News

Last week we were pleased to host Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Velenkosini Hlabisa to address our council on progress with local government reform. The minister was refreshingly direct – local government reform is economic reform. Dysfunctional municipalities are a binding constraint on investment and job creation, while functional ones are engines …

Used car buyers in South Africa tend to prioritise budget options and value-for-money offerings over most other metrics, factors that can lead them towards considering well-priced Chinese models. This is one of the fastest expanding, and also rapidly shifting segments in the country, where brands compete with one another for market share through highly-equipped models …

Embattled KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Social Development Mbali Shinga has been thrown a lifeline after the National Freedom Party (NFP) made a dramatic U-turn on her expulsion from the party. The NFP’s national executive committee resolved last week to expel Shinga after she refused to support a motion of no confidence against KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli …

The South African government has extended and expanded its temporary fuel levy relief measures in an effort to shield households and businesses from continued fuel price pressures driven by the ongoing Middle East conflict. In a joint announcement, the National Treasury and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources confirmed that the temporary reduction in …

South Africa’s motorists can breathe a sigh of relief as the temporary reduction in the general fuel levy (GFL) has been extended for the coming months. The relief has been in place since 31 March, when the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources jointly announced a temporary R3 reduction in …

A reformed, effective public service, is a minimum condition for South Africa to achieve the accelerated levels of economic growth which are necessary to start dealing with the country’s societal problems. This is the message from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in a new report – In Service of the Public: Reforming South Africa’s …

The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Health, National Priority Programmes, and the Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub (DIH), has developed South Africa’s first National Diabetes (HbA1c) Dashboard — a major step forward in tackling one of the country’s leading causes of death.  The NHLS on Tuesday said the dashboard, …

South African consumers are spending again – but not in the way a recovery might typically suggest. New data from the SpendTrend26 report, released by Discovery Bank and Visa, shows that consumer spending grew 0.8 percentage points above inflation in 2025, marking the first real expansion in several years. But the more important shift is …

South Africa’s largest airline, FlySafair, has announced that it has reduced the temporary fuel surcharge imposed on flyers for the second consecutive week. The surcharges, which were introduced to protect FlySafair’s long-term stability and low-fare offerings, have been reviewed and adjusted weekly, in line with fluctuating jet fuel prices. At the time these were implemented, …

Foreign trawlers compete with South African fishing, often illegally. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks A Chinese fishing company was fined R400,000 last month when four of its trawlers violated their conditions of passage through South African waters. But the vessels seem to have committed several other offences, including apparently fishing for days in Algoa Bay before …

Staff Writer  ·28 Apr 2026 The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has laid out its goals for the year, including the national rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, starting in two months’ time. The RTIA’s annual performance plan for 2026/27 has set the target of rolling out AARTO nationally by …

Wednesday, 29 April, 2026 SASA The hunt for the next star of the South African wine scene is officially on. The South African Sommeliers Association (SASA) is thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the Best Young Sommelier of South Africa 2026 competition. While we are excited to host the finals in Gauteng for the …

Iran has extended an offer to supply crude oil to South Africa, a proposal communicated to South African authorities in the department of mineral resources & energy in April, according to people familiar with the matter. Pretoria has given no indication it intends to accept, with mineral & petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe declining to …

Staff Writer  ·28 Apr 2026 As South Africa heads to the end of the month, fuel prices are showing steep under-recoveries, with petrol users on the line for a R2 per litre hike. The latest data from the Central Energy Fund, showing month-end projections, points to an under-recovery of between R1.77 and R2.09 per litre …

Malcolm Libera  ·28 Apr 2026 Taxpayers have been warned that the National Treasury’s newly proposed procurement regulations will drive up costs, reduce competition, and ultimately lead to a higher tax burden. This month, the National Treasury has published the draft General Public Procurement Regulations for public comment. The policy in its current form could lead …

Staff Writer  ·28 Apr 2026 National Treasury and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources have announced that the fuel tax relief will be extended, with additional relief for diesel. This follows the R3.00 per litre relief announced in March, which provided limited short-term relief to households from rising fuel prices following the Middle East …