2+ week, 6+ day ago (479+ words) This year, Daily Maverick presents a curated series of lectures aligned with the core pillars of our independent journalism, exploring the issues shaping South Africa and the world. From local elections and gun control to media ethics, disinformation and political satire, these sessions promise to inform, provoke and entertain. On the bill from Daily Maverick in 2026 are Ferial Haffajee, Caryn Dolley, Marianne Thamm and Redi Tlhabi." Award-winning journalist, editor and author Ferial Haffajee reflects on the significance of Johannesburg and South Africa's metros as the country heads into the 2026 local elections. She explores the challenges and opportunities of local reporting, and how the state of our cities mirrors the state of our nation. Pretoria-born investigative journalist and satirist Marianne Thamm returns to the stage with her new piece of "performance journalism. Expect sharp wit, absurd headlines and stories fresh off…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (568+ words) The new newsroom launched with the first edition of its dedicated Johannesburg newsletter, a free publication that will land in inboxes three times a week and expand to daily coverage in 2026. It is Daily Maverick's second metro bureau to open this year, following the successful launch of its Nelson Mandela Bay bureau in May. Johannesburg's crisis is visible across every service: persistent water outages, power cuts, uncollected waste and crumbling roads. In 2025, nearly half of the city's water supply (46%) was lost to leaks or illegal connections, while ageing infrastructure and cable theft continue to cripple essential services. "It's a human-made disaster " the outcome of local State Capture," said Haffajee, adding that she sees a citizen-led shift in Johannesburg's fortunes. "Jozi My Jozi (the urban social movement), the stirring of the metropolitan government to action by active citizens, the vibrant arts…...

7+ mon, 3+ week ago (422+ words) 8 April 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa " Daily Maverick is proud to announce its recognition at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Africa 2025, winning three of the continent's top awards for ... Daily Maverick triumphs at WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Africa 2025 Wins for Excellence in Journalism, Innovation, and Reader Engagement. 8 April 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa " Daily Maverick is proud to announce its recognition at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Africa 2025, winning three of the continent's top awards for excellence in digital journalism. These accolades recognise not only our commitment to journalistic innovation, audience engagement and reader revenue, but also celebrate the collaborative efforts of our journalists, editors, designers and support teams who continuously push boundaries in service of the public good. Best Newsletter " Elections '24 Best Innovative Digital Project " Manifesto MAYHEM! (Joint Winner) Judges commented: "It's a great approach to break down and share candidates' programmes in…...

10+ mon, 2+ week ago (399+ words) There may be'progress on setting up a meeting between Trump and Putin after Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, Peskov told reporters. Trump'said'on Thursday a meeting was being set up between him and Putin, but offered no timeline. Trump said repeatedly during his election campaign that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours, but he and advisers have suggested more recently that it could be resolved within months of him taking office. His impending return to the White House has sparked hope of a diplomatic resolution, but it has also led to fears in Kyiv that a quick peace deal could come at a high price for Ukraine. Peskov said Putin had repeatedly stated his willingness to hold talks with international leaders, including Trump. "No conditions are required for this, (only) a mutual desire and political will to conduct…...

19+ hour, 43+ min ago (434+ words) It is important to note that comments incorrectly attributed to mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis in a recent opinion piece by Telford Vice are based on a misreading of the mayor's answer to an interview question, which is available for anyone to see for themselves here. In response to a question about the false framing by certain individuals and groups who claim that current City of Cape Town policies advance spatial apartheid, the mayor responded that this claim is "propaganda language no longer rooted in reality. The comment was therefore disputing false claims about the intent of current City policy, and not about the legacy of the past, which persists today and which the City is actively working to unstitch. The suggestion that the City of Cape Town " through its policies " aims to perpetuate spatial apartheid is a well-worn favourite attack line…...

9+ mon, 4+ day ago (971+ words) Fran Beighton is Head of Growth at Daily Maverick. How sad it must be " believing that scientists, scholars, historians, economists and journalists have devoted their entire lives to deceiving you, while a reality TV star with decades of fraud and exhaustively documented lying is your only beacon of truth and honesty. " Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist The vast majority of the public use social media as their primary source of information. You may be unconsciously scrolling on X or Instagram as you wait in line or steal a couple of minutes between meetings." You may think you're well informed or even well read, but have you stopped to analyse where the majority of your information comes from? If you did you would be surprised to see that it's from unverified sources " influencers on social media with no context, podcasters masquerading as…...

2+ mon, 3+ day ago (273+ words) Ahead of World News Day 2025, Daily Maverick co-founder and Project Kontinuum's Leader Branko Brkic speaks to Rebecca Davis about the crisis facing global media, from Africa's "media deserts" to growing distrust in journalism. In this candid conversation, he asks: if not the media, then what? And despite the challenges, he insists there is hope, grounded in the decency of ordinary people and the resilience of journalists worldwide. Watch " Branko Brkic on why journalism is the light we cannot lose Ahead of World News Day 2025, Daily Maverick co-founder and Project Kontinuum's Leader Branko Brkic speaks to Rebecca Davis about the crisis facing global media, from Africa's "media deserts" to growing distrust in journalism. In this candid conversation, he asks: if not the media, then what? And despite the challenges, he insists there is hope, grounded in the decency of ordinary people…...

2+ mon, 5+ day ago (539+ words) More than eight out of every 10 Grade 4s in South Africa can't read for meaning. By Grade 6, 70% are still struggling. This means that generations of children are being locked out of opportunity before they even reach high school." The consequences stretch far beyond classrooms " it's about what's lost when children can't read." Not only is it an economic crisis costing the country an estimated R119-billion annually in lost productivity and social costs, but soaring child illiteracy rates mean a loss of:" If children can't read, they can't dream beyond their circumstances. And when millions of children can't dream, a nation stalls. The flip side? We know that change is possible." Five years ago, Daily Maverick partnered with Gift of the Givers to launch the first MavericKids Activity Book " a 240-page annual compiled with the best inserts from the award-winning DM168 newspaper's children's…...

3+ mon, 1+ day ago (629+ words) Here are 10 events that together make up a large part of Joburg's cultural season, from big stages of art and music to underground gatherings where the future is rehearsed. The BMW Art Generation is framed through a commitment to intergenerational conversation and critical joy. The programme draws together cultural giants and contemporary visionaries, with performances by Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse and Msaki anchoring South Africa's long history of sonic innovation." The day centres on dialogue, reflection and imagination, carried by two key panel discussions: Image and Imagination explores how artists shape self-authored futures, while Existing, Performance & Being responds to Koyo Kouoh's call to view black experience in loving, emancipatory and autobiographical ways. This curated art walk slows the pace of how we encounter Johannesburg's art scene. Beginning at Stevenson and moving to the Johannesburg Art Gallery, the walk invites audiences to…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (621+ words) Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero announced that plans to restore the Johannesburg Art Gallery are currently under way, with 145 artworks from its collection returning to the city after being on loan to South Korea. More than 100 artworks belonging to the embattled Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) have safely returned to the city after being on loan to South Korea. The repatriated pieces include works by local masters such as William Kentridge and Gerard Sekoto, as well as international icons like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. Restoration plans for the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which once housed the most valuable art collection in Africa, are firmly under way, with the museum officially scheduled to reopen in July 2027. Executive Mayor Dada Morero announced on Wednesday, 19 November, that "significant strides" had been made to move more than 9,000 priceless artworks and restore the crumbling museum....