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Mpumalanga: Mismanagement, Not Lack of Funds, Causing Healthcare to Collapse

Location: News

Mpumalanga’s public healthcare system is under severe pressure due to poor management and administrative neglect, despite a healthcare budget of R21.1 billion for the 2026/27 financial year. The province is grappling with a critical staffing shortage that has resulted in dangerously high nurse-to-patient ratios. According to data analysed by healthcare organisations, Mpumalanga’s general ratio stands […]

The post Mpumalanga: Mismanagement, not lack of funds, causing healthcare to collapse appeared first on Freedom Front Plus.

Read moreMpumalanga: Mismanagement, Not Lack of Funds, Causing Healthcare to Collapse

South Africa’s Vehicle Market Proves Resilient as Affordability Reshapes Demand

Location: Business
  • Passenger vehicle sales reached 114,517 units in Q1 2026, with year-on-year growth moderating to 12.6%
  • Chinese brands account for more than 19% of new passenger and light commercial vehicle sales nationally
  • Hybrid vehicle interest rose to 39%, reinforcing hybrids as South Africa’s primary pathway in the shift toward electrified vehicles

South Africa’s passenger vehicle market remained resilient in the first quarter of 2026, but demand is evolving. Rising affordability pressures, higher fuel costs, the growth of Chinese brands and shifting powertrain preferences are reshaping the automotive landscape.

According to TransUnion’s Q1 2026 Mobility Insights Report, passenger vehicle sales reached 114,517 units in Q1 2026, slightly higher than the 114,246 units recorded in Q4 2025. Year-on-year (YoY) growth eased to 12.6%, down from the stronger performance seen during parts of 2025, but demand remained elevated despite a more uncertain macroeconomic environment.

A Stronger Start, But Growing External Pressures

The report, which provides a first quarter overview, indicates that South Africa entered 2026 on a stronger economic footing. This was supported by easing inflation, lower interest rates over the previous year, reduced load-shedding, and improved financial conditions.

However, rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the associated oil price shock have heightened downside risks. In March 2026, inflation increased from 3.1% to 4.0% in April 2026, while the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) recently raised the prime lending rate by 25-basis points in May 2026. Combined with higher fuel and transport costs, these factors are expected to place renewed pressure on affordability and consumer spending.

“Vehicle demand has not collapsed, but the market is moving into a more selective phase,” said Ayesha Hatea, director of research and consulting at TransUnion South Africa. “Consumers are still buying vehicles, but affordability is no longer only about the purchase price. Fuel costs, financing costs, insurance, servicing, and total cost of ownership are becoming central to the decision.”

Residual Value and the True Cost of Ownership

The report found that residual values are becoming an increasingly important component of vehicle affordability. As finance terms extend beyond six years for many buyers, depreciation and resale performance play a growing role in ownership economics, giving brands that retain value more effectively a competitive advantage.

The shift towards longer financing terms and the use of balloon structures reflects a growing focus on monthly affordability and cash-flow flexibility. However, this trend also increases exposure to residual value risk. Where vehicle values underperform expectations, consumers may face refinancing pressure or negative equity at trade-in, making used vehicle market performance an increasingly critical consideration.

Chinese Brands Reshape the Competitive Landscape

One of the most notable structural shifts is the continued rise of Chinese automotive brands. Chinese car sales grew by 75% YoY in Q1 2026, significantly outpacing traditional OEM growth of 2% and the broader passenger and light commercial vehicle (LCV) market growth of 12.7%. As a result, Chinese brands accounted for more than 19% of new passenger and LCV sales nationally, meaning nearly one in five new vehicles sold in South Africa was from a Chinese manufacturer in Q1 2026.

The shift is no longer driven solely by entry-level pricing. Chinese brands are increasingly competing on technology, features, fuel efficiency, range, warranty offerings, and perceived long-term value. On a combined portfolio basis, Chery Group, including Chery, Jetour, Omoda, and Jaecoo, recorded combined sales of 16,094 units in Q1 2026, positioning itself as a top three automotive player.

“Chinese brands have moved beyond the role of price disruptors. They are becoming structural industry players, influencing dealer networks, financing ecosystems, ownership perceptions, and the wider discussion around localisation and industrial competitiveness,” said Hatea.

Diverging Trends Across New and Used Markets

The new and used vehicle markets continued to show differing trends. NaTIS data indicates that new vehicle registrations increased by 11.6% YoY in Q1 2026, marking a sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. In contrast, used vehicle registrations increased by 2.6%, suggesting a modest recovery in the secondary market, although it still trails the stronger momentum seen in new vehicle sales.

The used-to-new registration ratio declined to 2.3 in Q1 2026, the lowest level recorded over the reporting period. While used vehicles still make up the majority at 69% of total registrations, the share of new vehicles has risen to 31%, up from 23% in Q4 2025. This shift has been supported by favourable pricing dynamics, with new vehicle inflation falling to 0.8%, while used vehicle prices remained in deflation at -1.3%.

Confidence Rises, But Caution Remains

Dealer sentiment also reflects the stronger demand environment. New vehicle dealer confidence increased to 67 in Q1 2026, its highest level in 13 years. However, the report cautions that increasing fuel costs, inflation risk, and rising operating expenses could create more challenging conditions in the quarters ahead.

Forward-looking consumer data remains constructive. TransUnion’s Consumer Pulse Survey found that consumers likely to purchase a vehicle in the next few months increased from 19% in Q4 2025 to 22% in Q1 2026. Short-term purchase intent is strongest amongst younger consumers, with 26% of Gen Z and 24% of Millennials indicating plans to buy.

A Gradual Shift in Powertrain Preferences

Powertrain preferences are also evolving. Internal combustion engine vehicles remain the most popular choice, preferred by 49% of consumers in Q1 2026. However, interest in hybrid electric vehicles has grown significantly to 39%, up from 30% in Q4 2025, making hybrids the leading electrified option. Interest in both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids also increased, with each reaching 26%.

“Hybrids are emerging as a practical transition pathway for South African consumers. They offer fuel savings and lower running costs without full dependence on charging infrastructure, which makes them relevant in a market where affordability and operating certainty remain critical,” said Hatea.

A Market Entering Its Next Phase

While domestic demand continues to support the industry, passenger vehicle exports remain under pressure amid trade uncertainty, geopolitical disruption, protectionism, and changing decarbonisation requirements.

“The South African automotive market is not reverting to its previous structure. The next phase will be defined by affordability, value, access to finance and how effectively industry players respond to evolving consumer behaviour,” said Hatea.

Read moreSouth Africa’s Vehicle Market Proves Resilient as Affordability Reshapes Demand

South Africa Had the Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Among African Countries Analysed

Location: Business
  • Among South Africans who said they lost money to digital fraud, one-third (33%) reported the losses were from third-party scams on legitimate ecommerce sites
  • The highest rate of suspected digital fraud in the consumer lifecycle from South Africa occurred at account login in 2025
  • Among sectors analysed, attempted transactions from South Africa with government departments were the most at risk of suspected digital fraud last year

South Africa had the highest rate of suspected digital fraud[1] among African countries analysed, with 3.0% of transactions involving consumers in South Africa being suspected of digital fraud during 2025 – slightly below the global average of 3.8%.

In 2025, the median reported fraud loss among South African consumers who said that they had lost funds to digital fraud (email, online, phone call and text messages) in the previous year, was R11,055 – the second highest in Africa, after Kenya, and well below the global median of R27,879.[2]

These are among the findings in the TransUnion H1 2026 Update: Top Fraud Trends report, which shows that South Africa’s digital fraud landscape has become more complex, with generative AI likely accelerating the scale and sophistication of criminal activity. This has enabled fraudsters to target both consumers and businesses with greater precision and speed.

South African consumers are increasingly facing co-ordinated, identity-driven and cross-channel attacks similar to those seen in mature digital economies. As a result, digital fraud has shifted deeper into the consumer journey: one third (33%) of South African consumers who said they lost money from digital fraud in the last year reported those losses stemmed from third-party seller scams on legitimate ecommerce platforms. This indicates that losses are not occurring because consumers transacted in a suspect or unsafe environment – but because fraudsters successfully embedded themselves into environments that appeared credible, familiar and trusted.

“This signals a market where criminals are exploiting established trust, active accounts and verified digital relationships, and is a clear break from global fraud patterns typically dominated by phishing and vishing – fraudulent phone calls or voice messages designed to deceive consumers into sharing sensitive information or sending money,” said Amritha Reddy, senior director of fraud product management TransUnion Africa. “In South Africa, fraudsters succeed where trust is already established, particularly inside mainstream digital platforms where consumers reasonably expect safety and legitimacy.”

“Criminals are weaponising both consumer trust and emerging technologies,” said Reddy. “As GenAI accelerates the sophistication and scale of criminal operations, the threat landscape is evolving faster than ever for consumers and businesses. Addressing this requires a new generation of identity centric defences that combine advanced analytics, adaptive authentication and multilayered digital fraud detection. Organisations must match fraudsters’ technological innovation to stay ahead of rapidly changing schemes.”

Chart 1: Most Prominent Cause of Fraud Loss

Percentage reporting losing money to these schemes among South Africans who said they lost funds from digital fraud in the last year.

Type of Fraud Percentage of Consumers Reporting Losing Money to Fraud Type Among Those Who Said They Lost Money to Fraud in the Last Year
Third-party seller scams on legitimate ecommerce sites

33%
Social engineering

26%
Account takeover

24%
Stolen credit card or fraudulent charges

24%
Money mule

23%
Identity theft

22%
Phishing (fraudulent emails, websites, social posts, QR codes, etc. meant to steal personal information)

21%
Smishing (fraudulent text messages meant to steal personal information)

19%
Vishing (fraudulent phone calls or voice messages meant to steal personal information)

16%
Unemployment benefits

15%

Source:  TransUnion consumer survey

Most Fraud Attempts Occur at Account Login

The suspected digital fraud rate for attempted transactions where the consumer was in South Africa declined from 4.3% in 2024 to 3.0% in 2025, a trend also observed globally. Nevertheless, this decrease does not necessarily indicate reduced criminal activity; rather, it may reflect a shift toward AI-enabled tactics designed to maximise return on investment.

South Africa is one of the few markets where the highest rate of suspected digital fraud attempts* happen at account login, with 3.0.% of account login attempts being flagged as potentially fraudulent, compared to 2.4% at account creation and 0.7% of financial transactions. This trend suggests that attackers are increasingly trying to compromise existing accounts, in contrast to other countries globally where new account creation is a key focus for fraudsters.

“This inversion tells a powerful story that criminals in South Africa are now targeting access using compromised credentials, SIM-swap-enabled entry and social engineering to take over existing accounts,” said Reddy. “This means that vendors and financial institutions need to expand their fraud prevention strategies beyond the new customer onboarding phase, continuing to implement verification throughout the consumer lifecycle – but without the unnecessary friction that will see genuine consumers seeking alternative sites.”

Findings from the survey also show that consumers most preferred top feature when choosing whom to transact with online is confidence that their personal data is secure, with 85% of respondents saying it was very important. This was followed by an easy payment process (80%) and ease of filling out forms or applications (72%).

“The fact that security is the top reported feature shows that consumers are willing to accept friction when completing digital transactions, provided it’s clearly linked to protection,” Reddy said. “As a result, security in South Africa is evolving beyond compliance and emerging as a key driver of brand trust and differentiation.”

Government Sector Most Affected by Digital Fraud Attempts

Suspected digital fraud attempts across Africa[3] in 2025 showed fraudsters focusing on very different industries depending on the country, reflecting local digital behaviours and opportunity points. Globally, the most vulnerable industry was video gaming, where 12.8% of transactions were suspected of digital fraud attempts. Across African countries analysed, gaming also recorded the highest suspected digital fraud rate, driven by Kenya, where 15.6% of gaming transactions were flagged – the highest rate observed for any industry in Africa.

In South Africa, the rate of suspected digital fraud where the consumer was in the country was the most prevalent among government transactions, at 12.5%, highlighting risks tied to public-sector digitalisation.

“Digitalisation has improved access to public services, but it has also created new risks for fraud,” said Reddy. “Fraudsters are leveraging official government branding and service-related messages to impersonate the state and deceive citizens.”

Chart 2: Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts in South Africa, by Sector

Industry

Suspected Digital Fraud Attempt Rate 2025

Change in volume of suspected digital fraud attempts from 2024 to 2025
Government

12.5%

+46%
Gaming (online sports betting, poker, etc.)

11.5%

+124%
Insurance

7.8%

+32%
Video gaming

5.5%

-29%
Financial services

5.3%

+16%
Communities (online dating, forums etc.)

3.7%

-42%
Logistics

1.9%

-98%
Retail

1.1%

-61%
Telecommunications

0.6%

-94%
Travel & leisure

0.1%

-78%

“South Africa has entered an advanced fraud phase where criminals exploit trust, operate across channels and target established digital relationships rather than weak entry points. Fraud is increasingly occurring inside legitimate marketplaces and impersonated public services, while risk remains consistently highest at login, as it has been on an annual basis.”

“As criminals increasingly weaponise new technologies to carry out sophisticated scams, it’s more important than ever for consumers to safeguard their personal information and to review their credit reports regularly,” said Reddy.

“For businesses, the call to action is clear: fraud strategies must extend beyond compliance and onboarding controls to actively protect trust across the entire digital journey. Organisations that invest in adaptive authentication, identity intelligence and visible security at moments of access will be best positioned to reduce fraud, preserve customer confidence and differentiate their brands in South Africa’s digital economy,” she added.

TransUnion came to its conclusions about digital fraud based on a global survey of 12,730 consumers in 18 countries and regions from Nov. 20–Dec. 9, 2025, and intelligence from its array of TransUnion fraud prevention solutions. To learn more about how TransUnion fraud prevention solutions can help businesses avoid fraud and prevent fraud losses, click here.

Specific country and regional data in the report includes South Africa, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia. Download the TransUnion H1 2026 Update to the Top Fraud Trends Report for more information and insights about the global fraud trends. 

[1] Suspected digital fraud attempts reflects those which TransUnion clients determined met one of the following conditions: 1) denial in real time due to fraudulent indicators, 2) denial in real time for corporate policy violations, 3) fraudulent upon client investigation, or 4) a corporate policy violation upon customer investigation. The country and regional analyses examined transactions in which the consumer or suspected fraudster was located in a select country or region when conducting a transaction. Global statistics represent every country worldwide and not just the select countries and regions.

[2] Exchange rate calculated at R16.69 to the US dollar as per the exchange rate for 29 December 2025.

[3] TransUnion analysed the suspected digital fraud rate in its global intelligence network for the African countries of Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia.

Read moreSouth Africa Had the Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Among African Countries Analysed

Cost-Of-Living Squeeze Deepens as SA Consumers Shift into Survival Mode

Location: Business

South African households are entering a more constrained financial period, as the modest momentum seen at the end of 2025 comes under pressure from rising living costs.

According to TransUnion’s latest insights, increases in fuel prices, renewed food inflation, and persistently higher borrowing costs are reshaping consumer sentiment, shifting from early signs of recovery in 2026, to a more defensive posture.

This comes as the South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) delivers its latest interest rate decision of a 25-basis points increase, against a backdrop of rising inflation, which increased to 4.0% in April from 3.1% in March, reflecting persistent price pressures across essential categories.

Incremental Increase Adds to Mounting Financial Pressure

Following the MPC’s decision to increase interest rates by 25 basis points, TransUnion notes that the move reinforces a financial environment where household momentum is already being challenged, and cost pressures are compounding.

“A 0.25% increase lands on households that are already under strain,” says Lee Naik, chief executive officer, TransUnion Africa. “This is not a new shock; it is an amplification of pressures that consumers are already managing. The combination of higher instalments and rising living costs accelerates the shift from cautious optimism to caution.”

Data from TransUnion’s Q4 2025 Industry Insights Report shows elevated delinquency across several credit products, while TransUnion’s Q1 2026 Consumer Pulse Study highlights increased reliance on credit and sustained reductions in spending.

“When fuel, food and borrowing costs rise together, the impact is not incremental; it is compounding. That is where we see the real pressure emerge, and where financial behaviour shifts decisively,” Naik adds.

Multiple Cost Pressures Converge

“The risk is not just higher rates; it is the combination of cost pressures hitting at once. The affordability challenge becomes immediate and more difficult to manage,” Naik adds.

TransUnion notes that the key issue is no longer the rate decision in isolation, reflecting the cumulative strain of overlapping cost pressures on household affordability.

“At the start of 2026, there was a sense that consumers were beginning to stabilise, with some early signs of recovery in repayment behaviour and financial resilience. That momentum is now being challenged,” says Naik.

“We are seeing a clear shift toward greater caution, as rising fuel and food costs begin to outweigh any incremental relief. The financial pressure facing households is no longer emerging, it is entrenched.”

Even ahead of the MPC outcome, the financial environment facing consumers has materially tightened. TransUnion’s Q1 2026 Consumer Pulse Study showed widespread behavioural adjustment, with households cutting discretionary spending, increasing reliance on credit, and drawing down savings buffers to manage rising living costs.

At the same time, household affordability is being eroded by cost escalation across essential categories. Household food basket data (PMBEJD April 2026) shows the average basket rising to R5,452.09, marking a clear re-acceleration in food inflation driven by fuel and logistics costs.

Credit performance data from TransUnion’s Q4 2025 Industry Insights Report  further reflects growing strain, particularly in non-bank lending segments where delinquency remains elevated, signalling deep financial vulnerability among consumers.

“Consumers are not reacting to a single shock. They are responding to a sustained financial pressure building over time,” adds Naik. “What we are seeing now is a structural shift in behaviour, where households are increasingly prioritising essentials, protecting debt commitments and managing risk more cautiously.”

Looking Ahead: A Structurally More Cautious Consumer Cycle

TransUnion’s outlook remains clear: South African consumers are entering a more cautious financial cycle, as the momentum of 2025 is increasingly challenged by sustained and broad-based cost pressures.

“The environment has shifted from short-term stress to structural pressure,” concludes Naik. “Consumers are no longer adjusting temporarily, they are recalibrating how they manage money, prioritise spending and engage with credit in a more constrained and uncertain environment.”

Read moreCost-Of-Living Squeeze Deepens as SA Consumers Shift into Survival Mode

Economic Growth Should Not Infringe on Cape Town Residents’ Right to Safety and Privacy

Location: News

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) yesterday (27 May 2026) called on the City of Cape Town Council to ensure that residents’ rights, particularly their right to peace and safety in their living areas, are protected and prioritised, while still allowing for economic growth. This follows residents and businessowners, primarily from the Bo-Kaap, expressing serious […]

The post Economic growth should not infringe on Cape Town residents’ right to safety and privacy appeared first on Freedom Front Plus.

Read moreEconomic Growth Should Not Infringe on Cape Town Residents’ Right to Safety and Privacy