''Die Afrikaanse Patriot'' was the first Afrikaans-language newspaper. The first issue was published in Paarl on 15 January 1876. Initially a monthly magazine, it became a weekly two years later. Even though the first edition had just 50 subscribers, it swiftly drew sharp condemnation for promoting Afrikaans as a literary language, as it was then considered nothing more than a "kitchen" variety of Dutch. By the third year, subscription rose to 3,000 thanks to the support from readers in the Transvaal Republic. The newspaper would however lose much of its readership in 1892, when it endorsed

Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...

in its conflict against the president of Transvaal, Paul Kruger. ''Die Patriot'' ultimately went out of business in 1904.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afrikaanse Patriot 1876 establishments in the Cape Colony 1904 disestablishments in the Cape Colony Afrikaans-language newspapers Magazines established in 1876 Publications disestablished in 1904 Defunct newspapers published in South Africa