December 2023

29 December 2023 – South Africa’s economic outlook in 2024 will be shaped by global economic trends, geopolitical developments, domestic infrastructural challenges, effective implementation of reform commitments by government, and the pending elections in this country. Indeed, elections all over the world in 2024 will put the spotlight on the global state of democracy, including in South Africa. There will be […]

27 December 2023 – There’s been a significant shift in South Africa’s trade balance in the year-to-date preliminary numbers, with the trade surplus taking a hit when compared to the same period in 2022. Figures reveal a trade balance surplus of R32.0 billion for the period from January 1 to August 31, 2023, marking a

21 December 2023 – Paul Matthew, AMIE CEO, said in a statement: “To address the poultry shortages caused by the bird flu outbreak, the local poultry industry has imported 83 million fertilised eggs. Given the fact that they have been imported on an urgent basis, they are coming in at three times the price of a locally

20 December 2023 – South Africa’s agricultural exports amounted to US$3.9 billion in the third quarter of this year, up by 4% y/y (according to data from Trade Map). This quarter, the products that dominated the export list were citrus, maize, apples and pears, nuts, wine, soybeans, sugar, and fruit juices. This solid export activity

19 December 2023 – South Africa recorded reduced foreign direct investment inflows of 26 billion rand ($1.40 billion) in the third quarter of 2023, from 53.8 billion rand in the second quarter, central bank data showed on Thursday. The South African Reserve Bank said in its Quarterly Bulletin that the inflows were due to non-resident

18 December 2023 – Data from Stats SA shows that 144 businesses closed their doors in November, pushing the total to over 1,500 companies that have shut their doors in 2023 so far. According to Stats SA, 131 businesses closed down voluntarily, while 13 did so on a compulsory basis. This means that 1,520 businesses

13 December 2023 – The Freight Logistics Roadmap – aimed at addressing the serious challenges in that industry – has been approved for publication by Cabinet. The roadmap also sets out to reform the logistics system in the long run. Over the past few weeks, Transnet – South Africa’s government owned freight rail, ports and

12 December 2023 – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), in its December 2023 ‘Global Trade Update’, says global trade in goods will decline by about $2-trillion this year, but trade in services is set to expand by $500-billion. Trade growth remained subdued in the fourth quarter, indicating persisting challenges. The outlook for 2024

11 December 2023 – Botswana announced on Monday, December 5, 2023 that it would extend and expand restrictions on imports of some fresh produce from South Africa as it tries to become self-sufficient in food and cut its import bill. Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the import ban had slashed the country’s fresh-produce import bill

08 December 2023 – South Africa’s turbulent economic climate has increased the exposure of local businesses to a number of significant risks. Among these are risks related specifically to fraud. The two most common of these risks involve fraudulent activities or theft committed by employees, and the significant threat of cybercrime. Protecting a business from