FAQs: Daily Dispatch and DispatchLIVE

We answer your questions about subscriptions, email newsletters, e-editions, contact details and more

The Daily Dispatch newspaper has a long and rich history dating back to 1872. It was the first penny daily newspaper published in the Eastern Cape in 1898. By 1906, the paper boasted a circulation larger than any colonial paper published outside Cape Town.

The Daily Dispatch, now published in East London from Monday to Friday but covering the entire region, including Mthatha, has always been at the forefront of exposing injustice and advocating fair treatment for all South Africans.

Read more about the illustrious history of the Daily Dispatch

DispatchLIVE is the digital home of the Daily Dispatch, publishing fresh news, insights, opinions, sport and entertainment reports. There are free articles to read on DispatchLIVE, but readers need to subscribe to enjoy full access to all content.

View all our subscription packages

Great journalism is expensive to produce. While newspaper publishers depend heavily on advertising revenue, that is not enough to let us bring you all the quality reporting you need. We’ve worked hard to give you lots of value through a Daily Dispatch or DispatchLIVE subscription. Your support means we can keep bringing you East London's best news, entertainment and lifestyle reporting.

How do I register or subscribe?

Click here to register for free. We will send you an email to verify your email address. Once you’ve registered, you can comment on our articles, sign up for our email newsletters and manage your newsletter preferences via your profile.

To subscribe in SA or from elsewhere in the world, click here to choose a package. Once you have subscribed, you can manage your subscription via your profile – including checking the expiry date or next billing date, cancelling it, obtaining an invoice, updating your card details, or renewing a six- or 12-month subscription.

Our payment partner, PayU, works with online merchants in 18 countries. Its servers are PCI-DSS compliant, which keeps your card information safe. PayU also protects your information during transmission by using 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. Read more about PayU's security measures.

How do I sign in or out?

Click here to sign in with your email address and password, or click here to sign out. You can also use the same details to sign in on TimesLIVE, BusinessLIVE, SowetanLIVE and other websites in the group, though your subscriptions are valid only for the websites included in each package.

I'm having trouble registering, subscribing or signing in. Who do I contact?

Contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za, 7am–4pm SA time (GMT +2) on weekdays or 7am–12pm on Sundays.

If you're registered but you can't sign in, check that you’re using the same email address that you used to register, and that you’ve got the correct password. You can also click here to reset your password via email.

I want to change my name, surname, password, package or email address. What do I do?

Once you’ve registered and signed in, you can edit your name, surname or phone number via your profile, or set a new password. If you're not signed in, you can reset your password via email.

You can also manage your email newsletter preferences via your profile.

Unfortunately you cannot change your email address directly via your profile page. Simply sign out and register again with your new email address. If you have an active subscription, you can contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za so we can connect your subscription to your new account.

To upgrade or downgrade to another subscription package, please contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za for help.

I already subscribe to the print edition of the Daily Dispatch. Do I get free online access?

Yes, you do! Daily Dispatch print subscribers get access to our DispatchLIVE Basic package as well as access to our e‑editions. To gain access, please register on DispatchLIVE with the same email address you supplied when subscribing to the print edition. That allows us to link your subscription correctly.

If you’ve already registered online using a different email address, you can either register again with your other email address, which will automatically pick up your print subscription, or contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za for assistance.

Are you a corporate subscriber receiving your newspaper or magazine at the office? Contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za so we can link your DispatchLIVE account to your subscription.

Can I buy a gift subscription for someone else, and how is a gift subscription redeemed?

You can buy a three-, six- or 12-month DispatchLIVE gift subscription. The person who is receiving the gift can activate it via the voucher code that is emailed to you. Click here and find the gift subscription options at the bottom of our subscriptions page.

To activate a gift subscription you have received, click here to enter your voucher code.

With how many devices can I access DispatchLIVE with one subscription?

You’re allowed three device connections for each subscription you hold.

What are cookies and why do I need them to use DispatchLIVE?

Cookies are tiny, harmless files used by websites to keep track of your personal preferences and settings – for example, remembering that you have already previously signed in and not asking you to do so again. If you do not have cookies enabled on your browser, some of the services and settings on DispatchLIVE might fail.

Our call centre might sometimes ask you to clear your cookies. Read how to delete cookies in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari.

Can you deliver the Daily Dispatch to me?

To subscribe to the print edition of the Daily Dispatch (Monday to Friday) please contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za.

Home delivery is offered in East London, Mdantsane, King William's Town, Bhisho, Mthatha, Komani and surrounding areas. To ask about delivery routes in your area, contact us on Tel: +27 702 2168/2103/2239.

We deliver only to addresses that we can access straight away (freestanding homes or complexes with security). We cannot use access codes or entry keys.

The minimum print subscription term is six months. Please allow up to two days for delivery of your first copy.

- if your newspaper arrived late, damaged or not at all;
- to change your delivery address (we need one week’s notice);
- to buy a gift subscription;
- to cancel your subscription (subject to a reasonable cancellation fee) or ask about the balance;
- to swap from the print edition to the e-edition, or to add the e-edition to your subscription; or
- to suspend your subscription for a certain period (we need one week's notice) or have your newspaper or magazine redirected to a temporary address.

Why do you need my e-mail address?

Your email address is our unique identifier for your subscription. You can then also activate your digital subscriber access to DispatchLIVE by registering with the same email address.

When does my subscription expire?

If you pay by EFT, credit card or debit card, you will find your subscription end date on the letter confirming your subscription as well as on your renewal notifications, which we will send to you before the end of your subscription.

If you do not wish to receive these notifications, why not consider renewing by direct debit? Your payment will be taken monthly and your subscription will simply continue until you tell us to stop. To activate a direct monthly debit payment plan, contact us at Tel: 0860 52 52 00 or helpdesk@dispatchlive.co.za.

How do I sign up for your email newsletters or unsubscribe from a newsletter?

When you register at no cost, you’ll be asked whether you’d like to receive any of our email newsletters. Once you’ve registered and signed in, you can manage your newsletter preferences via your profile.

My email newsletter has not arrived in my inbox. What do I do?

Check your junk/spam mail or rejected mail folder in case your mail server rejected the newsletter. If that is what happened, try to adjust your email settings. If you haven't received it at all, email us at feedback@dispatchlive.co.za.

How do reader comments on your articles work?

Registered readers can use the comment facility below our articles. These comments are managed via a reliable service called Disqus that is used on many other websites too. Your DispatchLIVE Disqus profile is created when you register on our website. It does not pick up details from any previous Disqus profiles you might have.

Your name and surname will be displayed with all your comments. Read our comment moderation policy for guidance before you start.

Is there a DispatchLIVE app?

There is no DispatchLIVE app at present but there is an app to read our e-edition (see next question).

How do I read the Daily Dispatch e-edition?

The Daily Dispatch e-edition is an exact digital replica of the print edition reserved for subscribers and presented via a service called PressReader. It can be read via our website or by our e-edition app:

>> How to read the Daily Dispatch e-edition

How do I contact the Daily Dispatch?

See our contacts page for specific guidance. You can also email feedback@dispatchlive.co.za with your query.

Who are the editors of the Daily Dispatch and DispatchLIVE?

Cheri-Ann James is the editor of the Daily Dispatch and Luke Charter is the editor of the DispatchLIVE website.

Does the website have RSS feeds?

We have a range of RSS feeds for our website and individual sections. Get the full list here.

How do I submit a press release or story suggestion?

Email your press release or story idea to news@dispatch.co.za. It will then be evaluated by our news desk. (We don’t publish press releases but they are considered for use in news reports or features.)

How do I report an error on the DispatchLIVE website?

Let us know if you spot any errors, big or small, so that we can correct them. Email feedback@dispatchlive.co.za with a link to the article and explain the problem clearly and concisely.

How do I advertise on DispatchLIVE or in the Daily Dispatch?

Have a look at our advertising information page for all the details.