Student newspapers have a storied past in South Africa, often playing formative roles in the development and campus life of students. Through trial and error, these student publications have had to adapt to the shifting realities faced by news outlets across the globe. Editors from different South African student publications spoke to Lienke Norval from SMF News about their challenges and triumphs as student journalists.
Domonique Bennetts, a third year BA (General) student at the University of Pretoria (UP) and editor of the university’s student paper, PDBY, recalls sitting on the grass on campus on the day of the paper’s distribution. Around her, fellow students are all sitting with copies – reading, discussing, agreeing, disagreeing.
“For this week of distribution, everybody’s thinking about the same things on the campus,” she says. “Everyone’s talking about the same issues, the same articles about this and that.”
“It really does bring the university together,” she says.
PDBY, the University of Pretoria’s (UP) student newspaper, publishes about 10 print editions per year, which are distributed campus-wide, according to Domonique Bennetts, a third year BA (General) student at UP and editor of PDBY. PHOTO: Supplied/Domonique Bennetts
The first edition of PDBY came out in 1939, according to their website, making them the oldest student newspaper in the country. Stellenbosch University’s (SU) student publication, Die Matie, appeared shortly after in 1941, according to the SU website, with Varsity, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) student publication, right on their heels in 1942, according to Nonku Mncube. Mncube is a third year BA (Literary Studies) student at UCT and the editor-in-chief of Varsity.
“Throughout, [Die Matie’s] role has been to be a voice for the students – a representative in some way,” says Emma Giles, a third year BSc (Human Life Sciences) student at SU and editor-in-chief of Die Matie.
Die Matie, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) student newspaper, will be celebrating their 85th birthday in 2026 and has a rich legacy on the SU campus, according to Emma Giles (right), a third year BSc (Human Life Sciences) student at SU and editor-in-chief of Die Matie. “Die Matie is a place where everyone can unite,” says Nina Guy (left), a first year BA (International Studies) student at SU and Die Matie’s social media and online editor. PHOTO: Lienke Norval
Still standing
Today, student newspapers across the country face new challenges, from rebuilding after the Covid-19 pandemic, to navigating current campus politics, to walking the line between print and digital publication.
Mncube explains that pre-Covid, Varsity was a prominent voice on UCT campus, regularly reporting on student protests related to the Fees Must Fall and Rhodes Must Fall movements.
“And then Covid hit and it was a mess,” says Mncube. “By 2023, [Varsity] was basically non-existent. We weren’t even publishing. We didn’t have access to our websites [or] to most of our social media platforms.”
“The previous senior editorial basically spent the last year just getting Varsity back to a sustainable point,” they say.
In 2024, Varsity published their first print edition since 2019 and pivoted to Substack, a free online publishing platform, where they now post articles up to three times a day, according to Mncube.
“Right now, we’re doing really well at professionalisation in terms of sustainable platforms, dedicated writers, and editors,” says Anna Mcclellan, a third year BSocSc student at UCT and managing editor of Varsity. “I also think we’re forcing ourselves [back into] the political zeitgeist of the campus.”
Meeting students where they are
As with any mainstream news outlet in the world, student newspapers have had to grapple with a media landscape in flux, finding ways to bridge their history in print with the new age of digital media.
“From what I could tell, there was a big destabilisation [when Die Matie moved] to a website,” says Giles. “[This] is happening across the industry – making that transition [and] becoming relevant again.”
Die Matie, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) student newspaper, is partially funded by an independent alumni trust, but also receives support from the university when it comes to office space, internet access, and other technical equipment, according to Emma Giles, a third year BSc (Human Life Sciences) student at SU and editor-in-chief of Die Matie. PHOTO: Lienke Norval
Die Matie aims to publish two print editions in the coming year – one during SU’s welcoming week and one in August, to celebrate the paper’s 85th birthday, according to Giles. However, the publication also posts regularly on their website, with up to 30 articles per biweekly cycle, says Giles.
The paper is also active on Instagram, posting article teasers that direct readers to the website, as well as video content that directly engages with students.
Emma Giles, a third year BSc (Human Life Sciences) student at Stellenbosch University (SU) and editor-in-chief of Die Matie, SU’s student newspaper, says that although there were challenges when the publication first started their website, they now publish up to 30 articles per biweekly cycle. PHOTO: Lienke Norval
“When I started [as social media editor], the first thing I thought was that we have to be more interactive,” says Nina Guy, a first year BA (International Studies) student at SU and Die Matie’s newly-appointed social media and online editor. “We have to have stories that touch [students].”
Along with driving engagement and boosting the paper’s visibility on campus, Guy is piloting a new Instagram video series by the name of Rooiplein Report, which uses street interview-style reporting to gain insight into students’ opinions and interests, according to Guy.
“[It’s] giving a voice to students,” she says. “The journalists [are students too] but if it comes directly from the students and you can see it, you have footage, it makes such a big impact.”
While PDBY still publishes five print editions per semester, the paper also posts article snippets on Instagram and their WhatsApp channel, according to Jason Visser, a third year BSportSci student at UP and deputy editor of PDBY.
“Sometimes students don’t have internet access, and WhatsApp can work with WhatsApp tickets,” he says. “WhatsApp has been good just to make sure we have a platform for all our audiences.”
Although growing their presence on digital platforms has been important for student publications, students appear to have an enduring enthusiasm for print editions, according to Mncube.
“People love it,” they say. “I think there’s a general nostalgia for physical media.”
‘By the students, for the students’
Varsity is funded by UCT but the paper does not shy away from criticising university structures when warranted, according to Mncube.
“Politics needs journalists and university campuses everywhere in South Africa are very political spaces,” says Mcclellan. “[Student newspapers are] incredibly relevant in highlighting [the] challenges and the good things about university campuses.”
Die Matie, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) student newspaper, is aiming to release two print editions in 2026, according to Emma Giles, a third year BSc (Human Life Sciences) student at SU and editor-in-chief of Die Matie. PHOTO: Lienke Norval
Giles echoes this sentiment, describing Die Matie as potentially being a bridge between students and the SU establishment.
“We’ve noticed through reporting [that] there’s a disconnect between university structures and students’ actual experiences living here,” she says. “There’s a lot of politics happening at the moment when it comes to NSFAS [the National Student Financial Aid Scheme], the SRC [Student Representative Council], and Palestine.”
“We’re definitely leaning more towards political articles, which is really good,” she adds.
The office of Die Matie, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) student newspaper, is located on the second floor of the Neelsie student centre. PHOTO: Lienke Norval
PDBY often reports on topics left unaddressed or underrepresented by UP, including sexual and mental health, according to Visser.
“When you are struggling with your own experiences, and you’re reading this paper, you will feel a lot more seen than if the institution [was] trying to teach you about mental health,” he says. “We [have] said time again and again [that this] is by the students, for the students.”
Bennetts says that without student papers, be it print or online, students would feel disconnected from each other and from campus life.
“You can read South African news anywhere,” says Bennetts. “You can pick up your phone and see it all over Instagram or on other publications, but you can’t read about what’s happening in your space.”
“[Student newspapers] give [students] something that’s theirs,” she says.
Jason Visser (left), a third year BSportSci student at the University of Pretoria (UP) and deputy editor of PDBY, the UP student paper, and Domonique Bennetts (right), a third year BA (General) student at UP and editor of PDBY, believe that student newspapers are important for both the students who read the publication and for those who write. “The friends that I have now, I would not have had [without working for PBDY],” says Visser. PHOTO: Supplied/Domonique Bennetts