South Africa's press: dailies, news sites and TV channels

In South Africa, news is read mostly in English on News24, Daily Maverick, IOL, The Citizen or BusinessTech, watched on eNCA and the SABC, and also available in Afrikaans and isiZulu, with free sites alongside a few digital subscriptions.

From the Cape Town Gazette to the post-apartheid press

The first newspapers appeared in Cape Town in the early nineteenth century. Under apartheid, censorship and emergency laws hit titles such as the Rand Daily Mail, closed in 1985, and the Weekly Mail. The 1996 Constitution then guaranteed freedom of expression.

Major groups and editorial lines

Media24, a Naspers subsidiary, publishes News24 and Afrikaans titles; Independent Media runs The Star, Cape Times and the IOL portal; Arena Holdings owns the Sunday Times and Business Day. The independent Daily Maverick focuses on investigations and long-form political analysis.

Twelve official languages, a mostly English press

English dominates national news, but Afrikaans keeps Rapport and Netwerk24, while isiZulu has Isolezwe and Ilanga in Durban. The SABC runs radio stations in every official language, from Sesotho to Xitsonga, making it the most multilingual outlet.

Regional dailies from Cape Town to Durban

Each metro has its own titles: Cape Times and Cape Argus in Cape Town, The Mercury in Durban, Pretoria News, the Daily Dispatch in East London and The Witness in Pietermaritzburg. Many have cut back on print and now publish mostly online.

News24, GroundUp and the digital shift

News24 is the most visited site, with an app and alerts. The non-profit GroundUp covers social rights and the townships, while BusinessTech blends economics and consumer news. Podcasts and newsletters now round out what Johannesburg newsrooms offer their readers.

SAnews and the end of SAPA

The cooperative agency SAPA closed in 2015. For official announcements, SAnews, the government news service, publishes statements, presidential speeches and ministry decisions. Private newsrooms also rely on Reuters, AFP and their own correspondents across the country and abroad.

What to watch: SABC or eNCA?

The South African Broadcasting Corporation operates SABC 1, 2 and 3, the radio station SAfm and the SABC News channel. Private options include the rolling news channels eNCA and Newzroom Afrika, plus 702 radio in Johannesburg. Several streams are available online.

Reading South Africa from Europe or Africa

South Africans living in the United Kingdom or Australia mostly follow News24 and Daily Maverick. To place the country within its continent, the African press page and English-language neighbours such as the Kenyan press offer useful points of comparison.

Business Day, Financial Mail and sports media

Business Day and the weekly Financial Mail track the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the rand and energy issues involving Eskom. In sport, rugby with the Springboks, cricket with the Proteas and football with Bafana Bafana fill SuperSport, Kick Off and Soccer Laduma.

A framework of freedom and self-regulation

Section 16 of the Constitution protects the press. Complaints are handled by the Press Council and its Press Ombud under a self-regulatory system. Ongoing debates concern the independence of the SABC, the concentration of media groups and the safety of reporters.

Paywalls and no French-language press

News24, Business Day and Netwerk24 reserve part of their content for subscribers, while Daily Maverick relies on voluntary membership. There is no South African daily in French: RFI, AFP and French-language outlets cover the country from Johannesburg.

How do you cross-check South African news?

Combine a mainstream site, an investigative outlet and an official source such as SAnews. For economic stories, compare with the Nigerian press, the continent's other large English-speaking market, and always check the date of any article about power cuts.

Keeping up with South Africa from a distance

1. Start with News24 for the national news feed and add Daily Maverick for in-depth investigations and political analysis.
2. Check SAnews for statements from the presidency and ministries, published in English on the same day.
3. Install a news app and turn on alerts for load shedding, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and elections.
4. Watch eNCA or SABC News live online for press conferences and parliamentary debates from Cape Town.
5. Read an Afrikaans or isiZulu title, even with a translation tool, to find angles missing from the English press.
6. Compare an Independent Media paper with a Media24 title on the same story to spot differences in editorial line.

Access and subscriptions for the South African press

Reference points on South African media

• Press languages: mainly English, then Afrikaans, isiZulu and other official languages on radio
• Official news service: SAnews
• Public broadcaster: South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
• Most visited site: News24; business reference: Business Day
• Self-regulation: Press Council and Press Ombud
• Time zone: SAST, UTC+2, no daylight saving time
• Currency: South African rand (ZAR)

Common mistakes with South African media

• Believing an old article on Eskom load shedding describes the current situation: outage schedules often change from one week to the next.
• Confusing a satirical site or parody account imitating News24 with the real outlet, especially on X and TikTok.
• Using paywall-bypass sites that illegally copy Business Day or News24 and expose you to malware.
• Taking the line of a single media group for a national consensus, when Media24, Independent Media and Arena Holdings often disagree.
• Forgetting that some SABC or SuperSport videos are geo-blocked outside South Africa for rights reasons.

Common questions about the South African press