City Press turns 40

40 years of truth-telling

By Mondli Makhanya, Editor In Chief

City Press literally was born, grew up and matured in the fiery cauldron of the liberation struggle.

This newspaper is, in the parlance of many in our country, a true child of the revolution. From its birth in 1982, City Press threw herself into the battle against apartheid’s evils, risking the lives and livelihoods of those who worked for the newspaper.

It was that spirit of commitment to justice that defined and continues to define this newspaper.

As previous editors relate inside this birthday publication, the City Press ethos of truth-telling is something that is in the DNA of the newspaper and something that has guided different generations of City Press staffers.

Fred Khumalo: Reporting from the frontline was a blast

Having started off in the Durban bureau of City Press to eventually leading it, Khumahlo tells the tale of a notorious killer cop, who even issued him with klap.

He also explains the dangerous life in the late 1980s and early 1990s that forced him out of journalism for a while.

Leading from the front: From the editors

As the paper turns 40, editors Khulu Sibiya, Len Kalane, Mathatha Tsedu and Khathu Mamaila, remember the exciting times and the roller coaster years.

Khulu Sibiya: 1988-2000

Sibiya steered City Press through some of this country’s biggest political milestones.

He says: "We had to go through a lot of ‘this paper is not allowed to publish this or that’. We would have differences with our lawyers who were tempted to edit our stories because of the many rules during that time."

Len Kalane: 1996-1998

Kalane, the author of The Chapter We Wrote: The City Press Story, explains the early days of City Press.

"Few things in life are as challenging as embarking on a newspaper project at the most uncertain of times. Jim Bailey, against all odds, threw the dubiety of it all out of the window to give us City Press."

Mathatha Tsedu: 2004-2008

Tsedu, known as 'The Cap', came to City Press when the newspaper was facing a serious dent to the image and the brand.

He led the redesign that included changing the pay-off line from "City Press The People’s Paper" to "City Press Distinctly African".

Khathu Mamaila: 2007-2009

Mamaila talks about the ground breaking, profound political stories that shaped our history.

"The one story that stands out for me was the decision by the ANC’s national executive committee to remove Thabo Mbeki as president of the republic in 2008."

Gallery | Moments in Time

Through the 40 years City Press photographers were on the frontline and brought the country images that were so startling, so beautiful and so tragic that they gripped a nation. Below is a selection of those photos.

To these heroes behind the lens, we salute you.

Rescue services work around victims of a stampede Ellis Park in Johannesburg on April 11 2001. Forty-three people died in the stampede, which happened when a crowd tried to enter the overcrowded stadium to attend a soccer match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Photo: City Press Archives

A peaceful youth protest on June 16 1976, against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools, turned into a massacre when apartheid police opened fire. Photo: Bongani Mnguni

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela clenched a fist outside the Pretoria regional court. Photo: George Mashinini

Mgcineni Noki rallies workers in Marikana before a deadly clash with police on August 16 2012. Photo: Leon Sadiki/City Press

A little girl holds a candle during a night vigil for former President Nelson Mandela in Vilakazi Street on December 15, 2013 in Soweto, South Africa. Nelson Mandela passed away on the evening of December 5. Photo: City Press/Lucky Nxumalo

Actor John Kani in The Native Who Caused All the Trouble at The Market Theatre in 1987. Photo: Showbiz Plays

The picture shows the editor of The World, Percy Qoboza - who also became editor of City Press, being escorted by security police into detention. Qoboza was held for five months under section 10 of the Internal Security Act in Modderbee Prison. Picture: Courtesy of Sowetan

Miss City Press Finals held at Kyalami -Theatre on the track. Photo: Antoine de Ras

Empty streets in Johannesburg during as South Africa goes into Day 8 of a hard lockdown forced by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Photo: Rosetta Msimango/City Press

Legendary South African playwright and music producer, Gibson Kente, aka The Father of Black Theatre is seen in Soweto on February 3 1985. Photo: City Press Archives

Black and Beautiful: The era of segregated pageants

Nomxolisi Mji, who won the inaugural Miss Black SA in 1983, reflects on those days of racially segregated pageants.

Sport Icons: How City Press covered them

City Press played a pivotal role in promoting a number of team and individual sports in the country, elevating the profiles of many who went on to be successful.

We also look at how City Press helped black education through the Learning Press

City Press ‘a good messenger for the taxi industry’

Find all these stories and more from this 40th celebratory supplement on the City Press website.

_{Compiled by Muhamad Hussain}

40 years of truth-telling

Fred Khumalo: Reporting from the frontline was a blast

Having started off in the Durban bureau of City Press to eventually leading it, Khumahlo tells the tale of a notorious killer cop, who even issued him with klap. He also explains the dangerous life in the late 1980s and early 1990s that forced him out of journalism for a while.

Read More

Leading from the front: From the editors

Gallery | Moments in Time

Having started off in the Durban bureau of City Press to eventually leading it, Khumahlo tells the tale of a notorious killer cop, who even issued him with klap.

He also explains the dangerous life in the late 1980s and early 1990s that forced him out of journalism for a while.