further,” it writes in the About section of its website.
News Sections
South Africa Today has sections such as World, South Africa, Farm Attack, Media Gallery, More, Lifestyle, Internet/Online, Financial News, Financial Markets, Investing, Social-TV, Submit Article, Contact Us and Newsletter.
The categories also have sub-categories. For example- the section titled as More has sub-sections such as Cryptocurrency, Construction, Business, Economy, Environment, Technology, Travel, Africa News, Sports, Press Release and Submit Article.
Base
Readers can contact South Africa Today via mail. Through letters, one can even share their thoughts. Their complete postal address is South Africa Today, 184/30 Soi 5, Muang Mai, Photharam, Ratchaburi, Thailand, 70120. Readers can even send their stories and photos which they want to be published on South Africa Today.
SABC News
SABC News is a South African news channel, which has a website as well, owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The vision of the news website is to become a “leading and credible” voice as well as face of South Africa.
Origin
When the SABC News Service was started in June 1950, it had replaced the programmes aired by the BBC. The British broadcaster used to report the South African news with a British viewpoint.
The SABC News websites adds that its mission is to become “financially viable and digitised” nationwide public broadcaster. It aims to provide readers informative and entertaining news content using all possible channels of communication.
Engineering News
Engineering News is a South African website for the coverage of all the news related to engineering. The digital platform was established by the Creamer Media group on March 13, 1981.
Other Publications
The other media brands owned by the Creamer Media group include Mining Weekly publication as well as its website, another portal called Engineering News Online and Polity.org.za. For the coverage of business news, the company operates news portals like Product Portal and Research Channel Africa.
The main office of Engineering News is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The contributors of the website are based in the Australian city of Perth along with some African countries and India.
Politics Web
Politics Web is a South African news website that has its focus on the national politics. The aim of the website is to provide the readers with breaking news, commentaries and opinion pieces on country’s relevant political affairs.
The online platform also acts as a forum for public to engage in a reasonable debate using the comments section. The readers can also contribute with news reports, information, photos or videos using a separate section of the website.
Revenue Model
In the About Us section of the website, Politics Web claims that it is funded through advertising as well as support and subscriptions of the readers.
Tech Central
Tech Central is a news website that covers all news related to technology and business within the boundaries of South Africa. The company also owns a podcast network that is quite popular in the neighbouring countries as well.
“We provide quality news, reviews and comment relevant to our quickly expanding audience. And we do it first,” the tech news website says in the About Us section.
Limitations
Tech Central does not support Internet Explorer and urges its users to use internet browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge, Opera and Vivaldi.
Tech Central is owned by News Central Media, which is a member of IAB South Africa
Algoa FM
?Algoa FM is a South African radio channel that broadcasts “from the Garden Route to the Wild Coast”. Algoa FM owns a news website as well, which says in the About Us section that the focus of the company is to serve an adult audience with the relevant lifestyle news.
The adults defined by the website include those “who enjoy good music and indulge in quality life experiences”.
Coverage
Algoa FM radio station broadcasts regional, national and global news, besides covering sport and presenting weather reports. The network aims to become the country’s leading source of latest entertainment news as well.
iAfrica
iAfrica is a South African website that covers news related to business, sports, lifestyle, legal rights and weather. The lifestyle section of the website has sub-sections like Entertainment, Interesting Stuff and Travel.
iAfrica boasts of an editorial team that covers breaking news as well as topical features within the South African boundaries.
Ownership
iAfrica is a subsidiary of the 365 Digital Publishing (Pty) Ltd. It was founded in 1997 by Africa.com, which is the continent’s biggest internet media company. Besides iAfrica, the parent company owns a number of websites ending with the “.africa.com” extension. The media giant is also active in business publisher’s advertising network and content syndication.
Polity?
Polity? is a South African website that covers the country’s politics besides helping the citizens freely access the South African legislation and policy documents. The news website also hosts videos and podcast material to support the news content.
Polity? publishes in-depth interviews with South Africa’s leading opinion makers and boasts of a prominent columnists and guest writers. The high quality content published by the website analysis the country’s current events with an aim to strengthen democracy.
Ownership
The website is owned by the Creamer Media group, which claims in the About Us section that Polity generates over 75,396 page views every week with and has a loyal reader base of 30,572 internet users.
Share Net is a website that acts as a leading source of information related to the “South African financial marketplace”. The company owning the website was formed in 1988 with an objective to provide the real-time JSE share prices to its subscribers.
Share Net has invested a lot on technological advancements over the year to develop all important online tools for the investors to invest on the South African as well as international stock markets.
Other Services
Besides the information and news reports related to the stock markets, Share Net provides its subscribers with services like Market Data and Tools, Trading, Trading Workshops and Research, Wealth Management and Corporate Services.
Part 3: South African business newspapers, websites
The third part of the article talks about the South African business newspapers and websites that are well read by the businessmen based in South African and its neighbouring nations.
Fin24
Fin24 is a business news website owned by the News 24 network of South Africa. It is one of the leading and most trusted websites for the latest news related to business, finance, economics, stock market data, personal finance and information related to investment.
News Sections
Companies, Economy, Markets, Opinion, Money, Tech, Business Insider and Finweek are among the sections of news on the Fin24 website.
Fin24 uses interactive tools to collect and disseminate world-class and reliable information to help the readers gain a greater understanding of the national as well as international financial markets.
Reach
The content published on Fin24 is also available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The financial news website also offers subscription services on the mobile application, available for both Android and iOS users.
In the About Us section of the website, Fin24 boasts of a team of journalists one can bank on for all the news related to business. “Fin24’s team of reporters are the best in the business when it comes to keeping South Africans informed about the economy and the world of finance and business,” the website states.
Key People
Ron Derby is the editor of Fin24, which is part of the Media 24 group that does not depend on advertising alone to sustain journalism. The company works extensively on hiring and training journalists for authentic and useful coverage of news.
“When journalists are gagged, be very afraid,” the website states.
Over 100 journalists have been employed by the Media 24 group in various South African cities like Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
Other Products
The other brands owned by the media giant include Sport24, Health24, Channel24, Parent24, Arts24, Wheels24, Business Insider SA and W24. In case of suggestions or complaints, the reader can directly contact the News24 Public Editor George Claassen at george.claassen@media24.com.
Business Insider
Business Insider Africa is a South Africa business website with its office in 32 Ladoke Akintola Street GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. According to the About Us section of the website, Business Insider Africa targets “aspirational business leaders” from South Africa and other African countries.
Besides the business news, the web portal reports on latest innovation and technology as well. Business Insider Africa also publishes feature articles on lifestyle, stock markets and other verticals of business. The website aims to cater to the national as well as international readers with “Africa-focused interviews and data” on business.
Social Media Presence
Business Insider Africa is available on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for the dissemination of the news.
“Fast, fair, fearless and fun South African business news,” Business Insider Africa describes itself on the official Facebook page.
Coverage
Trending, Business, Money & Markets, Tech, Life, Travel and Executive are among the sections of news on the Business Insider Africa website.
One can write an email to team@businessinsider.co.za in case of any complaint, suggestion or compliment for the content published on the website.
In case of advertising queries, one can shoot an email to basil.fortuin@24.com. Business Insider Africa also displays various advertising opportunities from time to time on the website.
Business Day
Business Day is a South African newspaper that publishes from Monday to Friday and has a digital version as well. The e-edition of Business Day is available on its website but one has to pay subscription charges for complete access. However, much of the content published on the website is free to read.
Ownership
The Arena Holdings, which was earlier known as Tiso Blackstar Group, is the publisher of the business newspaper. The print and website office of Business Day is located at Parktown in Johannesburg. Lukanyo Mnyanda is the editor of the newspaper, while Malgosia Kijko is the editor of the Business Day website.
Origin
Business Day rolled out its first issue on May 1, 1985, with an aim to cover all the relevant national and international news. However, the publication has its focus on the South African economy and all news related to business. Other related issues like political economy, financial markets and companies also find due space in the Business Day newspaper as well as on its website.
Business Day boasts of an opinion section that influences public and with hard hitting writing by several popular columnists. Besides business, the national newspaper also cover news related to sports, books, travel, arts and entertainment.
Technology
In the About Us section of the website, Business Day boasts of a “responsive design” that makes content easy to read on smartphones. The business news portal also offers a free mobile application for iOS and Android users.
“We offer quality reporting throughout the day, seven days a week, breaking the news with stories, email newsletters, and multimedia,” the website states further.
Other Publications
The financial news website is part of the BusinessLIVE group that host other platforms like Financial Mail, Business Times of the Sunday Times newspaper and Investors Monthly. A subscriber of BusinessLIVE can have access to all of these online publications.
Moneyweb
Moneyweb is a South African financial media platform that hosts a website, radio production and print publication for the dissemination of news. The African Media Entertainment owns the Moneyweb website, produces radio shows for business news aired on SABC radio stations like SAfm and RSG, and publishes business supplement that comes along The Citizen newspaper.
“We focus on producing independent, high-quality investment information on various platforms, including the internet, radio, print, newsletters and through our various event activations,” the Moneyweb website states in the About Us section.
Readership
Moneyweb claims to be South Africa’s “premier online source” for all the news related to finance and business investment. The average monthly traffic on the website is between 1.5 million to two million unique visitors. Moneyweb also generates seven million page views in a month.
The high quality content published on Moneyweb helps the website engage online users for an average duration of 5:45 minutes.
Digital Newsletter
Besides all the digitally published content, Moneyweb also publishes a digital newsletter called MoneywebNOW, which reaches to 55000 registered users through email every week.
South Africa’s prominent newspaper The Citizen also publishes some of the news stories from the Moneyweb website besides an entirely separate business supplement.
Radio Programmes
Moneyweb also produces radio programmes on business news exclusively for SABC radio stations like SAfm and RSG. These programmes go live on weekdays from the Houghton Estate studios of Moneyweb in Johannesburg.
While the SAfm Market Update, a one hour programme by Moneyweb, go live on SAfm (104 – 107fm) from Monday to Thursday at 18:00, RSG Geldsake, which is hosted by Moneyweb Managing Editor Ryk van Niekerk, can be heard nationwide on RSG (101 – 104fm) from Monday to Friday at the same time.
Print Publication
The Moneyweb supplement that comes along The Citizen newspaper has its own daily readership of 276,000, according to the PAMS 2019.
Biz News
Biz News is a website that describes itself as a “disruptive internet publishing business” in the About Us section of the website. The business news website was established in August 2013 and takes inspiration from the Day One philosophy of Jeff Bezos. The philosophy advocates use of software much more than people wherever possible so that the human beings are free to focus on the demands of an “an obsessive customer”.
No Office
Biz News claims to be a completely remote business, which has no “physical head office”. The team members of Biz News operate from different parts of the world, like London, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
“Biznews is uniquely positioned to serve South Africans with a global mindset through independent reporting and commentary on local and global issues that affect their lives,” the website states.
Subscription
The business portal also publishes an online weekly newspaper and offers a subscription service called Biznews Premium. The paid subscription helps users get all business related news exclusively on WhatsApp and Twitter along with access to the investment webinars.
Biz News also has a partnership with Wall Street Journal and thus the subscribers can access all reports of Wall Street Journal without paying extra money.
Business Tech
Business Tech is a South African news website that claims to have a readership of “over 8 million unique visitors and 30 million page views per month”.
The About Us section of the business website further states that Business Tech also covers news related to health, lifestyle, science and politics.
Part 4: South African sports newspapers, websites
The fourth part of the article talks about the South African sports newspapers and websites operating in the sports friendly country.
?SuperSport
SuperSport is a pan-Africa group of TV channels which provides sports content in most of the African countries. It is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Origin
Back in 1985, Nasper, a South African media company collaborated with several other media houses in the country to establish a pay television company, M-Net. In 1986, SuperSport began as a “small offering on M-Net”, the website mentions in the About Us section.
SuperSport achieved a landmark with the exclusive rights to cover the 1992 Cricket World Cup. By 1993, SuperSport became the “Channel of Champions” it further claims. Within a year, SuperSport went on to become a 12-hour-a-day channel.
In 1994, M-Net divided its operations and MultiChoice was formed. Its primary work was meant to “oversee subscriber management, signal distribution and cellphone operations”. Meanwhile, M-Net would continue to operate the entertainment channels.
Base
MultiChoice established its offices in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Bostwana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. In 1995, SuperSport had become a TV channel operational for 24 hours a day. The launch of DStv in 1995 made SuperSport an independent brand and a multi-channel network. However, it primarily remained associated with M-Net.
Website
The online news portal of SuperSport has sections like Rugby, Cricket, Golf, Motorsport, Tennis among others. It covers Premier League, Spanish LaLiga, US Open, Indian Premier League, Formula 1, MotoGP, ATP, US PGA Tour, European Tour, Sunshine Tour
Australian Domestic and several other sports tournaments.
Social Presence
SuperSport is available on social media platforms. Readers can follow it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube for latest news and updates from the world of sports. It has 1.87 million subscribers on YouTube by September 2020.
SuperSport broadcasts most of the world’s major sporting events and leagues from Rugby, Cricket, Football, Golf, Tennis, Motorsport, Cycling, Boxing, UFC, WWE & Athletics, according to the About section of its YouTube channel.
Sport 24
Sports24 is an online news portal based in South Africa. Sports24 is a vertical brand of News24. It is owned by Media24, which is the print media division of Naspers, a multinational internet group.
Founded in 1915, Naspers was established by Jannie Marais and W.A. Hofmeyr with financial support from Jan Christiaan Smuts, Louis Botha, and founding president of National Party, J.B.M. Hertzog.
News Sections
For the convenience of its readers, Sports24 has different categories for different sports like Rugby, Cricket, Soccer, Tennis, Golf and Motorsport among others. These sections have several sub-sections.
For example, Rugby has sub-sections like British & Iris Lions 2021, Super Rugby Aotearoa, Super Rugby, Springboks, Six Nations, Pro14, Sevens and Varsity Cup. Similarly, Tennis has sub-categories like US Open, ATPTour and WTPTour.
“News24 is South Africa’s most trusted and largest news brand that has been synonymous with breaking news, award-winning journalism and pioneering multimedia since 1998,” the website says in the About Us section.
Readership
Sports24 claims to have over 1.5 million unique users per day on their platforms. There is a team of approximately 100 journalists who are based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Other verticals of News24 are Fin24, Arts24, Parent24, Wheels24, Channel24, Health24, W24 and Business Insider SA.
Sports24 is available on social media platforms. Readers can follow it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and updates. “Sport24.co.za offers breaking sporting news, covering all the major sporting codes supported by its mostly South African audience,” it mentions in About Us section of its Facebook page.
While 148,894 people have liked its Facebook page, 150,584 internet users have followed it by September 2020.
Editor
Lloyd Burnard is the editor of Sports24 and one can contact him at lloydburnard@24.com. In case one has any suggestion or feedback, readers can drop a mail at feedback@sport24.co.za.
Kick Off
Kick Off is a soccer-based magazine of South Africa. Based in Cape Town, Kick Off magazine was founded by Rob Moore in 1994. Both the football magazine as well as the website are published by Media 24, the print division of Naspers.
Published on a monthly basis, Kick Off also publishes an annual yearbook (annual statistical review/preview) that is available for purchase every year in September.
Circulation
On its Facebook page, Kick Off claims to sell around 50 000 magazines per month. Media24 on its website calls Kick Off, South Africa’s most successful football magazine and Africa’s top selling sports magazine.
Website
Kick Off also has an online news portal. The website has sections such as PSL Lockdown, All News, SA News, African News, World News and Lifestyle among others.
“KICK OFF has brought the stars of our soccer closer to the fans, reflecting the passion of the game on our pages,” Kick Off says in About Us section of its website.
According to the website, it boasts of an average 15-million page impressions along with 900 000 unique users every month.
Key People
Richard Van Der Westhuizen is the general manager and he can be contacted either through his email address — richard@soccerladuma.co.za or contact number — 021 425 1200. Zola Doda is the editor of Kick Off. Readers can contact the editor via email address — zola@kickoff.com or phone number — 021 425 1200.
Kick Off is available on social media platforms. One can follow it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube for the latest news and updates on football matches. The name of the YouTube channel is KickOff Mag.
In case readers have any suggestion, feedback or query, they can write a mail to the editor at editor@kickoff.com. Kick Off can even be contacted via the telephone number given on the website — +27 (0) 21 425 1200.
Part 5: South African news agency
In this part of the article, we will talk about the official South African news agency operating in the country.
?SA News
SA News is a news service of South African government. It is published by the Department of Communications (DOC). In order to ensure that people have access to all the important government information, SA News was founded.
The website is not profit-orientated and does not take any advertisement. SA News mentions that its mission is to continuously strive “towards becoming the most efficient and dedicated channel, through which information reaches the most disadvantaged communities in South Africa”.
Objective
SA News disseminates information related to health, education, finance, transport, defense, and social welfare among others. It also writes on developmental issues and publishes feature articles on communities.
Besides being published on the website, the information is also emailed to community radio stations, print and electronic media, government communicators, news agencies, freelance writers, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and foreign media.
Media houses can use stories, pictures and other material on the website without any cost.
News Sections
The website has sections such as News, Features, Multimedia, Galleries, Opinions and Special Features. In 2000, SAnews.gov.za received National Productivity Institute (NPI) Merit Award.
SA News denies being the government’s tool of propaganda. “SAnews.gov.za strives to fulfil government’s mandate to make information accessible to the people of South Africa,” it states on its website.
Key People
While Roze Moodley is the editor of SA News, Janine Arcangeli is the news editor. One can contact the editor either via email or contact number — 012 473 0213. The email address given on the website is roze@gcis.gov.za.
One can even inform SA News about successful community initiatives at the email address — newsfiles@gcis.gov.za
Social Presence
The South African Government News Agency is available on social media platforms including SoundCloud. One can follow it on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the latest news and updates.
Readers can even download the official mobile application of SA News. The app is available for both Android and iOS users.
Part 6: South African student newspaper
In this part of the article, we present you a South African student newspaper that operates in the country.
Wits Vuvuzela
Wits Vuvuzela is a community newspaper of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It was founded in 2004.
Wits Vuvuzela also has an online portal. Dinesh Balliah is the editor of the newspaper. One can write to the editor at editor@witsvuvuzela.com. Wits Vuvuzela is available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Conclusion
South Africa has a vast and strong network of media. Both the state owned as well as private broadcasters serve people with news. The industry of satellite and cable TV is growing constantly with time.
Private Broadcaster
DStv, which is owned and managed by a private South African company MultiChoice, has its market of paid television services in more than 10 countries across Africa.
Government Broadcaster
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has control over numerous multi-lingual television and radio networks. However, the state broadcaster is currently going through tough financial times. There are also serious accusations of political censorship and a scandal in link with a former executive to make things worse for the SABC.
Print Media
The South African print publication industry is ruled by a few major publishing houses, such as Avusa, Sekunjalo Investments’ Independent News and Media, Naspers and CTP/Caxton.
Free Press
According to the Reporters Without Borders, most of the media organisations avoid covering news that shows the ruling party in bad light. The reports related to government finances also do not find space in the mainstream media and government criticism at times invites a hostile reaction from the authorities.
The critics of the authorities, however, find their space and audience on the internet. According to the Internet World Stats, over half of the South African population — 31 million in numbers — had access to the internet by 2017.
Most of the internet usage is on the mobile phone devices. The United States-based Freedom House claims in its report that the access to the internet is unrestricted in South Africa and thus, there is no censorship online.
While the propelling industry knows no bounds, we at MediaBuzz are working hard to provide encyclopedic coverage of all the news sources. We are a team of professional writers with a knack for the trends in the world of journalism.
We are always looking for suggestions to produce a more concise list.
Please help us with your answers for the below questions in the comment section.
How many newspaper do we have in South Africa?
What is the first newspaper in South Africa?
Which South African newspaper is best with no bias?
Who owns the media in South Africa?
What type of source can you find on SA media?
What is the oldest existing English language newspaper in South Africa?
What are the different newspapers in the South Africa?
What is the best South African news website?
Did we miss any deserving newspaper or news website?
What are your views on the political inclinations of different South African newspapers?
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