News in South Africa 20th February: 1. Rand weakens: The rand has weakened with the market worried about South Africa’s marked fiscal slippage. In the 2023 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MBTPS), gross debt was projected to peak at 77.7% of GDP in 2025/26, far higher than February 2023’s Budget estimate of 73.6%. Investec Chief Economist […]
News in South Africa 16th February: 1. Bad news for taxpayers: The Finance Minister will likely announce an increase in tax rates in the Budget Speech later this month as the government’s revenue collections continue to disappoint, leaving a gap of R15 billion to be filled. This is feedback from financial services firm PwC, which […]
News in South Africa 13th February: 1. SA’s biggest risks: The biggest risks to South Africa’s 2024 economic outlook may come from insufficient power supply, strains on debt sustainability and the erosion of state legitimacy ahead of elections, according to Allianz. The global financial services giant estimates that South Africa’s economy will expand by 1.4% […]
News in South Africa 14th November: 1. SARS needs funds: The South African Revenue Service (SARS) will soon run out of ways to collect more taxes as tax hikes are not an option, and the factors limiting the country’s tax revenue are outside the service’s control. This is feedback from Deloitte Africa’s tax controversy leader, […]
News in South Africa 23rd June: 1. Renewables put on hold: As South Africa ramps up its roll-out of renewable energy, it is now confronting the same challenge faced by countries across the globe. Depleted grid capacity in resource-rich areas is making it increasingly difficult to connect new renewable energy projects to the grid, particularly […]
News in South Africa 9th January: 1. New goals for government: ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said load shedding, crime, and corruption were harming the party’s public standing and should be tackled head-on in its 2023 priorities. Ramaphosa was speaking at the party’s January 8 birthday celebrations in Bloemfontein, the Free State, on Sunday. The speech […]
News in South Africa 6th January: 1. Rand weakens over red flags: The South African rand has weakened alongside other emerging market currencies as the dollar rebounded this week. On Thursday (5 January), the rand weakened in early trade as investors awaited the monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI) survey by S&P Global to find clues […]
News in South Africa 18th October: 1. Load shedding back at stage 4: Power utility Eskom has pushed load shedding to stage 4 in the early hours of Tuesday morning (18 October) following more breakdowns at its power stations. Stage 4 will stay in place until further notice, it said. The move was necessary due […]
News in South Africa 23rd September: 1. Load shedding threatens food supply: Agri SA says it has requested an urgent meeting with Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter to discuss the outlook for load shedding in the country, ahead of the summer crop planting season. The federation of agricultural organisations says it fears the current state […]
News in South Africa 16th September: 1. Eskom wants 32% hike: Eskom plans to apply for a 32% tariff increase from 1 April 2023/24, it announced on Thursday. The large increase is another attempt by Eskom to persuade the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to grant it tariffs that are reflective of its costs. […]
