The Witness Newspaper South Africa is a daily newspaper published in Pietermaritzburg. It mainly serves readers in Pietermaritzburg and the inland areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in South Africa, having first been published on 27 February 1846.  Until 2000, when it became 50 percent owned by the Media24 group, it was the last independently owned mainstream daily newspaper in South Africa. Media24 signed an agreement to buy the remaining 50% shares in the Natal Witness Printing and Publishing company in July 2010