A week’s worth of coffee to keep Daily Maverick alive

We know times are tough, and none of us is immune to the (very real, very scary) financial squeeze facing all South Africans right now.

We can’t (and won’t) erect a paywall because it is important that every South African, regardless of their economic status, knows what is truly going on. The truth, not the pantomime of propaganda designed by political or criminal interests. Knowledge begets change and if you have it, YOU have the power. Democracy is not only about ticking a box once every five years - democracy is also about demanding accountability for incompetence, corruption and the shockingly bad service delivery from the people who are supposed to serve citizens of South Africa.

The reason we at Daily Maverick don’t have millions to spend is our moral stance on paywalls: we could never, in good conscience, force anyone to pay for access to truth. That idea was never on the table. Neither do we have deep-pocketed benefactors who fund us in exchange for editorial ‘input’. Instead, we ask you nicely (and often) to join our membership community, Maverick Insider.

What it comes down to is whether or not you value Daily Maverick and would like to see us stick around. Here’s some rationale for spending money on what you value:

Your daily cappuccino from your favourite coffee shop costs around R35. That’s R1,050 per month on frothy milk. Don’t get us wrong, we’re almost exclusively fuelled by coffee – it’s a life necessity. BUT maybe R200 of that R1,050 could go to the journalism that’s fighting for the country’s future? So that, you know, the coffee and the milk can still be produced, and the water to make the coffee can still flow and the electricity to froth the coffee can still be turned on.

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How often do you read us? Once a week? Daily? Whatever the frequency, how much is it worth to you to stay informed and to know that there are fiercely independent journalists demanding accountability from those in power and exposing their wrongdoing? Who lead the national debate and bring clarity to our messy world? We don’t even dictate how much our readers should contribute. After all, how much you value our work is subjective (and frankly, every amount helps). At R200, you get it back in Uber Eats and ride vouchers every month, but that’s just a suggestion. A little less than a week’s worth of cappuccinos.

We all know what happens when funding dries up. Every time the EskomSePush app gives us a ping, it’s a reminder where we are - and we should not be here. We in news media also know that when funding dries up, newsrooms close – as we’ve witnessed time and again.

We can't survive on hope and our own determination. If you appreciate having a daily publication you can trust, then please work it into your monthly budget and contribute what you can. We know how much our fellow citizens are struggling financially right now, but our country is going to be considerably worse off without a strong, sustainable news media. If you’re rejigging your budgets, and it comes to choosing between frothy milk and Daily Maverick, we hope you might reconsider that cappuccino.

We need your help.