The LNG shock was underestimated. The foreign exchange and inflation feedback loop has proved more challenging than anticipated
A country that exports minerals but imports industrial dependence is not sovereign in any deep sense. A country that sits on energy resources but cannot convert them into stable power, strategic reserves, industrial feedstock, jobs and technological upgrading is not sovereign in any deep sense
The South African government has navigated this period remarkably well. It has not capitulated to any of the stronger blocs, whilst retaining its dignity and independent views
The message is unmistakable: allies must contribute to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran or face consequences for the partnership itself. Yet, as the conflict enters its fourth week, Trump appears increasingly comfortable with a go-it-alone strategy.
As wars disrupt fuel supplies and health systems, more women are being forced to give birth without timely access to skilled care
The senseless US-Israel war has caused economic tremors around the world and sucked all of us into an unprecedented crisis characterised by soaring oil prices, the wanton destruction of infrastructure, the killing of innocent people, a humanitarian crisis and uncertainty
Petrol will rise by R3.06 a litre and diesel by up to R7.51/litre but a temporary R3/litre fuel levy relief will be in effect until 5 May
Donald Trump is not Harry Truman, 2026 is not 1945 and Iran is emphatically not Japan
The department of mineral and petroleum resources has encouraged members of the public to continue purchasing fuel as usual and to rely on government communication for accurate and verified information
It is easier to start wars than to end them
Attacks on South Pars and Qatar LNG facilities have extended the battlefield into systems that underpin global oil supply
An interconnected world has rendered us interdependent but also vulnerable to shock across economic geographies, forcing distinct national responses
Iranian retaliation and Israeli air strikes are spreading across Gulf states and Lebanon, rattling energy markets and exposing deep divisions at the United Nations
Sub-Saharan Africa’s reliance on imported oil leaves countries exposed to economic shocks amid the escalating Middle East conflict. Rising crude and LNG prices threaten import bills, inflation and currency stability, particularly in nations with low reserves
With oil prices climbing to $120 a barrel and the Strait of Hormuz shut, analysts say the G7 missed a critical opportunity to push for peace in the escalating US-Israel-Iran conflict
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans in Israel to cross the land border into Jordan — one of the few remaining safe exit routes
As Iranian conflict rattles oil markets and raises economic risks for South Africa, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is building a scenario plan to assess the implications for the country
Ambassador Mansour Shakib Mehr said Tehran’s actions ‘are directed at military bases used against us’
Qatar is one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas and a suspension of output removes roughly 20% of global trade by volume from immediate supply
The United Nations Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state, the only recognised exception being self-defence in response to an armed attack
Iran is testing missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, underlining threats to close the vital oil-transit waterway as the West prepares more sanctions.
Iran has test-fired a new long-range missile during naval exercises, after threatening to halt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran and the representative of six world powers talked by telephone on Monday over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
Iran’s army chief warned on Saturday that the Islamic republic would shut the Strait of Hormuz if its interests were threatened.