The changes affected some of South Africa’s best-known publications, including The Star, Cape Times, Cape Argus, The Mercury, Daily News, The Herald and Daily Dispatch. Those ambitions will, however, depend on whether it can stabilise titles operating in an increasingly challenging print market. Circulation lossesWhile the three developments were different, the latest newspaper circulation figures provide a common explanation for the strain. Audit Bureau of Circulations figures for the first quarter of 2026 show total newspaper circulation falling by 1.3% compared with the same period in 2025. The decline in paid circulation is also weakening the advertising proposition on which newspapers have historically relied.