Mahareng Media and Advertising

What Mahareng Media and Advertising does

Mahareng Media and Advertising (Pty) Ltd is a Bloemfontein-based, privately held print media and advertising company founded in 2006 and operating as a subsidiary of Central Media Group (CMG). Its core product is a portfolio of community publications anchored by Bloemfontein Courant, the largest free bilingual (Afrikaans/English) community newspaper in the city, distributed weekly at 45,000 copies to households, shopping malls, filling stations, government offices, and approximately 30 surrounding rural towns. Complementary publications include Get It Bloemfontein (a lifestyle magazine), The Woodpecker (a gloss magazine for the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate), Jeffreys Bay Magazine (a holiday guide in the Eastern Cape), and Langenhovenpark Magazine (a community magazine). The company also operates the annual Best of Bloemfontein Readers' Choice Awards, which has drawn 38,000+ votes.

The company's core technology is design and print production for newspapers, magazines, books, and marketing collateral — a workflow built around in-house graphic design, layout, and custom printing rather than proprietary software or digital platforms. Reported market share in Bloemfontein is 60%+ (as of 2015), and the Courant is estimated to reach 100,000+ readers. The business monetizes primarily through print advertising sold into its own publications, supplemented by fee-based design services (logo design, corporate identity, branding) and custom printing jobs (newspapers, newsletters, signage, vehicle branding, billboards, pamphlets, calendars). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: direct sales targeting corporate companies, agricultural institutions, tertiary institutions, schools, and local commercial clients in Central South Africa, with the annual Best of Bloemfontein event functioning as a community engagement and advertiser-acquisition touchpoint. The company is BBBEE-certified and operates from Central Media Park in the northern suburbs of Bloemfontein alongside other CMG subsidiaries (OFM radio, Digital Platforms, Redstar, Central Outdoor), which together form a diversified multimedia group covering radio, print, digital, promotions, and outdoor advertising. Revenue, funding, and detailed financial metrics are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Mahareng Media and Advertising

Legal name

Mahareng Media and Advertising (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://mahareng.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mahareng Media and Advertising, based in Bloemfontein, publishes community newspapers and lifestyle magazines including Bloemfontein Courant (45,000 weekly copies) and Get It Bloemfontein, and offers design and custom printing services to corporate, agricultural, and SMB clients across Central South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Print Media and Advertising Services

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Book Printing (2732), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA), Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH)

Keywords

• Print advertising
• Community newspaper publishing
• Graphic design services
• Commercial printing
• Lifestyle magazine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloemfontein

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Advertising revenue generated from newspaper and magazine placements across Bloemfontein Courant, Get It Bloemfontein, and other publications
2. Design Services: Logo design, branding, graphic design services for corporate identity, business cards, posters, signage, and marketing materials
3. Printing Services: Custom printing services for newspapers, magazines, books, booklets, calendars, notebooks, pamphlets and various printed materials

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mahareng Media and Advertising publishes flagship community publications including the bilingual Bloemfontein Courant (45,000 weekly copies) and Get It Bloemfontein lifestyle magazine, alongside niche publications such as The Woodpecker, Jeffreys Bay Magazine, and Langenhovenpark Magazine. The company also delivers design and print services, offering custom-fit logo design, branding, graphic design, advertising layouts, signage, vehicle branding, and production of newspapers, magazines, books, calendars, and marketing materials for corporate and local business clients.

Product overview

Mahareng Media and Advertising is a print media and advertising company offering a portfolio of flagship publications and creative services. Its core products include Bloemfontein Courant (the largest free community newspaper with 45,000 weekly copies) and Get It Bloemfontein (a lifestyle magazine), alongside community publications like The Woodpecker, Jeffreys Bay Magazine, and Langenhovenpark Magazine. The company also organizes the annual Best of Bloemfontein Readers' Choice Awards. Complementary to its publications, Mahareng offers design and print services including logo design and branding, print advertising, newspapers and newsletters, graphic design, and book/magazine production. The portfolio is unified under the Mahareng Media and Advertising brand, with Central Media Park in Bloemfontein serving as the operational hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bloemfontein Courant: The biggest free community newspaper in Bloemfontein, distributed to 45,000 copies per week, covering local news in Afrikaans and English.
• Get It Bloemfontein
• The Woodpecker
• Jeffreys Bay Magazine
• Langenhovenpark Magazine
• Best of Bloemfontein

Products and services

• Bloemfontein Courant The biggest free bilingual (Afrikaans and English) community newspaper in Bloemfontein, distributed at 45,000 copies per week to households and hotspots across Bloemfontein and approximately 30 surrounding rural towns.
• Get It Bloemfontein

Quantifiable outcome

• 60%+ market share in Bloemfontein
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OFM (Central Media Group Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2021OFM and Mahareng are both subsidiaries of Central Media Group. They collaborate on community initiatives such as the Groot Vet Kombers Proe-kjek charity event, combining radio broadcasting reach with print media coverage.
• SA Stud BookminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMahareng produces Studbook textbook and maintains ongoing relationship with SA Stud Book for livestock industry publications.
• Old MutualminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOld Mutual partnered as sponsor for Get It's Sparkling Breakfast event, co-branding the community event.
• Round Table Southern AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRound Table Southern Africa collaborated with OFM (CMG) on the Groot Vet Kombers Proe-kjek charity drive, raising R450,000 for various charitable organizations across Central South Africa.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Netwerk24: Media24's digital Afrikaans news and lifestyle platform. Comparable in serving Afrikaans-speaking Bloemfontein readers with news and lifestyle content, but distributed digitally — highlighting the secular shift threatening Mahareng's print titles.

Broad incumbents

• Independent Media: Major South African newspaper group publishing The Star, Cape Times, Daily News, and IOL digital platform. Comparable as a regional/community newspaper publisher and advertising platform, though with national reach and a digital-first orientation.
• Arena Holdings: South African media company publishing titles including The Herald, Daily Dispatch, and Sunday Times. Comparable as a regional newspaper publisher targeting local advertisers and communities, with overlap in print and digital distribution models.
• Caxton & CTP Publishers: One of South Africa's largest print and publishing groups, publishing community newspapers and magazines nationally. Directly comparable as a community-newspaper publisher, but operating at a national scale far beyond Mahareng's Bloemfontein focus.
• Novus Group: South African print, packaging, and publishing group with magazine and book printing capabilities. Comparable in the print production and magazine manufacturing layer that supports Mahareng's design-to-print offering.
• Media24: Naspers-owned print and digital media group publishing major Afrikaans and English titles (Beeld, Die Volksblad, Netwerk24). Comparable in publishing community and lifestyle newspapers in Afrikaans markets; operates at much larger scale and has invested heavily in digital.

Direct peers

• Get It Magazine (national network): National network of Get It city lifestyle magazines of which Mahareng publishes Get It Bloemfontein. Direct comparable in city lifestyle magazine format, though other Get It titles are licensed/operated by other publishers in other regions.

Others

• Central Outdoor: Sister CMG subsidiary providing street pole and billboard advertising in the Free State, Northern Cape, and North West. Comparable as a CMG-owned Central South Africa advertising property competing for the same local advertiser budget, complementary rather than substitutional.
• OFM (Central Media Group): Sister company of Mahareng under Central Media Group, a Central South Africa commercial radio station. Comparable as a CMG-owned Central South Africa media property that competes for the same local advertiser wallet.

Regional players

• Bloemfontein-based community publications (e.g., Express, Vista): Other small community newspapers and free sheets circulating in Bloemfontein and the Free State, competing with Bloemfontein Courant for the same local advertisers and household readers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mahareng-media-advertising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mahareng Media and Advertising