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About Us


	Paarl Post is a weekly tabloid newspaper published every Thursday, selling 16 600 copies in the communities of Paarl, Wellington, Franschhoek and environs. It has the second largest paid circulation among weekly community newspapers in the country. The estimated readership is 92 000.


	The office is located at 8 Jan van Riebeeck Drive, Paarl. Postal Address: PO Box 248, Paarl 7620 Telephone +27 21 871-1170, Fax 872-9280. For subscription, contact Tanya on taniak@paarlpost.co.za

The Paarl Post was first published on 14 January 1905 as direct successor to the famous newspaper Die Afrikaanse Patriot, the first Afrikaans newspaper in South Africa. Die Afrikaanse Patriot first appeared on 15 January 1876 in a small format as a monthly magazine promoting Afrikaans as an alternative to Dutch. It eventually grew to a popular weekly paper that was nationally famous for its pro-Afrikaans and anti-British sentiments.


	Rev SJ du Toit - Editor (1876-1904)

In 1878 it became a weekly paper. There were many subscribers all over the country and its circulation rose to 3700 in the 1880s due to its support of Afrikaner politics and its opposition to the British colonial government.

It was founded by the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners and was published by DF du Toit & Co, which published many other Afrikaans periodicals and books. Under the editorship of Rev SJ du Toit, the newspaper changed its political support to favour the British government's imperialism before and during the Anglo Boer War. Its heavy criticism of Paul Kruger caused it to lose most of its readers.

When the newspaper fell bankrupt and closed at the end of 1904, DF du Toit & Co decided to launch a new, less political newspaper, the Paarl Post, circulating locally and publishing in English and Afrikaans.

The company changed hands in 1923 and was renamed the Paarl Printing Company under ownership of Dr AL de Jager (MP). In 1938 the Retief family purchased it. In 1988 the newspaper printing section split from the Paarl Printing Company into a separate entity, still owned by the Retief family.

Media 24 obtained a 50% share of Paarl Post in 1995, which was increased to 75% in 2002, while the Retief family retained management control.
The directors are Lambert Retief, Nicol Retief, Jan Malherbe, Abraham van Zyl and Salie de Swart.

Since 2002, Paarl Post is part of the Boland Newspapers group, consisting of 14 community newspapers within the Media 24 stable.

The company publishes and prints Paarl Post, and also prints a large number of newspapers distributed in the Boland and Peninsula, as well as pamphlets and niche magazines.

The newspaper has won many awards for quality in journalism. In September 2004, Paarl Post won the Cronwright Trophy for best design and production in the community press for the fourth time in nine years.

In 2003, Paarl Post won a merit award for design in the Mondi National Press Awards.

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Tel: (021) 871-1170 - e-mail: edit@paarlpost.co.za