Sunday World, the popular weekly tabloid known for its mix of celebrity news, current affairs and sport, will no longer be published on the SowetanLIVE website following the sale of the newspaper by Tiso Blackstar Group earlier this year.

Tiso Blackstar, the owner of Business Day and Sunday Times, among other titles, sold Sunday World to Fundudzi Media, owned by David Mabilu, in a deal that became effective at the end of June this year.

Sunday World had been part of the Tiso Blackstar (formerly Times Media) stable since its launch in March 1999 in partnership with New Africa Publications and became wholly owned by Tiso Blackstar in 2006. It had its own website until November 2017, when it was incorporated into the newly redesigned SowetanLIVE website. 

During the transition period after the sale in June this year, Sunday World's weekly editions were still published on SowetanLIVE but its articles will no longer be available here after September 1 2019.

The Sunday World Facebook and Twitter accounts will also be managed by the newspaper's new owners from September, and SowetanLIVE will no longer issue the various regular Sunday World email newsletters.

The full digital archive of Sunday World articles up to August 2019 will, however, still be available and searchable as part of the SowetanLIVE archive.

“The conclusion of the sale agreement ensures that Sunday World will continue to be published and remain part of the SA media landscape,” Tiso Blackstar said in a statement ahead of the sale this year.

Mabilu, the new owner, said at the time: “We are excited about this great opportunity to play a role in shaping the future of the media landscape in SA, and to contribute towards the diversity of ownership, voices and perspectives which are important to our constitutional democracy. We plan to maintain the highest standards of quality and ethical journalism.”