August 2024

27 August 2024 – South Africa has remained one of three leading countries in the African export market, which reached $665.4 billion in 2022-2023 but was still below 3% of global exports, despite the ongoing challenges with the ports. South Africa has been struggling to meet its export potential for the past few years, as […]

Climate change, natural catastrophes, environmental risks, changes in legislation, and business interruption have been identified as the top five risks confronting the agriculture sector. 26 August 2024 – The Allianz Risk Barometer 2024 released, highlights the growing importance of addressing these risks to ensure business continuity and safeguard against potential disruptions, noting that addressing these

22 August 2024 – Popular sportswear retailer The Cross Trainer has entered the business rescue as South Africa’s poor economic performance and reduced consumer spending weigh on retailers. The family-owned and operated retailer first opened its doors in 1995 and has grown since then to a total of 67 stores with hundreds of employees. The

21 August 2024 – South Africa’s agriculture exports decreased by 0.1% year-on-year in the second quarter of the year to $3.37-billion. This followed a 6% year-on-year growth rate in the first quarter of the year. The decrease in the second quarter, relative to the second quarter of last year, reflects the moderation in the prices of

21 August 2024 – The declining trade surplus in South Africa, which has decreased from R20 billion to R14 billion in recent years, underscores several systemic challenges that the country faces. These challenges have their roots in a complex mix of logistical, infrastructural, production, and global market issues. The prolonged aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic

19 August 2024 – Hume International, one of the largest importers of frozen food-based commodities in South Africa, has said the glaring mismanagement and inconsistent trade policies were creating a disaster for South African businesses and consumers, following the blanket ban on poultry from the entire Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul due to

15 August 2024 – Southern African nations battling the fallout of a record El Niño-induced drought this year will need to import at least an additional 3 million tonnes of maize in the coming months, driving up food costs, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network said. Farmers from Angola to Zambia and Mozambique suffered the

14 October 2024  – South Africa has launched a formal dispute against the European Union at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over strict regulations imposed on South African citrus exports. The EU’s rules, aimed at preventing the spread of plant diseases, are deemed unnecessary and costly by South Africa. These measures have a significant impact

13 August 2024 – South Africa must develop industrial policies that build the international competitiveness of its export industries, including by enabling small businesses that could be exporting much more, particularly to neighbouring countries and particularly in services exports, says business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso. A study of South Africa’s international trade performance, by development finance institution the World Bank, found that this has been lagging the

8 August 2024 – The liner trade is undergoing a significant transformation in its service deployments, shifting away from a China-dominated model to focus on emerging markets such as South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Latin America, says Dimerco. According to the Taiwanese freight forwarder, this strategic pivot is largely driven by escalating geopolitical