Cape Times 2025-12-18

Although all eyes are now on a ruling in which the US Supreme Court heard arguments over whether to overturn US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, SMEs have already felt severe pain. US media indicate that judges are now debating their decision, having wrapped up arguments last Monday. This will likely be scant relief for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, given that they lost two-thirds of Black Friday demand as US tariffs hit hard, a new report shows. Over the past few weeks, several major companies – including Costco, Revlon, Bumble Bee Foods, and the producer of Ray-Ban – have joined small businesses in petitioning the US Court of International Trade to secure refunds if the Supreme Court overturns Trump’s tariffs. However, website Politico reported that companies…

Tongaat Hulett's business rescue practitioners won’t be able to avoid paying sugar levies after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that these payments are a legal requirement. The sugar producer and its property arm voluntarily entered business rescue at the end of 2022, after the board found the companies in financial distress due to a working capital shortfall of around R1.5 billion. Since then, the implementation of the rescue plan has faced several challenges, including missed funding deadlines. Each month, the business rescue practitioners repeat that they believe the company can still be rescued. They say they continue to advance the Amended Business Rescue Plan, which was approved by the required majority of creditors at the end of January 2024. As part of the process, the practitioners tried to pause…

Tsebo Solutions Group has acquired Flick Pest Control for an undisclosed sum as part of its strategy to build a fully integrated, compliance-driven national service platform. The acquisition strengthens Tsebo’s Cleaning, Hygiene and Pest Control division and significantly expands its capacity to deliver pest management solutions across both commercial and domestic markets. It comes at a time when organisations face increasing regulatory and public scrutiny around hygiene standards, food safety and environmental compliance. As part of the transaction, the workplace management provider has acquired Flick’s established brand portfolio, including Pestmaster KwaZulu-Natal, Fumigation and Marine Services (FMS), and Contractokil Environmental Services in the Western Cape. Flick’s expertise spans a wide range of pest risks, including rodents, termites, cockroaches, flies, bed bugs and birds. The addition of FMS’s fumigation capabilities further strengthens…

JSE-listed miner fails to secure a new power supply deal with the country’s electricity provider Eskom could yet step in to save South32’s Mozal Aluminium smelter in Mozambique from being mothballed, after the JSE-listed miner failed to secure a new power supply agreement with the country’s electricity provider. South32, which also has manganese and aluminium assets in South Africa, controls 63.7% of Mozal Aluminium. The Mozambican operation is of significant interest for South Africa as the Industrial Development Corporation controls 32.4% of the entity while Maputo holds the remaining 3.9%. On Wednesday, South32 said that although it had continued to engage with the Mozambican government, power supplier Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) and Eskom to seek sufficient and affordable electricity supply for Mozal beyond March 2026, it had not managed…

Annual consumer price inflation (CPI) eased slightly to 3.5% in November, down from 3.6% in October, reinforcing expectations that inflation is moving closer to the South African Reserve Bank’s (Sarb) new 3% target and increasing the likelihood of interest rate cuts next year. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) released the latest data on Wednesday, showing that price pressures continue to moderate, supported by lower fuel prices and a stronger rand. Nicolaas van der Wath, senior economist at the Bureau for Economic Research (BER), said the decline was encouraging. “The 0.1% month-on-month drop is also good news, and inflation is heading in the right direction towards the 3% target announced by the Sarb. We have seen petrol prices remain relatively lower, which has contributed to the drop in inflation,” he said.…

US President Donald Trump has issued a sweeping new proclamation expanding and tightening restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals from dozens of countries, arguing that persistent failures in screening, vetting and information-sharing pose unacceptable risks to national security and public safety. The proclamation, signed on Tuesday and set to take effect on January 1, 2026, builds on earlier measures taken during Trump’s first term and reinstated early in his second administration through Executive Order 14161 and Proclamation 10949. Trump said the updated restrictions follow extensive interagency reviews and continued engagement with foreign governments that, in many cases, failed to address long-standing deficiencies. “It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks and other national security and public safety threats,” Trump said, adding that…