May 2024

8 May 2024 – South Africa’s manufacturing activity rebounded in April on the back of a full month of no load-shedding and possibly due to an improvement in port congestion. According to the Bureau for Economic Research’s Weekly Review, the seasonally adjusted Absa Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) surged to 54 in April, up from […]

7 May 2024 – The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) has said that while BRICS+ remained a political grouping with no formal trade structure, the bilateral agreements between the BRICS+ countries for increasing trade were encouraging. Agbiz chief economist Wandile Sihlobo yesterday said that South Africa would continue prioritising the widening of agricultural exports in this

6 May 2024 – The ongoing crisis in the Red Sea is having a varied impact on bunker volume sales around the world. According to the International Bunkering Industry Association (Ibia), Africa’s eastern coast is emerging as a new hub for bunkering services. With nearly all container lines now actively avoiding sailings through the Suez

03 May 2024 – University of KwaZulu-Natal’s agricultural expert has warned that much of the Southern African countries would have to import food as South Africa was looking at a 20% reduction in maize yields while the region had suffered on average 50% losses of the staple food crops. Professor Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi from UKZN’s School

South Africa recorded a preliminary trade balance surplus of R7.3 billion in March 2024. This surplus was attributable to exports of R164.1 billion and imports of R156.8 billion, inclusive of trade with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN). The year-to-date (01 January to 31 March 2024) preliminary trade balance surplus of R10.8 billion was an