Mail & Guardian Faces Crisis as Retrenchment Notices Shake Newsroom

The Mail & Guardian, long respected as one of South Africa’s boldest and most trusted news publications, is now facing a devastating internal shake-up. Every staff member at the paper recently received a Section 189 notice, a legal step that signals the very real possibility of retrenchments.

For those inside the newsroom, this news landed like a thunderclap. The same journalists who’ve exposed corruption, held power to account, and kept readers informed are now facing uncertainty about their own futures.

Why it’s happening now

This isn’t a sudden crisis. Mail & Guardian’s challenges have been mounting for years, as print media globally has battled rising costs, falling ad revenues, and a shift to digital platforms that don’t pay as well. But the pace of the decline seems to have picked up this year.

“We started this process about two weeks ago,” said CEO Hoosain Karjieker. “In the first quarter of 2025, it became clear that costs kept climbing and the commercial side of the business continued to struggle. We had to take drastic steps to secure the paper’s future.”

Those drastic steps included a company-wide restructuring plan, and with it, the issuing of retrenchment notices in line with the Labour Relations Act.

A publication under pressure

For many South Africans, Mail & Guardian is not just a newspaper. It’s a symbol of fierce, independent journalism. Over the decades, it has led powerful investigations, spoken truth to power, and given voice to the underrepresented. That’s why the idea of widespread job losses within its newsroom is so deeply unsettling to the public, and potentially disastrous for the media landscape as a whole.

While the full extent of the impact is not yet clear, what is certain is that hard decisions are coming, and lives will be changed. The future of some of the country’s most seasoned reporters and editors is suddenly in limbo.

What comes next?

The Section 189 process will unfold over the coming weeks, involving consultations with employees and unions. The aim is to find alternatives to job losses where possible, but in many cases, retrenchments seem inevitable.

Karjieker stressed that the goal is survival. “We had to act to keep the paper alive,” he said. “Without intervention, there would be no Mail & Guardian at all.”

A critical moment for journalism

This is more than a business story. It’s about the survival of independent journalism in South Africa. When media organisations like Mail & Guardian struggle, society as a whole feels the ripple effect.

As the process unfolds, readers, industry peers, and advocates of press freedom will be watching closely. What happens here could serve as a warning for other outlets in similar trouble — or a call to rally behind journalism before it’s too late.

Keep the conversation going

Whether you’re a loyal reader, a concerned citizen, or someone working in the media, this is a moment to reflect on what journalism means to us all. Support local media where you can. Subscribe, donate, share their work. Because the cost of silence is far greater than the price of a subscription.

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