Who owns what you read, watch and hear?
South Africa’s media landscape is dominated by a small number of groups. Some are independent. Some are government-controlled. Some have documented political links. Here’s the full picture.
Naspers / Media24
PrivateSouth Africa's largest media conglomerate. Founded as a publisher for Afrikaner nationalism, now a global technology investment company. Its SA media arm Media24 controls the largest portfolio of print and digital news in the country.
Key Owners
Naspers Limited (JSE-listed)
Prosus NV (international arm)
Outlets (7)
Reach
Largest digital news reach in SA — News24 alone exceeds 20 million monthly unique visitors
Political Connections
Historically supported apartheid government through Die Burger and Beeld. Now commercially independent but dominant market position raises plurality concerns.
Independent Media
PrivateSecond largest print media group in SA. Controversially acquired by Sekunjalo Investment Holdings, a company controlled by Dr Iqbal Survé, in 2013. The acquisition and subsequent editorial direction have been extensively documented by media watchdogs.
Key Owners
Sekunjalo Investment Holdings
Dr Iqbal Survé (controlling shareholder)
Outlets (6)
Reach
Several daily newspapers across Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal
Political Connections
Sekunjalo has received Public Investment Corporation (PIC) funding — state pension money invested in a private media company with documented editorial interference allegations.
State pension funds (PIC) invested in private media company. Extensive documented allegations of editorial interference favouring ownership.
Arena Holdings
PrivateControls South Africa's oldest and most widely read English newspapers. Previously Times Media Group, owned by Avusa. Currently held by Lebashe Investment Group.
Key Owners
Lebashe Investment Group
Kganki Matabane (CEO)
Outlets (6)
Reach
Sunday Times is SA's highest circulation English newspaper
Political Connections
No direct political links identified. Commercially independent.
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
Public BroadcasterThe national public broadcaster, fully owned by the South African government. Operates 18 radio stations and 3 television channels reaching the largest audience of any broadcaster in SA. Chronically underfunded and politically contested.
Key Owners
Government of South Africa (100% shareholder)
Department of Communications
Outlets (7)
Reach
Largest broadcaster in SA — television reaches approximately 30 million viewers across all three channels
Political Connections
Direct government ownership creates structural editorial independence risk. Zondo Commission documented state capture attempts at SABC during Gupta era. Board appointments are political.
100% government owned. Documented history of political interference in editorial decisions. Zondo Commission found state capture attempts.
eMedia Investments
PrivateControls eTV (free-to-air) and eNCA (24-hour news). Majority owned by the Venfin group, which is linked to the Rupert family (Remgro). One of the few truly independent TV news channels.
Key Owners
eMedia Investments (Pty) Ltd
Venfin (Remgro-linked)
Outlets (3)
Reach
eTV reaches approximately 10 million viewers. eNCA is the primary independent 24-hour news channel.
Political Connections
Commercially independent. Remgro/Rupert family business interests span financial services, wine and luxury goods.
MultiChoice / DStv (Naspers)
PrivateControls the dominant pay-TV platform in SA and across Africa. A Naspers subsidiary that was separately listed on the JSE in 2019. Operates DStv, which is the only large-scale pay-TV platform in most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Key Owners
MultiChoice Group (JSE-listed)
Naspers (largest shareholder)
Outlets (4)
Reach
Approximately 22 million active subscribers across Africa including 8 million in SA
Political Connections
Dominant market position means no credible competition for pay-TV in SA. Faces ongoing ICASA regulatory proceedings regarding market dominance.
Primedia Broadcasting
PrivateControls SA's most listened-to commercial radio stations. Independently owned, not part of any major conglomerate.
Key Owners
Primedia (Pty) Ltd
Various BEE shareholders
Outlets (5)
Reach
Radio stations collectively reach approximately 6 million weekly listeners
Political Connections
No direct political links. Commercially independent.
Daily Maverick
PrivateSouth Africa's leading independent digital investigative news outlet. Funded through reader memberships (Maverick Insider) and philanthropic grants. Not commercially owned.
Key Owners
Maverick Publishing (non-profit structure)
Styli Charalambous (CEO)
Branko Brkic (Editor-in-Chief)
Outlets (1)
Reach
Approximately 10 million monthly unique visitors
Political Connections
Editorially independent. Funding from international philanthropic foundations including Luminate Group (Pierre Omidyar, eBay founder) raises questions about foreign editorial influence despite structural independence.
News24
Media24 · Est. 1998
Largest digital news platform in SA — 20m+ monthly unique visitors
SABC 1
South African Government · Est. 1976
Largest TV channel in SA — reaches approximately 20 million viewers
Government ownership + documented political interference in editorial decisions
IOL / Independent Online
Sekunjalo / Independent Media · Est. 1996
Major digital news aggregator for Independent Media stable
State pension fund invested in private media. Documented editorial bias allegations upheld by press ombudsman.
eNCA
eMedia Investments · Est. 2008
Primary independent 24-hour TV news channel in SA
Sunday Times
Arena Holdings / Lebashe · Est. 1906
Highest circulation English Sunday newspaper in SA
Daily Maverick
Maverick Publishing · Est. 2009
Leading investigative news outlet — 10m+ monthly unique visitors
Why media ownership matters
Who owns a media outlet influences what gets covered and how. SA law requires ICASA to promote media diversity but concentration has increased. Three groups — Naspers/Media24, Independent Media, and the SABC — dominate the landscape.
The SABC problem
The SABC is 100% government-owned and reaches more South Africans than any other broadcaster. Government control of the dominant broadcaster creates a structural conflict between editorial independence and political interest.
The Independent Media problem
State pension funds (PIC) were invested in Sekunjalo/Independent Media — meaning retirement savings of government workers partly funded a private media company whose owner had documented political relationships.
Ownership data sourced from CIPC company registrations, JSE filings, and publicly available annual reports. Political connections documented from Zondo Commission findings, press ombudsman rulings, and credible investigative reporting. This tool is for informational purposes only.