11 September 2026 – A fresh wave of climate shocks, geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions is pushing the global food system into another period of supply anxiety, with international food prices rising to their highest level since late 2022 and raising fresh concerns for food-importing economies. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Food […]

8 September 2026 – The US has extended the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) until the end of 2028, giving South African exporters more certainty about access to the US market. The extension follows months of uncertainty over the future of the trade programme, which allows eligible African countries to export certain products to

7 September 2026 – The publication of the Block Exemption for Promotion of Exports enabling South African exporters to collaborate in pursuing international markets will not benefit them unless they make full use of the regulation. This is according to the Mr Kwanele Mkhwanazi, the Director: Export Development and Support at the Department of Trade,

4 September 2026 – The US trade deficit widened sharply in July to the largest since early 2025, reflecting a surge in imports of computers and other technology equipment. The gap in goods and services trade grew 24.4% from the prior month to $88.6 billion, according to the Trump administration. The rapid rate of technology imports reflects

2 September 2026 – South Africa recorded a preliminary trade balance surplus of R20.1 billion in July 2026, driven by trade with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN), according to the South African Revenue Service (SARS). In a statement on Monday, SARS said the surplus was the result of exports worth R194.0 billion and imports

31 August 2026 – South Africa will raise the benchmark price that’s used to calculate duties on sugar imports, a move long-sought by domestic producers like Associated British Foods Plc’s local unit in an industry that’s been battered by cheap foreign competition, according to people familiar with the matter. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana signed off

27 August 2026 – 1,601 businesses have been liquidated in South Africa in 2026, but the total number of liquidations is down year-on-year. According to Stats SA’s latest data, the total number of liquidations decreased by 23.2% from 311 in July 2025 to 239 in July 2026. Liquidations of companies decreased by 44 cases, while

26 August 2026 – South Africa and the European Union (EU) are true trade partners, with the greatest parity between exports and imports of all SA’s trading partners. South Africa is the EU’s biggest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, with €46 billion (R880bn) of total trade in goods in 2025, according to European Commission figures.

25 August 2026 – South Africa could regain its investment-grade credit rating by 2028, according to Investec, which would mark a significant turnaround after more than a decade of being rated below investment grade. Investec’s South African Asset Allocation Committee says there is a reasonable chance of the country returning to investment-grade status in 2028,

24 August 2026 – The seasonally adjusted volume of world merchandise trade grew 1.9% in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter and 3.2% compared to the same quarter in the previous year according to recent WTO/UNCTAD data (downloadable from stats.wto.org). In value terms, world merchandise trade was up 2% quarter-on-quarter and 11% year-on-year in