''The Citizen'' is a South African daily newspaper published in Johannesburg, South Africa. The newspaper is distributed nationally in South Africa. It has long been considered a newspaper of record in South Africa. While its core readership is mainly in Gauteng, it also distributes to surrounding provinces such as Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West. The newspaper is owned by

Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers Limited Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers ( JSE: CAT) is a South African newspaper company. History The company was founded in 1902 by William Gindra and Edward Green, two Pretoria businessmen who started a small stationery and general printing f ...

, a public company listed on the JSE.

History and ownership

The newspaper was founded in 1976 during the apartheid era by

Louis Luyt Louis Luyt (18 June 1932 – 1 February 2013) was a South African business tycoon and politician, and one-time rugby administrator. Having been a rugby player as a young man, Luyt went on to become a businessman. He founded Triomf Fertiliser a ...

, at which time it was the only major English-language newspaper favourable to the ruling National Party. In 1978, during the

Muldergate Scandal The Muldergate scandal, also known as the Information Scandal or Infogate, was a South African political scandal involving a secret propaganda campaign conducted by the apartheid Department of Information. It centred on revelations about the Depa ...

, it was revealed that the money to establish and finance the newspaper had come from a secret

slush fund A slush fund is a fund or account that is not properly accounted, such as money used for corrupt or illegal purposes, especially in the political sphere. Such funds may be kept hidden and maintained separately from money that is used for legitim ...

of the Department of Information, and ultimately from the Department of Defence. In 1998, ownership of the newspaper was transferred from Perskor to Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers Limited,. The company is involved in various fields of publishing and printing such as newspapers, magazines, commercial print, book printing, stationery, packaging and labels.

Format

''The Citizen'' is a

compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in Britis ...

newspaper. In 2012, the newspaper layout and design was revamped Dr. Mario Garcia. On 1 August 2013 the first edition of the revamped newspaper went on sale.

Editors (past and present)

Tim du Plessis Kevin Keogh Martin Williams On 7 October 2013, The Citizen announced that Editor Martin Williams would be stepping down. Williams, who had been with ''The Citizen'' for 19 years, retired at the end of October 2013. Steven Motale Martin Williams was succeeded by Steve Motale, who at the time was the executive editor of ''Pretoria News''. Motale had started off as a reporter at ''The Citizen'' in 2002, later becoming political editor and then editor of ''Citizen Metro''. Trevor Stevens Trevor Stevens, who joined ''The Citizen'' in 2001 as a sports reporter, became editor of ''The Citizen'' in 2017. He is also the current ''Saturday Citizen'' editor – a position he has held since 2010.

Online Editors (past and present)

Charles Cilliers (May 2016 - June 2020) Hendri Pelser (Acting online editor: June 2020 - June 2021) Earl Coetzee Earl took over from Hendri Pelser as acting online editor in July 2021 and was appointed online editor in October 2021.

Regular columnists

Ben Trovato Isaac Mashaba William Saunderson-Meyer Carine Hartman Jennie Ridyard Sydney Majoko Brian Sokutu Eric Naki Cliff Buchler Danie Toerien Martin Williams Dirk Lotriet Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo Muzi Yeni Bruce Fordyce Wesley Botton Jonty Mark Ken Borland Jonathan Mokuena

Titles/Products

''The Citizen'' ''Saturday Citizen'' (Previously ''Super Saturday Citizen'') ''The Citizen'' Online website The redesigned website, citizen.co.za, went live on 1 August 2013.

Paywall and digital subscriptions

Supplements

*Personal Finance (Mondays) – supplement to help you manage your money *City (Monday-Saturday) – lifestyle and entertainment supplement *Racing Express (Monday-Saturday) – horse racing supplement *Phakaaathi (Tuesdays) – local and international soccer supplement *Motoring (Wednesdays) – motoring and local motorsport supplement *Gaming (Thursdays) – gaming supplement *Buy in Bulk (Thursdays) – weekly wholesale supplement *Hammer & Gavel (Fridays) – auctions supplement *Travel (Saturdays) – travel supplement *Your Home (last Saturday of the month) – home renovations and DIY supplement

Distribution areas

Circulation figures

Readership figures

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Citizen, The Daily newspapers published in South Africa English-language newspapers published in Africa Organisations associated with apartheid Mass media in Johannesburg Online newspapers published in South Africa