Ronald

14 January 2025 – As President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration approaches, there are increasing concerns about South Africa’s continued benefits with regard to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). The trade deal was put in place to provide preferential access to the US market for qualifying African countries. An important consideration for South […]

13 January 2025 – After facing numerous setbacks in 2024, the South African agricultural sector is expected to experience a period of recovery in 2025. This is according to Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz). This optimistic outlook is driven by favourable weather conditions, progress in disease control,

8 January 2025 – The Southern African Development Community has instructed its security committee to explore measures to protect regional trade routes and energy corridors that have been disrupted by the unrest in Mozambique. The protests that flared up after the disputed October elections have led to hundreds of deaths and disrupted vital trade routes

6 January 2025 – South Africa’s private sector activity contracted in December for the first time since August, as muted demand and rising inflationary pressures weighed on growth, a survey showed. The S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 49.9 in December from 50.9 in November, slipping below the 50.0 threshold that

19 December 2024 – South Africa has shut down 1,041 mom-and-pop stores in a bid to stop people from consuming pesticide-laden food, which has led to the deaths of 38 children across the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government also extended a deadline to register the stores, known as spaza shops, to 28 February 2025 in

17 December 2024 – There has been a sharp rise in trade-restrictive measures by World Trade Organization members between mid-October 2023 and mid-October 2024 compared to the last Trade Monitoring Report in November 2023. That’s according to the annual overview of global trade developments released by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a December 11 meeting

11 December 2024 – As 2025 approaches, businesses face a unique mix of opportunities and challenges. While global growth is expected to maintain a steady pace – around 2.8% annually until 2026 – there are still important regional and economic nuances that companies will need to consider in their strategic plans. Here are five key

9 December 2024 – Disruption continues to be the primary demand driver in the container market. According to Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst for Bimco, the rerouting of ships via the Cape has had a substantial impact on ship demand, which is projected to grow three times faster than cargo volumes in 2024. “However, we

4 December 2024 – South Africa recorded a preliminary trade balance surplus of R14.6 billion in October 2024. This surplus was attributable to exports of R179.6 billion and imports of R165.0 billion, inclusive of trade with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN). The year-to-date (01 January to 31 October 2024) preliminary trade balance surplus of

2 December 2024 – President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South African companies to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade initiatives. The President said this while delivering his annual address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, in Cape Town, on Thursday. On Sunday, the 1st of December, South Africa will officially