January 2026

29 January 2026 – Market appetite of roughly R42 billion for Transnet’s gross debt burden of about R138bn bodes well for South Africa’s port and rail freight network in 2026, the most recent Cargo Movement Update (CMU) says. Compilers of the update, the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) and Business Unity SA (Busa), […]

28 January 2026 – South Africa’s wine exports reached 264-million litres this year (the sector’s export versus domestic sales is 40:60) generating R9.8-billion in export value, a 2.4% year-on-year decline and a 13.8% contraction in volumes. Year-on-year, packaged wine volumes declined by 4.6%, but export value held steady. Bulk wine exports faced lower demand, owing to a combination of global oversupply, softer

27 January 2026 – In 2026, business insolvencies are expected to rise slightly again, against a backdrop of gradually easing financing costs. Behind this apparent stabilisation lies a still high level of fragility, particularly in the construction, chemical and textile industries. A rise of just 25 basis points in interest rates on business loans would

26 January 2026: In 2025, container growth forecast to achieve 4% growth with the momentum having slowed down in Q4. Suez return is looming which is set to release significant fleet capacity, but initial disruption and congestion is expected for multiple months, while carriers work out a strategy to limit capacity via slow steaming and

23 January 2026 – Since its inception, the EPA has enabled South African exporters to save tariffs on R50 billion worth of goods shipped to the UK in 2024 alone, supporting jobs, export-led activity, and trade ties. A seminar in Cape Town, hosted by the British High Commission in Pretoria in collaboration with the Department

22 January 2025 – IN a media statement issued last week, SA Canegrowers called on the government to urgently scrap the sugar tax in light of a surge in imported sugar that is increasingly displacing locally produced sugar and threatening the survival of the South African sugar industry. The local sugar industry supports more than

21 January 2026 – South Africa’s exports to the US jumped 37% over the first ten months of 2025 despite facing steep tariffs and fresh trade barriers from Washington, data from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) show. An analysis by Finance in Africa revealed that US-bound exports grew from R12.4 billion ($674 million) in January to

20 January 2026 – Container throughput, bulk cargo and vehicle exports from South Africa’s ports all increased in 2025 by relatively significant margins if past performance metrics for the country’s ocean freight network are taken into account. This is especially the case for vehicle exports. The first Cargo Movement Update (CMU) for 2026 shows 4

19 January 2026 – As Belt and Road Initiative projects gather pace across Africa — upgrading transport networks, strengthening energy systems and expanding digital connectivity — the scope of China-Africa cooperation is broadening beyond infrastructure. Complementing these advances, China has extended zero-tariff access to imports from all 53 African countries with which China has diplomatic

16 January 2026 – With food inflation still elevated and discretionary spending under pressure, the question is no longer whether Fairtrade products are affordable luxuries but whether South Africa can afford supply chains that fail the people who sustain them. Where Fairtrade began, and why it matters to farmers The Fairtrade movement emerged in the