NVWB Media Group Relaunches to Fill Gap in Afrikaans Business Journalism

Nuwe Vrye Weekblad Media Group (NVWB) has found new life, and recently announced it is launching a new digital publication focused on Afrikaans business and entrepreneurship. The move marks an unexpected second chapter for a media company born out of one of the most storied titles in Afrikaans journalism.

The group’s roots go back to Vrye Weekblad, the anti-apartheid publication first launched by Max du Preez in 1988. It shut down in early 1994 but later re-emerged in democratic South Africa in 2019, and in its modern form was owned by Arena Holdings, which owns a number of major publications, including the Sunday Times and Business Day.

When funding pressures mounted, an Afrikaans financier and venture capitalist based in the United States, Andre Pienaar, stepped in to take over in late 2022. This led to the creation of NVWB Media Group, with Vrye Weekblad as its flagship title. Max du Preez retained a 49% stake in the group and continued as editor-inchief of Vrye Weekblad.

That revival, however, proved short-lived. In March 2025, the publication closed. Du Preez said at the time that the strategy had always been to wean the paper off external financing so it could stand independently on subscriber revenue. That model ultimately failed to generate sufficient scale.

Now, less than a year later, the company is attempting a reset. According to its latest press release, NVWB “has successfully completed a strategic refinancing that positions the media company for its next phase of growth and innovation”.

The new venture will be a dedicated online platform for business journalism in Afrikaans. It plans to cover business strategy, investment, technology adoption, regulation, market trends, and entrepreneurial profiles in South Africa and abroad.

Its premise is straightforward: fill a structural gap.

Today, there is no dedicated financial journalism platform in Afrikaans. This would be the first Afrikaans-focused business publication since the closure of the Afrikaans print edition of Finweek in 2021.

By contrast, English financial media remains dense and competitive, with titles such as the Financial Mail, BizNews, and MoneyWeb dominating the market. New entrants continue to emerge, including Currency News, recently acquired by Apex Partners.

The launch also reflects the commercial logic of Afrikaans as a business language. Southern Africa is one of the continent’s most economically developed regions, with South Africa as its financial hub. Within this landscape, Afrikaans is spoken by roughly 7 million first-language speakers and understood by millions more across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. Large segments of the agricultural, manufacturing, mining, and small business sectors still operate substantially in Afrikaans.

Crucially, Afrikaans media continues to perform strongly.

The digital Afrikaans news platform Maroela Media attracts tens of millions of monthly visits.

Even in print’s decline, demand has not vanished. When Media24 discontinued the print versions of major Afrikaans newspapers, including Beeld and Rapport, The Common Sense was informed by well-placed sources that the decision was not primarily due to Afrikaans titles underperforming. Rather, sources said pressure stemmed from the weaker performance of City Press within the broader portfolio, with the holding company reluctant to close its most prominent black newspaper while maintaining Afrikaans print operations.

Broadcast media is another case in point. MultiChoice has consistently highlighted the strong commercial success and high demand for Afrikaans content on its platforms, with channels such as kykNET continuing to attract strong viewership.

As the third-most spoken language in South Africa, Afrikaans media remains relevant thanks to a loyal and culturally engaged audience. Against this backdrop, NVWB’s new platform enters a media ecosystem where Afrikaans audiences are substantial and commercially active, addressing a long-standing need for dedicated business journalism.