South Africa: Different Name, Same Network - - the Truth About Independent Media's 'New' Newspaper Publisher

4 August 2026
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Rebecca Davis

An entity called National Media Group was unveiled last week as taking over newspaper titles including the Cape Times, The Star and The Mercury. However, corporate records suggest less a new beginning than a reshuffling within the same Iqbal Survé-linked corporate network.

National Media Group (NMG) described itself in its launch statement last week as a "dynamic new force" in South African media.

It said the company had "applied for and received" licences from Sagarmatha Technologies to publish the former Independent Media titles Cape Times, Cape Argus, The Star, Pretoria News, Daily News, The Mercury, Isolezwe, Sunday Tribune, Business Report and seven others.

This was "an exciting new chapter in South African media", NMG proclaimed -- and it was treated as such.

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News24 quoted Reggy Moalusi, the executive director of the SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef), as responding to the development by saying that Sanef welcomed "any addition of more voices and diversity in the media sector".

Speaking anonymously to Daily Maverick, Independent Media journalists said executives repeatedly insisted the company and NMG are entirely separate entities. That claim raises eyebrows, however, given that NMG's new CEO is former Independent Media managing editor Melanie Peters, and every Independent Media journalist has reportedly been transferred to NMG.

Yet, despite all the talk of NMG as a fresh new media player distinct from Independent Media, Daily Maverick's digging into corporate records told a different story.

NMG did not respond to Daily Maverick's...

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