Your digital brag book for Nelson Mandela Bay and beyond.
You know that feeling when someone from your hometown does something incredible and you immediately want to tell everyone about it?
That’s pretty much why 041Online exists.
We’re an award-winning digital magazine with a soft spot for Nelson Mandela Bay, a love for a good story and a firm belief that our people, places and businesses deserve their flowers.
Think of us as your digital brag book. The place where we celebrate the people making moves, the businesses doing big things, the events worth leaving the house for and the little gems you might otherwise have missed.
We’re proudly local, endlessly curious and always looking for something worth talking about.
And while the 041 is where our story started, we’re not afraid to venture beyond the Bay.
We love a good story. Especially yours.
At 041Online, we believe there’s more to local journalism than reporting on what’s gone wrong.
Of course, we believe in keeping our readers informed. But we also believe in celebrating what’s going right.
The entrepreneur turning a side hustle into a business. The local athlete making a name for themselves. The restaurant that’s become everyone’s new favourite. The artist whose work deserves a bigger audience. The everyday person quietly doing extraordinary things.
Those are the stories we love telling.
Our content brings together community news, lifestyle, entertainment, business, sport, motoring and everything in between.
Some stories will make you think. Others might make you laugh, inspire your next outing or introduce you to someone you didn’t know you needed to know.
But our favourite stories? The ones that make you say, “Wait, they’re from here?”
Meet the woman behind the brag book
Eleanor Douglas-Meyers
Founder and Managing Editor (featured on SA Today)
Hi, I’m Eleanor. Journalist, author, digital content creator and a woman who has never met a good story she didn’t want to tell someone about.
I’ve spent more than a decade working in journalism, from newsrooms and magazines to websites and digital media. Along the way, I’ve written books, worked in public relations, built a lifestyle blog and discovered that storytelling doesn’t have to fit into one neat little box.
Some of you might know me as JustEllaBella, where I spent years sharing bits of my life, my interests and probably more of my thoughts than anyone asked for.
But journalism has always been my first love.
When I started 041Online, I wanted to bring together everything I’d learnt from traditional journalism and the digital world. I wanted a publication that could tell a serious story when it needed to, but also have fun, celebrate people and feel like a conversation with someone who knows the Bay.
Most importantly, I wanted to create a space where our community could see itself reflected in a way that made it proud.
And that’s how our little digital brag book came to life.
Small beginnings. Big bragging rights.
041Online started with a simple idea: our community has incredible stories, and someone needs to tell them.
In 2024, that little idea earned some pretty big bragging rights when 041Online was named Best Emerging Community Digital Magazine 2024 – South Africa at the African Excellence Awards.
For us, the recognition was a reminder that local stories matter, and that there is space for a publication that celebrates the people, places and businesses making things happen in our corner of the world.
Since then, we’ve continued to grow, building relationships with local businesses, organisations, creatives and, most importantly, the community whose stories give us something to brag about in the first place.
Nelson Mandela Bay will always be home, but our curiosity is getting bigger.
Meet the bragging squad
Behind 041Online is a team of writers, contributors and creatives who love what they do and bring their own personalities to the publication.
From getting behind the wheel of the latest cars to covering local sport, interviewing interesting people and finding the next big thing happening in the Bay, everyone brings something different to the table.
We take our storytelling seriously, but ourselves? Not so much.
We’re curious, creative and always up for a good conversation. And we genuinely love seeing the people we write about succeed.
Let’s work together!
Have a brand worth bragging about? Whether you’re interested in advertising, social media collaborations, sponsored content or marketing opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.
Meet Zaheerah Smith, our Social Media & Marketing Manager and the woman helping keep 041Online’s digital world buzzing!
From keeping our community connected to helping brands find their place in the conversation, Zaheerah brings creativity, fresh ideas and a love for all things social to the team.
Got a collaboration in mind or want to explore marketing opportunities with 041Online? She’s your girl!
Get in touch: zaheerah@041online.co.za
Got something worth bragging about?
We want to hear it!
Maybe you’ve just opened a business. Maybe your best friend is doing something incredible. Maybe there’s an event coming up that everyone should know about, or a local legend whose story deserves to be told.
You don’t need to be famous to have a story worth sharing.
Whether you’re making headlines, making a difference or simply making something really cool, we’d love to hear from you.
Follow our adventures on Instagram
041Online. Local roots. Big stories. Plenty to brag about.