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Broad-based BEE at a crossroad: Time for reform, with a focus on the youth

South Africa's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy is under intense debate. While it has fostered a black middle class and diversified boardrooms, 70% of…

Chery launches Rosslyn manufacturing plant and commits to South Africa

Chery has officially opened its manufacturing facility in Rosslyn, Pretoria, transitioning from an importer to a local manufacturer in South Africa. This follows the acquisition…

Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Learning from Chinese socialism

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a landmark address marking the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). A South African expert lauded the CPC's…

The South African Reserve Bank Museum opens its vaults to history, memory and the public

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has opened its new Head Office Campus and Museum in Pretoria, transforming a traditionally imposing institution into a vibrant space for…

Grant: With youth unemployment so high, the informal and gig economy is realistically the primary absorber of young workers for the foreseeable future. Photo: Sassa

Grants, hustles and debt – the patchwork economy keeping millions afloat

South Africa's economy has seen little growth in over a decade, with official unemployment at 33% and a real figure closer to 43%. Discover how citizens, particularly the youth,…

We must question who benefits from black people turning against one another

Makashule Gana of RISE Mzansi questions the systemic failures in South Africa's immigration system, highlighting the ease of illegal entry versus the difficulty of legal…

One kilogram gold bars.

Malawi’s gold reserve strategy reversed amid forex difficulties

The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) sold approximately 590kg of artisanal gold in 2026 to secure funds for fuel imports, despite previous commitments to retain it as a strategic…

Roadblock: Cheap sugar imports, mainly from India, Guatemala, Brazil and Thailand, are killing the struggling industry. Photo: Delwyn Versamy

R1.5bn lost to cheap sugar imports

South Africa's sugar industry has lost an estimated R1.5 billion due to a surge in cheap sugar imports, primarily from India, Guatemala, Brazil, and Thailand. Despite a recent…

Tanzania is paying its own way and investors are taking note

Tanzania unveils its most ambitious budget yet, a record $23.8 billion spending plan for 2026-27, largely financed by domestic sources. This move signals a strategic shift…

Epicentre of the crisis: About 10 000 Malawian nationals facing xenophobia elected to be repatriated and gathered at a migration transit camp in Sherwood, Durban since last Sunday. Photos: Lyse Comins

South Africa cannot deport its way out of regional crisis

South Africa is hurtling towards a precipice pushed by a toxic mix of economic despair, populist political posturing and systemic state failure that threatens to ignite…

Subject of discussion: Ghana MPs call for continental action against xenophobic violence in South Africa. Photo: Parliament of Ghana

Tension at home; citizens quizzed

Growing criticism across Africa questions South Africa's handling of migration, with countries like the Republic of Congo and Malawi initiating repatriation. The backlash is…

The collapse of THL would have spelt disaster for the KZN economy and many other rural towns who rely on the sugar sector for survival.

Business rescue practitioners and key stakeholders strike deal to save Tongaat Hulett

KwaZulu-Natal sugar giant Tongaat Hulett Ltd (THL) has been saved from liquidation after a binding agreement was reached between Business Rescue Practitioners, the Industrial…

Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema

The case for and against Zambian president’s second presidential term

Zambia heads to the polls on 13 August 2026, with President Hakainde Hichilema seeking re-election among 14 contenders. Analysts and ordinary Zambians are weighing whether his…

Elon Musk. (File photo)

The trillion-dollar man: Musk’s wealth milestone raises questions about inequality

Elon Musk's recent achievement of crossing the $1 trillion mark after SpaceX's stock market debut has not only rewritten financial history but also starkly highlighted the scale…

Graphic by John McCann

South Africa is failing the generation it claims to celebrate

While South Africa commemorates the youth of 1976 every June, millions of young people today face a stark reality of unemployment and economic exclusion. This article explores…

Academic agenda: University of Cape Town students express their views about fees. File Photo

RESET@50: Youth cannot build a future they are excluded from

Fifty years after the 1976 Soweto Uprising, South Africa's "born-free" generation faces high unemployment and limited access to opportunities. This Youth Month, the call for a…

Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago announced on Thursday that the monetary policy committee had increased the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7%, effective from 29 May.

Reserve Bank hikes interest rate for first time since 2023 as oil shock, inflation risks mount

South African Reserve Bank raises interest rate to 7%, warning that oil shocks, food inflation and global instability could drive prices higher

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a keynote address at the 2026 Freedom Day National Commemoration held at Dr Rantlai Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, Free State Province, marking the 32nd anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections held on 27 April 1994. (GCIS)

Ramaphosa calls for ‘real change’ as SA marks 32 years of democracy

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s democracy must be measured by its ability to deliver real, material improvements in people’s lives

In need of work opportunities: Job seekers gathered outside a store in Tswelopele, Tembisa, to apply for
employment. Photo: Twitter / X

SA marks 32 years of democracy amid deep inequality and joblessness

South Africa’s 32nd Freedom Day highlights both democratic gains and ongoing struggles with inequality, unemployment and poverty

Crystal Huntley, Nedbank Economist

The future of the forecourt is not fuel-led – diversify or decline: Nedbank

South Africa’s forecourt sector is facing pressure as declining fuel demand, rising costs, and intensifying competition reshape the industry. Insights from the latest Forecourt…