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Johannesburg - Media24 is to close The Witness's Durban edition, the company announced on Monday.
The edition was relaunched in a tabloid format in August, spokesperson Anika Ebrahim said in a statement.
Ishmet Davidson, general manager of Media24 News, said it was a painful decision but one that needed to be taken.
The Durban edition was launched as a tabloid because it was difficult to satisfy the local needs of both Pietermaritzburg and Durban readers in one hybrid package.
He said the Durban edition showed positive early results but the investment period was too long.
"Traditional print media in South Africa, like media businesses around the world, is under pressure and we don’t have the benefit of being such patient investors," Davidson said.
The closure would not result in any retrenchments of editorial staff.
The Witness editor Andrew Trench, announced as News24's new editor also on Monday, said he was saddened by the closure of the Durban edition.
"The Witness has a loyal and discerning following in Pietermaritzurg and the Midlands and we have focused on strengthening our relationship with them,” he said.
"We raised the profile of the paper and concentrated on giving our readers more of the bread-and-butter local reporting they enjoy. I think we got it right."
Davidson said The Witness would continue to serve the Pietermaritzburg community, and a new editor would be announced in due course.
"I am thrilled that Andrew will be taking up the position as editor of News24,” Davidson said.
"This will enable Media24 to strengthen the advantage it has built in the online news space over the past 16 years. Our print and multimedia teams look forward to working alongside News24 to create the best content machine in Africa.”
