A bold response to a shrinking media landscape
As South Africa’s media landscape continues to shrink, Daily Maverick’s Nelson Mandela Bay bureau aims to reverse the trend - delivering impactful, high-integrity reporting at the metro level where it is needed most.
“Nelson Mandela Bay has been let down - by broken systems, unchecked power, and promises that never materialised. This bureau exists to ask the hard questions, to hold leaders to account, and to listen closely and stand alongside a community that deserves better. This is journalism rooted in proximity, persistence, and public service,” said Angela Daniels, managing editor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Bureau.
What Baywatch delivers
The newly launched newsletter, Baywatch, is sent out twice a week — with plans to become a daily essential read as the team of journalists based in the metro grows.
Baywatch is:
- Delivered free to inboxes, offering access to all
- Grounded in on-the-ground accountability journalism
- Aimed at amplifying local issues to residents and national audiences
Reimagining local accountability reporting
Daily Maverick's launch of a dedicated metro bureau is a pioneering effort in the global media landscape where investments in city and local journalism have been decimated.
While serving readers in Nelson Mandela Bay, Baywatch will also elevate local issues onto the national platform of influential readers that Daily Maverick has built up over 15 years.
Proven impact model
With Estelle Ellis already embedded in Nelson Mandela Bay for the last five years, the impact achieved has been extraordinary:
From one reporter to a full bureau
Now, the dedicated metro bureau expands that impact from one journalist, to a dedicated team.
“This is a rare effort — a national publication building a metro newsroom when others are divesting. As we head toward the 2026 local elections, and our cities feel the combined weight of urbanisation and service delivery failure, we’re overdue a “boots-on-the-ground” effort to support local accountability efforts,” said Styli Charalambous, co-founder and CEO of Daily Maverick.
Why it matters
Expect tough questions, fearless reporting, and a renewed focus on local accountability while also sharing the many stories of inspiration from those local residents excelling despite the challenges.
Because no community should be forgotten. And no entity should be above scrutiny.
DM
FAQs
1. How many people will be a part of the bureau and what will they do?
The Nelson Mandela Bay bureau will start with a small, dedicated editorial team led by Bureau Editor Angela Daniels and Senior Reporter Estelle Ellis, who bring deep local experience. They will be joined by two additional reporters on 1 July and supported by Daily Maverick’s national newsroom.
This team will investigate corruption, report on crime, track service delivery failures and uncover the stories of inspiration that remind us why our metros are worth fighting for.
And they’ll do it all while producing a dedicated, free, twice-weekly newsletter for the people of Nelson Mandela Bay.
2. Why Nelson Mandela Bay?
Years of economic disruption and erosion of accountability have left local government unchecked. In many cities, service delivery has collapsed and despite valiant efforts by local businesses to fix the many problems, they can’t do it alone.
Our response is to run towards the fire. Our goal is to recruit a crack team of journalists in Nelson Mandela Bay, and kick off the first of many metro bureaus across the country, to shine a light where darkness has settled.
We have had an incredible response from the local community and business leaders willing to support the launch financially and otherwise, to enable us to greenlight this investment.
3. What is Daily Maverick’s theory of change?
Daily Maverick believes that a free and fearless press, supported by its readers, can support democracy and demand accountability. Politics and corruption play out nationally but is felt locally.
By increasing the amount of public service journalism in our metros, we can help the restoration of our cities.
These teams operate on a hybrid funding model: the site stays free for all, with journalism funded by philanthropic grants, ethical advertising, and by reader contributions through the Maverick Insider membership.
In practice, this means placing journalists close to communities (proximity) and having them stick with stories over the long term (persistence). By doing so, Daily Maverick expects that informed and empowered citizens will demand better governance, creating positive change.
In short, the change comes from ground-up accountability — well-informed communities pushing for results, enabled by reader-funded, independent reporting.
4. How will this be sustained?
Some local businesses have come onboard to help launch this initiative. We honestly couldn't do it without them.
We've seen how much these local businesses have helped the community in NMB and we plan to grow our voluntary membership programme by creating local journalism that creates impact and value in their lives.
Readers can choose the amount and you can cancel anytime. It's completely voluntary and can sustain the bureau with just 3 000 new members.
5. What are some of our big goals?
Through our brand of accountability journalism, offering investigations, analysis and opinions from local residents we hope to contribute to the restoration of Nelson Mandela Bay.
Through mismanagement and corruption, service delivery has failed across the city and our work should support the city in restoring itself to a place of pride and function. At the individual level, our journalism should help residents navigate life by providing them information they can trust to make better decisions, have better discussions and connect communities.
6. Will the journalism also be accessible on the main Daily Maverick site?
Absolutely. All reporting from the Nelson Mandela Bay Bureau will appear on the Daily Maverick website, and will be accessible via Baywatch.
Daily Maverick’s model is to keep the journalism free and accessible to all, relying on our membership for funding rather than paywalls, reflecting our commitment to open, public-interest reporting for every community.
Baywatch — the twice-weekly metro newsletter — will serve Nelson Mandela Bay readers directly, while important stories will be surfaced nationally to reach decision-makers and amplify local voices.
7. How can you be a helper?
There are a few powerful ways you can support the work of the Nelson Mandela Bay Bureau:
- Send us a tip-off: If you know something that should be investigated, email tipoffnmb@dailymaverick.co.za. All tips are treated with discretion.
- Reach out to us directly: Contact Bureau Editor Angela Daniels at angela@dailymaverick.co.za if you have a story idea, concern, or want to connect.
- Subscribe to the Baywatch newsletter: The metro’s most pressing issues, now landing in your inbox twice a week - soon to be daily.
- Share the newsletter with friends, family, and community members who care about the metro — word of mouth makes a huge difference.
- Join as a Maverick Insider: Your monthly contribution helps fund this bureau and expand our journalism to other cities. Sign up here.
Because building a stronger democracy starts with everyday people who care enough to act.
This article was first published on the DM Blog here.
