26 June 2026 – A 50% import tariff on apples entering India is putting pressure on the competitiveness of South African exports, particularly as competing suppliers secure reduced tariffs through trade agreements. The warning comes from fruit exporter Tru-Cape, which says securing preferential access to the Indian market has become increasingly important, despite South African […]

25 June 2026 – As the Middle East moves towards a fragile lull in hostilities, the economic shock caused by the conflict – supply chains perturbation, inflation… – is already spreading to the global economy. Against this backdrop, Coface has carried out 8 country downgrades and 45 sector rating changes (41 downgrades, compared with just

24 June 2026 – South Africa’s inflation outlook may improve in the coming months as easing oil prices filter through to lower fuel costs, but a developing super El Niño weather phenomenon poses a far greater threat to consumers and could push inflation into double digits next year. This is according to Investec chief economist

22 June 2026 – Transnet Port Terminal (TPT) has marked a significant milestone in South Africa’s agricultural export sector, with the Maydon Wharf Agribulk Terminal in Durban handling its first maize export vessel since December 2023. The terminal is currently loading 40,000 tons of maize onto the MV Chang Hang Hong Hai, which is destined for Vietnam,

18 June 2026 – Small, targeted interventions at the Port of Cape Town could significantly reshape the Cape’s position in global shipping, particularly as shifting trade routes drive more vessels around Africa’s southern tip. According to Brian Ingpen, the Port of Cape Town has seen a marked increase in passing vessels as geopolitical tensions in

17 June 2026 – The evolving conflict in the Middle East has become the dominant force shaping global economic prospects, prompting an energy shock that is driving inflationary pressures and is projected to have adverse impacts on growth, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook. Due to the uncertainty around the evolution of the conflict, the

12 June 2026 – South Africa posted its largest current-account surplus in four years in the first quarter as the value of gold exports surged and imports dropped. The balance on the current account — the broadest measure of trade in goods and services — widened to a surplus of 2.4% of gross domestic product,

10 June 2026 – South Africa is mounting a formal challenge to a new U.S. tariff proposal that could further strain trade ties between Africa’s most industrialized economy and one of its most important export markets. The move comes months after President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a 30% tariff on South African imports, a measure

8 June 2026 – Credit rating agency Fitch on Friday upgraded South Africa’s long-term sovereign rating by one notch to ‘BB’ from ‘BB-‘, citing prudent fiscal management despite weak growth and economic shocks. Fitch said in a statement that it saw South Africa’s debt to gross domestic product (GDP) levels well below those anticipated when it downgraded the

4 June 2026 – South African business confidence fell sharply in the second quarter of 2026 as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, rising fuel prices and growing expectations of higher interest rates dampened sentiment across most sectors of the economy. The latest RMB/Bureau for Economic Research (BER) Business Confidence Index, released on Tuesday, showed