News in South Africa 7th September: 1. Worst areas for crime in SA: Although crime ticked downward in South Africa in the first quarter of 2023, the numbers still remain alarmingly high, with several neighbourhoods highlighted as being more dangerous than others. The latest South African Polic Service (SAPS) crime stats from April to June […]
News in South Africa 31st August: 1. Rand falls after record budget deficit: The rand dropped, underperforming most emerging-market peers, and yields on South African local-currency bonds rose after data showed the government ran a record budget deficit in July. The rand weakened as much as 0.8% against the dollar after National Treasury figures showed […]
News in South Africa 29th August: 1. Over 900 businesses closed in 2023: Data from Stats SA shows that 140 businesses in South Africa were liquidated in July. According to Stats SA, the 127 businesses closed down voluntarily, while 13 did so on a compulsory basis. This takes the total number of liquidations in South […]
News in South Africa 16th August: 1. Unemployment concerns: Despite a slight drop in the unemployment rate economists still believe that far too many people in South Africa remain unemployed. On Tuesday, Statistics South Africa released the second Quarter Labour Force Survey for the period starting from 1 April to the end of June 2023. […]
News in South Africa 15th August: 1. SA likely to keep AGOA status: South Africa will likely keep its preferential access to US markets because hundreds of American firms are also benefitting, according to the nation’s ambassador to BRICS. “I don’t think there is any serious threat of us losing preferential access to AGOA. AGOA […]
News in South Africa 25th July: 1. Rand makes a comeback: The rand is looking set for a tough week ahead, with US rate hikes likely to weaken the local currency. The rand has been one of the worst-performing major currencies in the world and reached a record high of nearly $20.00/$ in May. The […]
News in South Africa 19th May: 1. Price of water has tripled in the past decade: While most of the attention has been on the skyrocketing cost of electricity, especially as load shedding has become a near-permanent feature of daily life, the price households are paying for water has increased by significantly more in the […]
News in South Africa 24th April: 1. Eskom warning from IMF: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that South Africa’s electricity crisis poses a significant threat to the country’s fiscal health. It also said Eskom must reduce its reliance on government funding. This was said at the IMF’s Spring Meetings with the World Bank […]
News in South Africa 5th April: 1. Eskom testing new plan to cut power demand: Embattled power utility Eskom says it is piloting a national demand response programme in the small commercial and residential sectors in response to the electricity crisis facing South Africa. The programme is an expansion of the successful industrial Demand Response Programme, which […]
News in South Africa 10th March: 1. Infrastructure collapsing under R79bn debt: By the end of December 2022, the total debt owed by around 100 municipalities to Eskom totalled R56.3 billion. Just 15 months prior, at the end of September 2021, total municipal debt to Eskom was R40.9 billion. That’s an increase of nearly 40% […]
