[1] ANA was launched in Cape Town in February 2015 by Sekunjalo Investments and Independent Media chairman, Iqbal Survé, and the chairman of the Pan African Business Forum, Ladislas Agbesi, following the liquidation of the South African Press Association (SAPA), previously a major supplier of foreign and domestic news in South Africa.
ANA's impartiality was questioned following the confirmation of R 20 million paid to the company by South Africa's intelligence agency to publish articles that favourably portrayed then-President Jacob Zuma.
Despite its low operational costs, large cash reserves and billion-dollar valuation, ANA was unable to cover staff salaries, and instead claimed to be in the process of opening bureaus in Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt.
In September 2019, ANA's chief financial officer Lisa de Villiers resigned, shortly before staff were issued with retrenchment notices.
Angamuthu emphasised that ANA was neither aware of any sinister motive by the SSA nor did they participate in any business outside of the company's key focus, i.e. driving growth and development on the African continent using media.