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Daily Maverick
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Organisation

Daily Maverick

Independent South African online news publication, funded by free access plus Maverick Insider memberships.

On 6 August, Daily Maverick reported on an appeal keeping approval for Equinix’s proposed Cape Town data centre suspended.

Last refreshed: 24 September 2026

Key Question

Why does Daily Maverick call Equinix's Cape Town site a land bank?

Timeline for Daily Maverick

#15 6 Aug
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Background

Daily Maverick is an independent South African online news publication. Its journalism is free to read, with revenue from Maverick Insider memberships, advertising, events and philanthropic grants.

Branko Brkic and Styli Charalambous founded the publication in 2009. It is independently owned, and Inkululeko South Africa Media, a non-profit, is its largest shareholder.

Its funding and ownership structure support a newsroom outside political-party, religious-body and media-group ownership. That structure defines its role as a South African publication serving a general online readership.

Key Issues
Data centre appeal

Daily Maverick covered the Cape Town appeal

On 6 August, Daily Maverick reported on an appeal that kept approval for Equinix’s proposed Cape Town data centre suspended. South Africa’s Housing Assembly and Foxglove cited limited public consultation and missing information on water, emissions and noise.

The report concerned a planning dispute, not an action by Daily Maverick itself. It put the objections and the suspended approval before its readers after the appeal had been lodged on 6 August. The event was reported more widely over six weeks later.

Common Questions
Who owns Daily Maverick?
An investment holding company whose largest shareholder is the non-profit Inkululeko South Africa Media, with no political or religious ownership.Source: Daily Maverick
How does Daily Maverick make money?
Free journalism funded by voluntary Maverick Insider memberships, advertising, events and philanthropic grants.Source: Daily Maverick
What did Daily Maverick report about Equinix's Cape Town data centre?
That Equinix called the suspended site a long-term land bank with no immediate development plans, after a Housing Assembly and Foxglove appeal stalled its approval.Source: Daily Maverick
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