The Huffington Post, in partnership with Media24, today launched The Huffington Post South Africa (www.huffingtonpost.co.za), the the first sub-saharan African edition for the company. HuffPost South Africa will provide a platform for local voices and communities while also delivering a mix of local and international news, politics, lifestyle and entertainment for South Africans.

The partnership combines the strengths of The Huffington Post, a leading global source of breaking news, video, features, and entertainment, as well as a highly engaged global community for opinion and conversation, with Media24, South Africa’s largest digital media publisher with over 16 million monthly unique visitors across all sites

“South Africa’s rich and politically engaged history has demonstrated a strong desire for people to have a place to express their voice and opinions. Having been born there, I’m especially proud to say that HuffPost is now that destination,” said Jared Grusd, CEO of The Huffington Post. “We hope our platform can help people lead better lives, make more informed choices and build stronger communities”

“The combination of intelligent lifestyle news with hard news that has a take is perfectly suited to where many South Africans find themselves right now: interested in everything and anything and wanting to know, more than ever, what it means for them,” said Verashni Pillay, Editor in Chief of HuffPost South Africa. “And all this beautifully presented on a digital platform that has been tried and tested with audiences across the world.”

The Huffington Post launched its first international edition in May 2011. In just five years, the site has exploded into 16 markets across six continents, with more than half of its audience coming from outside of the U.S. HuffPost South Africa will be the 17th edition as the company continues to grow its global presence. HuffPost has more than 300 editors located in nearly 20 countries outside the U.S and continues to expand its global presence.

Media24 is South Africa’s foremost media company with a leading market share in newspapers, magazines and digital publishing. 24.com, the company’s digital media division, is the country’s top news, lifestyle and entertainment destination. Media24’s broad portfolio of print and digital brands addresses a wide socio-economic market, catering for the diverse South African demographic.

“We’re really excited to be partnering with The Huffington Post, to launch a South African edition,” said Head of 24.com Andreij Horn. “We believe the HuffPost audience will enhance what we already have in 24.com and is part of 24.com expanding portfolio of digital assets – providing world class journalism and content to engaged audiences, and valuable connections to those audiences for advertisers. We look forward to working closely with The Huffington Post to build the brand and bring its digital media innovation to South Africa.”

The Huffington Post already has a large audience in South Africa, with nearly three quarters of a million unique visitors per month, according to comScore.

Go to www.huffingtonpost.co.za or follow HuffPost South Africa on the following social platforms:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HuffPostSouthAfrica/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HuffPostSA

Instagram: @huffpostsa