Overview of the Press in South Africa
The South African print newspaper sector is divided into commercial and community publications. In this context, there are no state-owned newspapers. Commercial publications are large, for-profit entities focusing on broad news coverage and aiming for widespread circulation. In contrast, community publications are more minor, often locally focused papers that serve specific geographic areas or interest groups, with some being freely available. The orientation of the commercial press, which is of relevance to this study, is rooted in the historical racial and linguistic divisions of the Afrikaans Press, the English Press, and the Black Press. The Afrikaans Press was historically aligned with the interests of the Afrikaner nationalist movement and the National Party, often promoting Afrikaner culture and political agendas. The English Press was generally associated with the English-speaking white population, reflecting their political and economic interests and often providing a platform for liberal or opposition viewpoints within the white minority. The Black Press was a crucial voice for the Black majority, often challenging apartheid and advocating for social justice despite facing censorship and repression.
The Sowetan
The Sowetan newspaper is one of the largest national daily print newspapers in South Africa, with a circulation figure of 23,567 and a readership of 15,48,000 (Newsclip 2024). The newspaper is owned by Arena Holdings and can be categorised as independent as far as its focus is on what is of most relevance and importance for the reader (Majavu 2015). It was founded in 1980 by Argus Printing and Publishing Company as a replacement for the Post and the World, black-focused newspapers that the South African government had shut down for opposing apartheid. From the late 1980s, it focused on an initiative to drive “nation building” and encourage citizenship in black communities during apartheid (Cowling 2017). The newspaper experienced significant growth, with circulation exceeding 2,00,000 in the 1990s, and both The Sowetan and editor Aggrey Klaaste played an influential role during South Africa’s transition to democracy. However, by 2004, the newspaper faced a severe decline, losing half its readership. There were attempts to reposition the publication, presenting the challenge of maintaining The Sowetan‘s historical commitment to black “nation-building” readers in the post-apartheid era while addressing commercial difficulties (Cowling 2017).
The Star
The Star is a national daily print newspaper with its core readership based in Johannesburg, the economic capital of South Africa. Its circulation and readership figures are 19,102 and 6,28,000 (Newsclip 2024). It is one of the South African Independent News & Media group (INL) titles, owned by Sekunjalo Media Consortium (IOL n.d.). According to “Given its position in South Africa as the widest circulating title in one of the four main commercial media houses, The Star newspaper [represents] an important voice within the South African political and media environment. While the newspaper’s circulation decreased drastically over time, its historical legacy in South Africa, and its positioning as one of the premier English newspapers in the economic heart of the country, its reduced influence could still be regarded as significant.” (Beard 2023). Established in 1887, The Star is the oldest newspaper from Johannesburg (Manzella 2008). Where The Sowetan espoused the identity of a black press publication, The Star’s roots are in the English press, which was historically aligned with the interests of the white, predominantly English-speaking settler population. Manzella (2008: 263) argues that “The Star and other members of the English press often, though not consistently, continued to take on the state in the role of government watchdog and critic”, although the importance of this in the broader fight against the apartheid regime is debated. In the post-apartheid era, The Star’s orientation can best be categorised as low parallelism in how “it has adjusted to the prevailing social order” that positions its journalism as a mirror to society rather than a watchdog (Manzella 2008, 272).
References
Beard, Layton G. 2023. The Star newspaper and the “state capture” debate: A critical discourse analysis on editorial positioning 2015-2018. Masters Thesis, Stellenbosch: Stellenboch University. Accessed March 24, 2025. https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstreams/8aa4bd41-69ac-4b03-b427-0b1facec7ba2/download.
Cowling, Lesley. 2017. “Understanding the “Sowetans”: Journalism as a product of organisational culture.” African Journalism Studies 38 (1): 1-18. Accessed March 24, 2025. doi:10.1080/23743670.2016.1263228.
IOL. n.d. About IOL. Accessed March 24, 2025. https://thestar.co.za/.
Majavu, Anna. 2015. Merging the Black Press with Mainstream Newspapers in Post-apartheid South Africa: A Phenomenological Study of Journalists at Sowetan Newspaper Between 2009 and 2012. Masters Thesis, Auckland: Auckland University of Technology. Accessed March 24, 2025. https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/server/api/core/bitstreams/9188a313-ce7f-4fad-a510-5efe0107b61c/content.
Manzella, Joseph. 2008. “The Star’s first draft: a news organization revises the next narrative of race in post‐apartheid South Africa.” Culture and Organization 14 (3): 261-277. Accessed March 24, 2025. doi:10.1080/14759550802270692.
Newsclip. 2024. The current figures of newspapers in South Africa. February 1. Accessed March 24, 2025. https://www.newsclip.co.za/news/the-current-figures-of-newspapers-in-south-africa.
Nkoala, Sisanda, Rofhiwa Mukhudwana, and Trust Matsilele. 2024. “African Moral Theory and Media Ethics: An Exploration of Rulings by the South African Press Council 2018 to 2022.” Journal of Media Ethics 39 (2): 99-113. Accessed March 24, 2025. doi:10.1080/23736992.2024.2333997.