27 March 1876
The first issue of South Africa's first daily newspaper, The Cape Times, was published in Cape Town as an English language morning newspaper with Frederick York St Leger as editor. It sold for the cheap price of a penny and has been in continuous daily production ever since.
The history of newspapers in South Africa was closely linked to the struggle for freedom of speech. The South African Commercial Advertiser, the first newspaper in South Africa, appeared in 1824 in Cape Town, but was closed by Governor Lord Charles Somerset. The paper reappeared again in 1828, with the promise of freedom to publish subject only to the law of libel.
The Cape Times, covering South African and world news, sport and lifestyle,has withstood the test of time and has a daily readership of about 316 000.
References
Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar| Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau. Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970)| Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 3, p. 74.