After sixteen years of truth and fearless reporting, let’s not let the impact fade

Sixteen years ago, long before Daily Maverick had an HQ, five of us huddled together, sitting in plastic chairs on a stoep. 

No money, no business plan. Just the fierce and unwavering belief that journalism would save this country. 

No, really. That’s how it all began. 

On the eve of Halloween, 30 October 2009, Daily Maverick came to life. (Fitting we know. We’ve been scaring the powerful ever since.)  

And what a treat it’s been. 

• In our first month: 30,000 readers.
• Last year’s national elections (May 2024): The site attracted more than 14.5 million unique browsers.

From day one, Daily Maverick landed as an unshakeable force — loud, sharp and absolutely unwilling to let corruption slide. 

Sixteen years later, we’re still chasing truth. Still making those in power skrik. Want proof? Sixteen years and 20 (we tried to list just 16, but there were too many) instances of impact for South Africa.

The treats 

• September 2012: Greg Marinovich publishes “The cold murder fields of Marikana” exposing police complicity in the Marikana massacre.
• December 2015: Marianne Thamm exposes Sunday Times’ SARS Rogue Unit reports as false.
• June 2017: #GuptaLeaks reveals how South Africa was sold to the Guptas.
• July 2017: Pauli van Wyk uncovers Eskom CEO Brian Molefe’s R30-million “golden handshake”.
• November 2017: Pauli van Wyk topples SARS executives Jonas Makwakwa and Tom Moyane.
• October 2018: Pauli van Wyk exposes Julius Malema and Brian Shivambu in the VBS Bank Heist.
• October 2020 to February 2021: Mark Heywood reveals the R515-million PPE Red Roses scandal.
• February 2021: Pieter-Louis Myburgh exposes Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s dodgy R150-million Digital Vibes contract. 
• July 2021: Tony Carnie exposes the environmental and human health hazards of the massive fire, explosion and chemical spill at UPL warehouse in Durban.
• October 2022: Rebecca Davis uncovers UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng’s misleading reports.
• November 2022: Ferial Haffajee exposes Joburg Roads Agency head Tshepo Mahanuke’s fake qualifications.
• February 2023: Rebecca Davis stops SA Tourism/Tottenham Hotspur’s proposed R1-billion deal.
• March 2023: Kevin Bloom exposes four cartels operating within Eskom.
• February 2024: Tiara Walters’ reporting on a Russian state seismic vessel’s activity in Antarctica’s Southern Ocean sees the US slap sanctions on the ship.
• August 2024: Caryn Dolley reveals crime syndicate infiltration into law enforcement and government.
• August 2024: Pauli van Wyk (Daily Maverick) and Kyle Cowan (News24) expose Justice Minister Thembi Simelane’s R500,000 loan linked to unlawful VBS investments.
• October 2024: Pieter-Louis Myburgh and Azarrah Karrim uncover a ghost company winning a R428-million oxygen plant contract fraudulently.
• August 2025: Estelle Ellis’ reporting sees a“lost” municipal water pump in Makana that turned out to be sitting idle in a Benoni factory.
• August 2025: Pieter-Louis Myburgh exposes Tebogo Malaka’s R60,000 bribe attempt.
• September 2025: Rebecca Davis exposes Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe for nepotism and corruption.

We challenge you to name one other company in South Africa that has delivered this much impact. 

We’ve helped stop shady billion-rand deals, triggered criminal investigations and exposed corruption so brazen it brought down big-name politicians: Ace Magashule, Zweli Mkhize, Thembi Simelane, Tebogo Malaka — oh and that guy, Jacob Zuma. 

That’s the treat. 

But hard truths come with harsh realities, and the reward isn’t always so sweet. 

The tricks

Go back to the top where we asked: Would you miss us if we were gone? 

Well, we nearly were. Last year, we shut down — for one day. 

Not because we weren’t good enough, or brave enough — but because we had to show you what a world without Daily Maverick looks like. (Spoiler: it was bleak.)

Five months later, we had to let staff go. While corrupt ministers get golden handshakes, the South African media industry gets pink slips. This isn’t theoretical. It’s existential. And the scariest part? It could happen again. 

We’ve just shown you our report card — proof of what journalism can do when it’s impact-driven, fearless and free from political or commercial capture. 

You experience the effects of it every day — in who doesn’t sit at the top of the presidential ticket, in billions of rand saved from corruption, in scandals stopped before they ruin lives.  

Impact is priceless. But if you value what we do, it’s time to back it. More than 32,000 Maverick Insiders already do. Join them. 

Daily Maverick is not owned by billionaires. We don’t chase clicks. And we definitely don’t ask politicians for favours. 

That independence, and the impact it delivers, survives only because readers believe it should. Your support funds investigations, pays journalists and holds power to account. 

Join Maverick Insider

Or don’t … and see what the word looks like without watchdogs. (We tried it once. It wasn’t great.) 

P.S. — this is our Sweet 16. No parties. No balloons. Just one big ask:

Help us survive to seventeen.

Because without journalism, there’s no accountability. And without accountability, you pay the price — in failed services, broken taps, wasted taxes and potholes that never get fixed.

That’s the scariest trick of all. DM