The Digital News Transformation Fund is helping independent South African newsrooms build digital platforms, expand audiences and develop sustainable revenue opportunities within underserved communities nationwide.
Six months into its first funding round, the Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF) has provided R10.5 million to 21 independent newsrooms working to strengthen their digital operations and extend the reach of community journalism.
The Fund supports publishers serving communities often overlooked by mainstream media, including rural, township, peri-urban and informal settlement communities.
Between January and June 2026, ten of the 11 newsrooms receiving support to establish their digital foundations launched their first websites or digital platforms. More than 300 stories were published by newsrooms beginning their digital journeys, while over 65 journalists and media staff received training.
The DNTF structures its support according to three levels of digital maturity. Build assists newsrooms establishing their first digital foundations, Grow supports publishers expanding existing platforms, and Engage works with more digitally mature publishers developing new revenue models.
Among the publishers making the transition is the 144-year-old Kokstad Advertiser in KwaZulu-Natal, which entered 2026 without a digital presence.
By March, the publication had recorded monthly online reach of up to 354,000 people. Its digital reporting on a missing seven-year-old girl also helped mobilise a community search and formal police search-and-rescue operation.
“We’ve gone from being accessible only to local print subscribers to reaching over 32,000 followers and up to 354,000 people a month across South Africa,” said Muhammad Luqman Jamal, DNTF Project Manager at The Kokstad Advertiser.
“In small towns like Kokstad, local news is at real risk of disappearing as print audiences shrink. This project has given us a viable digital future and made sure trusted, hyperlocal journalism keeps reaching the Greater Kokstad community.”
Other participating publishers have also recorded significant audience growth. Stokvel Media Hub increased its TikTok following from 344 to 5,945 within three months.
Highveld Chronicle in Mpumalanga increased its Facebook reach by 233%, growing from approximately 300,000 to more than one million people a month. Its isiNdebele content was also extended to regional radio, reaching more than one million listeners weekly.
Xenor Projects, which operates three community mastheads south of Johannesburg, reported a combined digital audience of 1.7 million people. The publisher introduced QR-code stickers in taxis, enabling commuters to download editions directly to their phones.
For more digitally established publishers, the Fund is supporting efforts to turn audience growth into sustainable revenue.
Digital news platform explain.co.za grew its website audience from approximately 3,800 users in January to more than 60,000 by May and now generates more than half of its income from sources other than grants, including memberships, digital marketing services and video monetisation partnerships.
The Fund’s first six months also demonstrated how stronger community journalism can contribute to local action.
In the Eastern Cape, reporting by Eagle Eye News into complaints around hiring and maladministration at Burgersdorp Correctional Services was followed by a community petition. Within three months, Correctional Services began a renovation and infrastructure project that prioritised local youth employment.
In Lenasia South, reporting by Zini Advertising during severe flooding reinforced safety warnings and encouraged discussion around drainage infrastructure.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Inkundla Yezindaba’s “One Community, One Voice” campaign provided residents of Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu with a platform to raise development concerns with local decision-makers.
A voluntary survey of 87 readers also found that 72% said local news coverage had prompted them to take some form of action, while 71% said they mostly or completely trusted their main news source.
“These are early results, not the finish line. Community media is about being close to the people we serve, understanding their languages, challenges and the issues that matter to them,” said DNTF Co-Chair Anetta Mangxaba.
“The first cohort is showing what becomes possible when community publishers have the resources to strengthen this work digitally, reach wider audiences and create stronger platforms for their communities to be heard.”
The Fund acknowledges that converting growing digital audiences into sustainable revenue will require continued support. Staff capacity, connectivity, financial systems and governance remain challenges for smaller community publishers and will form part of its focus during the second half of 2026.
“It is still early days but there are signs of green shoots. There is energy and innovation in this sector. I’m excited. The Fund is providing the spark to get projects going,” said Association of Independent Publishers Executive Director Kate Skinner.
A second cohort of 22 publishers, supported by R15.8 million, has now joined the programme.
This brings the number of independent newsrooms supported through the first two funding rounds to 43. Of these, 39 serve rural, township, peri-urban or informal settlement communities, while 28 publish in at least one African language.
The Digital News Transformation Fund is a partnership between Google and the Association of Independent Publishers and is administered by Tshikululu Social Investments.
A full report on the programme’s progress is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
