Star 2023-01-10

After a decade of declining patent filings the South African Patent Office became the fastest growing intellectual property (IP) agency in the world over the past two years, according to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). The number of local filings increased by 73%, and this growth was largely due to China. The number of patent filings per year increased from 8 099 to just under 14 000. In 2022 China also overtook the US as the largest filer of South African patents, and became the dominant filer of Nigerian patents as well, according to IdeaNav, a research firm specialising in IP commercialisation. “Over the past two years, China increased its focus on Africa and now accounts for about 40% of South African patents filed,” it said.…

JSE All-Share Index rose by more than 2%, surging to 78 500 points South African stocks rallied to a record high yesterday, mainly buoyed by tech stocks after the Chinese government reopened its borders and hopes of the US Federal Reserve slowing the pace of interest rate hikes. The JSE All-Share Index rose more than 2% yesterday to surge 78 500 points, the highest on record, as China reopened its borders after three years of Covid-related restrictions and indicated it could end its crackdown on the domestic tech sector. This was a significant improvement from advancing 1.9% to close at 76 858 on Friday, building up on positive sentiment as it ended 2022 in positive territory at 4.5% year on year, after reaching a peak of 78…

Mergers and acquisitions are expected to increase in 2023 and drive up foreign direct investment in the Sub-Saharan African region, in spite of the looming global economic recession. This is the view of corporate and advisory firm Deal Leaders International, which yesterday remained bullish about the regional economic prospects, amid global turmoil. Deal Leaders chief executive Andrew Bahlmann yesterday said that while most of the forecasts predict tougher economic conditions in 2023, that does not mean there will be no profits to be made for investors. A global recession has been forecast for the Eurozone and the US economies, which would snowball to emerging markets’ economies as a result of inflationary pressures arising from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Bahlman said if a recession occurs, it won’t necessarily mean investors will…

For the franchise sector, last year was a year to regroup, re-strategise and come back stronger after being badly impacted by two years of the pandemic, followed by the July, 2021 riots and later the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, says Freddy Makgato, CEO of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA). He said franchises in particular, by virtue of their “strength in numbers” and their solid support mechanisms were showing signs of recovery, and the sector remained one of the most resilient. Makgato said that out of adversity came opportunities, and the franchise sector could expect to see new business models emerge that have adapted to the new normal, and will thrive going into the new year. “This is both a good thing for entrepreneurs looking to start new franchise…

Who would argue? The world sends South Africa favourable grants and favourable loans to meet its CO₂ net zero targets for green energy, and at the same time buys all the coal we can export at prices 250% higher than two years ago. Financing worth $8.5 billion (about R144bn) from the US, the EU and Britain was given to South Africa. It sounds too good to be true and we all know what that means. But currently there are other strange assumptions that are not easy to explain. The production of a solar farm requires three times more mineral resources than a similar-sized coal plant, and constructing a wind farm needs 13 times as much as a comparable gas-fired plant. South Africa needs to spend $250bn over the next three…

New vehicle sales grew for a 12th consecutive month in December, as the motor industry’s recovery to pre-pandemic levels continued in spite of the many challenges it faced last year. The industry was impacted by global supply chain disruptions, floods in KwaZulu-Natal, elevated inflation, rising interest rates, record fuel prices, as well as record highs in the frequency and intensity of load shedding that weighed heavily on business and consumer confidence. The National Automobile Association of SA (Naamsa) said yesterday new vehicle sales at 41 783 units in December represented an increase of 5 839 vehicles or a gain of 16.2%, compared with the total new vehicle sales of 35 944 units in December 2021. Naamsa CEO Mike Mabasa said the December 2022 new car market and…