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You'll never be left in the dark in this part of Africa. The country has an astonishingly robust, free and flourishing press. There are 19 daily and 10 weekly newspapers - most of them in English - and a range of general and specialised news web sites which, in terms of the speed and breadth of their coverage, are on a par with the best in the world. South Africa's press, with a proud history of criticism of the previous government's apartheid policies, entered the new democracy unburdened by the pre-1994 restrictions. The Bill of Rights in the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press and other media, freedom to receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity, academic freedom and freedom of scientific research. History of the Press in South Africa During the apartheid era, newspapers had to apply for registration if they published more than 11 times a year. An arbitrary amount was also required before registration was approved. The government also enforced regulations controlling what newspapers could or could not publish, especially relating to articles and comment on activities against the apartheid system. Newspapers were, for instance, not allowed to quote banned organisations and their spokesmen, or report on conditions inside prisons or the activities of the security forces. At the height of the anti-apartheid struggle in the 1980s, when two states of emergency were declared, censorship regulations were tightened. Newspapers were barred from reporting on any demonstrations or activity against the apartheid government or any of its laws. The threat of closure forced newspaper editors to apply a self-censorship policy, while other papers printed blank pages or whole paragraphs blacked out as a sign of protest. The English press The history of the South African English newspaper industry is linked to the mining industry, as mining tycoons established or acquired newspapers through Johannesburg Consolidated Investments, a subsidiary of mining giant Anglo American. Independent Newspapers, South Africa’s largest newspaper group, traces its history back to 1889 when Francis Dormer established the Argus Printing Company, which had close links with mining magnate Cecil Rhodes. The Argus Printing Company was renamed Argus Newspapers Ltd after it was taken over by Anglo American. Anglo American ended its ties with Argus Newspapers in 1994 when it sold 31% of its stake to Tony O’Reilly, the owner of Independent Newspapers and Media of Ireland. Johnnic Publishing, formerly Times Media Ltd, also had its roots in mining. Abe Bailey, a mining tycoon, bought the Rand Daily Mail in 1902 and the Sunday Times in 1906. In 1937, Bailey added the Sunday Express to his stable, and out of these publications the South African Associated Newspapers was formed in 1965. Anglo further reduced its involvement in newspapers when it sold 35% of its shareholding in Times Media Ltd - which it owned through Omni Media Corporation - to the National Empowerment Consortium, a grouping of black businesses and trade unions. But as mining interests were curtailed in newspaper ownership, foreign ownership became a factor. Independent Newspapers is a wholly foreign-owned company after O’Reilly’s company bought the rest of Argus Newspapers’ shares in the 1990s. The Afrikaans press The Afrikaans press, on the other hand, was established mainly as a reaction to the liberal views expressed in some of the English papers, particularly relating to issues such as slavery, the tensions between the Dutch farmers and the Xhosas, and the work of the missionaries in the Cape. The editors of earlier Afrikaans newspapers were, in most cases, ministers of religion who were committed to strict Calvinistic ethics. The papers were also more concerned with the Afrikaner cause against British domination than with being commercial ventures. The press was seen as a cultural and political weapon for the promotion of the Afrikaans language and political independence, as well as for drumming up support against the perceived threat of black nationalism. The first newspaper to propagate the interests of Afrikaners and the Dutch, De Zuid-Afrikaan, was started in 1830 by Christoffel Joseph Brand, an advocate who was unpopular with the British colonial authorities. In its third year its subscription base rose to 3 000 when Afrikaners from the other British-annexed parts of South Africa embraced it. It folded in 1904, however, after losing its influential backers following its editor’s support for Cecil Rhodes in the clash against the Afrikaner leader Paul Kruger. The present day Afrikaner press, which has its roots in the political split among Afrikaners over participation in World War 1, has extensive interests outside of the newspaper industry. These include stakes in the telecommunications, information technology, entertainment and publishing industries. The Black press The origins of the black press in South Africa is linked to the establishment of mission stations in the Eastern Cape and the work between missionaries and indigenous people. The missionaries taught literacy to black people and in the process transferred the skills and resources necessary for publishing. The first newspaper intended for black readers, Umshumayeli Wendaba (Publisher of the News), was printed at the Wesleyan Mission Society in Grahamstown from 1837 to 1841. Many others followed, but the most significant one was Imvo Zabantsundu (African Opinion), which was started by John Tengo Jabavu in King William’s Town in 1884. Jabavu had resigned his editorship of a missionary-owned paper, Isigidimi samaXhosa, after convincing himself of the need to publish newspapers independent of missionary control. His paper was the first to be written, owned and controlled by black people. Other black-owned newspapers that followed were associated with the establishment of political movements for blacks, and their editors were more radical than Jabavu. These included Izwi laBantu, started in 1897 by AK Soga; Ilanga lase Natal (The Natal Sun), started by John Dube in 1903; the ANC’s Abantu-Batho, formed in 1912; and The Indian Opinion, established in 1903 by Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of the Indian National Congress. But the lack of capital, equipment, skilled workers and a reliable distribution network saw the entry of white capital into the ownership and control of the black press. This started in 1932 with the establishment of Bantu Press Ltd by an ex-farmer who saw the potential of profits to be made in the black market. Bertram Paver inaugurated a national newspaper, Bantu World, a tabloid modelled on the British Daily Mirror, which represented a move away from a local to a national black press. Bantu Press was, 14 months after its establishment, taken over by the Argus Newspaper company, which controlled it until 1952. The Argus company soon became the first monopoly in the black press, with 10 weekly papers in the southern African region, and handled advertising for 12 publications in 11 languages. Jim Bailey, the son of mining tycoon Abe Bailey, started Drum in 1951 and then Golden City Post in 1955, which were both aimed at black readers. Both publications were run by white editors brought to South Africa from Fleet Street newspapers. The next phase in the development of the black press came in the 1990s when Anglo American, through Johannesburg Consolidated Investments, sold some of its publication and newspaper companies, such as Sowetan and Times Media Ltd, to black business groups in empowerment deals facilitated by the advent of democracy in 1994. Government and Communication The recommendations of an implementation committee appointed by the Task Group on Government Communications (Comtask) were accepted by the Cabinet on 8 October 1997. the function of Comtask was, inter alia, to review existing government communication policy, structures and functions at all levels; government communication training and capacity-building with special emphasis on affirmative action, and ownership and control of the South African media. The committee was headed by Dr Essop Pahad, Deputy Minister in the Office of the Deputy President. The outcome of the implementation process has been the transformation of the South African Communication Service into the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) with a new management structure. Dr Pahad carries the immediate political responsibility for the GCIS which is governed by a Secretariat in the Office of the Deputy President, headed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Mr. Joel Netshitenzhe was appointed as CEO in February 1998, with Mr. Yacoob Abba Omar as deputy. The GCIS was formally launched on 18 May 1998 when its first budget was debated in Parliament. Ministers, instead of Government departments will in future take political responsibility for communication which will result in a more cohesive rendering of information services and less overlapping of such services by the different departments. A communications head has been appointed in each Ministry to liaise weekly with the Secretariat. Plans include using community radio stations more effectively to reach the masses of illiterate people in rural areas, while other more creative ways of interaction between the Government and the population are to be developed. There will also be much greater interaction between the provinces and the new communication and information system than there had been in the past. Limitations Since the Constitution emphasizes the rights of the individual, a new approach to censorship has become imperative in South Africa. The Films and Publications Act, 1996 (Act 65 of 1996) became fully operative in June 1998, replacing the Publications Act, 1974. Press Freedom Article 19, the international human rights organization that promotes freedom of expression and fights censorship, opened its first African office in Johannesburg in July 1997. The non-governmental organization (NGO) is concerned primarily with promoting standards laid by the United Nations (UN) treaties. It has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. The Johannesburg office will deal with eastern and southern Africa. In May 1997, the Newspaper Press Union (NPU) and the South African National Editor's Forum (SANEF) announced jointly that an independent Free Press Forum would be established to act as watchdog for the protection of press freedom in the country. The announcement coincided with International Press Freedom Day celebrated on May 5. In October, the NPU announced the establishment of the Nat Nakaza Prize for the Advancement of Press Freedom. The prize will be awarded annually in cooperation with the Nieman Society of Southern Africa, and is named after the first black journalist who, in 1964, won the Nieman Bursary for a year's study at Harvard University. In June 1997, the Freedom of Expression Institute launched its legal aid fund, the Freedom of Expression Defence Fund, which replaces the former Media Defence Fund. It's role is to include all cases involving freedom of expression, and not only for the media. On 10 June 1997, the South African Press scored another victory when the Government announced another victory when Government announced that the South African Police Service had been ordered to avoid using Section 205 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1955 (Act 56 of 1955) in terms of which journalists are threatened with imprisonment if they fail to disclose their sources. The Government also undertook to review all legislation that could impinge on freedom of expression. The IBA The Independent Broadcasting Authority Act, 1993 (Act 153 of 1993) came into force on 12 January 1994, and ushered in a new era in broadcasting in South Africa. In terms of the Act, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was established on 31 March 1994, and charged with ensuring that all South Africans receive the fairest and best possible broadcast services, free of undue bias, and protection from government interference. The Council members are Ms Felleng Sekha (Chairperson), Ms Libby Lloyd, Mr. Latando Simphiwe Mkmatela, Mr. Mlamli Booi, Dr Roy Williams and Mr. Pietie Lotriet. The IBA's primary function is to promote the development of public, private and community broadcasting services which are responsive to the needs of the public. At the top of the IBA agenda was an independent inquiry into the structure of public broadcasting and its funding. The three crucial issues were the funding of the SABC, local content in broadcasting, and cross-media ownership of private broadcasting services. Holders of broadcasting licenses, including the SABC, were required to apply for new licenses within 12 months. In October 1997, it was announced that the IBA and the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (SATRA) were to be merged into a single regulatory authority. Some of the reasons for the planned merger are the growing convergence of technology between broadcasting and telecommunications and the need to streamline and render cost-effective the public services offered by SATRA and the IBA. Press Organizations The Newspaper Press Union (NPU), established in 1882, restructured itself on 1 December 1994 to become the Print Media Association (PMA). The Association, through its 500 members, consists of four organizations, including the former NPU, whose membership comes from all the major urban daily and weekly newspapers. The second body includes the Community Press Association (CPA), made up of the majority of country and regional papers. The Magazine Publishers' Association (MPA), made up of consumer magazines, and the Specialist Press Association of South Africa, which represents specialist titles printed in South Africa, are the other two arms of the PMA. The PMA also administers the ABC. The umbrella body for editors, Sanef, was formed in 1996 when the former Conference of Editors and the Black Editors Forum agreed to unite in an effort to address imbalances in the print, broadcasting and radio industries. The chairperson is Mr. Mike Siluwa, editor of Sowetan. Efforts are being made by Sanef's training committee to establish a resource site on the Internet which will act as a notice-board highlighting vacancies, scholarships and training programs for journalists. In January 1997, the Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) consisting only of non-white journalists, was launched. The responsibility of FBJ is to tackle issues which directly affect black journalists. On 1 July 1997, the office of the independent Press Ombudsman was opened in Johannesburg. Members of the public who have complaints or concerns about reports in newspaper News Agencies SAPA, which is a national news agency, is a co-operative, non-profit news gathering and distribution organization operating in the interest of the public and its members. SAPA's foreign news is received from Associated Press and its representatives in London. The main foreign news agency in South Africa are AFP, Associated Press, Deutsche Presse Agentur, Reuters and United Press International. Advertising The advertising industry in South Africa is dynamic, growing and highly competitive. The industry started more than 60 years ago with the founding of the first advertising agency, Lindsay Smothers-FCB. Adspend in 1997 totaled R536 million. South Africa @Work South Africa@Work, the Consulate's newsletter, contains media articles, opinions, a column by the Consul General and much more. This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. South African Online Newspapers South African Media Contact Details
South African Morning Newspapers
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