The Sunday Times is South Africa's biggest Sunday newspaper, known for its in-depth and authoritative investigative journalism.
Distribution area of The Sunday Times newspaper.
It covers all major national and international news and publishes influential columnists, analysis, lifestyle content, sport and entertainment. The Sunday Times is a tradition - an experience South Africans have grown to love and trust.
For South Africans, Sunday means time to relax and unwind, socialize and interact, and gain knowledge that will help readers cope and give a better quality of life. The Sunday Times is committed to sharing knowledge that enriches peoples’ lives.
It truly is the ‘PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE’.
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The Sunday Times is the paper South Africans know they can TRUST.
History and Slogan
Founding editor George Herbert Kingswell introduced the slogan "A Paper for the People". It was later changed to "The Paper for the People", a slogan that is still in use today.
For the first edition of the paper, published on 4 February 1906, 11,600 copies were printed and soon sold out, forcing the paper to print an additional 5000 copies.
Key Historical Events Covered
Known as “the paper for the people,” South Africa’s largest Sunday newspaper has been covering the people, issues and events that shaped South Africa and beyond for over a century.
Through firsthand reporting, photographs, editorials, cartoons and more, the Sunday Times has recorded every major historical event of the 20th century, making it a vital resource for scholars in a variety of disciplines.
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Its first issue sold out in three hours, and the paper’s popularity only grew throughout the 20th century. Known for writers who were unafraid to tackle controversial stories, the Sunday Times garnered a reputation for its award-winning journalism, combative style and breaking news coverage.
Today, the paper boasts a readership of over 3 million and is distributed across South Africa, as well as in Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. It’s also notable for its stories about South Africans who enact to positive changes for their country.
With this searchable online resource, users can easily search and browse the complete archives of Sunday Times.
This complete Sunday Times archive allows researchers to search and browse articles covering such varied topics as the aftermath of the Anglo-Boer wars, the Union of South Africa, the 1922 miner’s strike, the country’s role in World Wars I and II, the rise and fall of apartheid, Nelson Mandela’s trial, and life in segregated communities.
Additionally, the archive captures local perspectives on and reactions to global news, including the sinking of the Titanic, the bombing of Hiroshima, Princess Diana’s death, and numerous wars, natural disasters and other issues and events.
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Controversies
In 1992, the former columnist Jani Allan sued the British broadcaster Channel 4 for libel over affair allegations involving her and Eugene Terre'Blanche. Allan had interviewed the AWB leader for the Sunday Times. Allan had already settled out of court with the London Evening Standard and Options magazine over similar allegations.
The then-news editor of the newspaper, the late Marlene Burger and newspaper astrologer Linda Shaw testified against Allan.
On 13 November 2005, the Sunday Times broke the story that the African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma was being investigated on rape charges. It was reported that Zuma considered legal action against the publication, although it later emerged that an investigation was underway.
On 6 December 2005, official rape charges were filed against Zuma.
In March 2007, Zuma sued the paper for R6 million over two columns by popular columnist David Bullard.
On 10 April 2008, Bullard was fired from the Sunday Times after the publication of a column on 6 April 2008 titled, Uncolonised Africa wouldn't know what it was missing, received a stern protest from several political parties.
In September 2008, the Sunday Times was again vigorously attacked for publishing a highly controversial piece, this time in the form of a cartoon by critically acclaimed cartoonist Jonathon Shapiro (Zapiro). The cartoon depicted Jacob Zuma getting ready to rape the Justice System while being assisted by the leaders of various ANC and political factions and parties.
Zapiro denied any ambiguity between Jacob Zuma's depiction as a rapist in the cartoon and his earlier rape trial. the Sunday Times and its editor were slated by various ANC officials.
List of Editors
Here is a list of notable editors who have led The Sunday Times:
- 1910-1942: Joseph Langley Levy, a drama critic and leading cultural figure in Johannesburg. He was editor for 32 years, during which time circulation rose from 35,000 to 150,000.
- 1942-1947: E.B 'Chook' Dawson is remembered as the first of the paper's 'shirtsleeves editors', a journalist who hated ostentation in either people or prose.
- 1947-1958: N. A. G.
- 1975-1990: Albert Tertius Myburgh (26 December 1936 - 2 December 1990) was a South African journalist and editor, best known as editor of the Sunday Times. Myburgh resigned as editor of the Sunday Times in September 1990 after 15 years.
- 1996-1998: Brian Pottinger was also the deputy chair of the South African National Editor's Forum during this time. He became the managing director of Times Newspapers Limited and, in 2000, would be appointed as publisher of the Sunday Times.
- 1998-2000: Mike Robertson was the editor and associate publisher for the Sunday Times during this period. He was the deputy editor, chief assistant editor, assistant editor, and political correspondent for the newspaper.
- 2002-2003: Mathatha Tsedu was the deputy editor of the Sunday Independent, the deputy editor of the Star, then the Deputy Chief executive of the SABC news before becoming editor of the Sunday Times in 2002. In 2003, he was dismissed as editor of the Sunday Times.
- 2004-2010: Mondli Makhanya was appointed as editor of Sunday Times.
- 2010-2013: Ray Hartley was the founding editor of the daily newspaper The Times in 2007 before taking over the reins as Editor of the Sunday Times in 2010 after Makhanya left. During Hartley's tenure as editor, Sunday Times journalists won virtually all the awards on offer, including the prestigious Standard Bank Sivukile and Taco Kuiper awards for investigative journalism.
- 2013-2015: Phylicia Oppelt became the first female editor of the Sunday Times. Oppelt was the editor of the Daily Dispatch from 2005 to 2008 and the editor of Business Times from 2008 to 2010.
- 2016-2020: Bongani Siqoko is the former editor of the award-winning Daily Dispatch, Saturday Dispatch and DispatchLIVE. He has been with the Daily Dispatch since November 2004, having held many positions at the newspaper - news editor, managing editor, and deputy editor - before he was appointed editor in June 2013.
- 2020 to present: S'thembiso Msomi became the new editor in the first quarter of 2020. Msomi has 24 years of journalism experience and was editor of the Sowetan for two years before his most recent appointment. Msomi returns to the Sunday Times as he was previously deputy editor. He also held the position of political editor of the Sunday Times and City Press.
| Years | Editor |
|---|---|
| 1910-1942 | Joseph Langley Levy |
| 1942-1947 | E.B 'Chook' Dawson |
| 1947-1958 | N. A. G. |
| 1975-1990 | Albert Tertius Myburgh |
| 1996-1998 | Brian Pottinger |
| 1998-2000 | Mike Robertson |
| 2002-2003 | Mathatha Tsedu |
| 2004-2010 | Mondli Makhanya |
| 2010-2013 | Ray Hartley |
| 2013-2015 | Phylicia Oppelt |
| 2016-2020 | Bongani Siqoko |
| 2020-Present | S'thembiso Msomi |
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