Star 2025-04-01

In an attempt to root out corruption in the food aid industry in South Africa, SA Harvest on Monday announced a groundbreaking smart vetting system to ensure food aid reaches legitimate, active community-based organisations (CBOs) around the country. In the form of an App, it was developed in partnership with Garnish Global. The tech-enabled system brings real-time tracking, digital verification, and fraud detection into the informal food economy. SA Harvest supports over 300 beneficiary organisations in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town. The organisation said that this new system sets a precedent for transparency and impact in food relief efforts, positioning SA Harvest as a key driver of systematic change. COO of SA Harvest, Ozzy Nel, said, “Food is our starting point, our currency, but our real work is about enabling…

The office of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) is preparing for a thorough examination of the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) following concerns raised by the Acsa Board regarding alleged irregularities in the entity’s procurement processes. This decision coincides with AGSA’s formal acknowledgment of a request from Acsa and signifies its commitment to uphold transparency during the annual regularity audit for the 2024-25 financial year. In a statement responding to inquiries from Business Report on Monday, the AGSA confirmed that it would be conducting a review of procurement processes at Acsa. “Should there be any material findings discovered during that regularity audit, these will be reported in the audit report. The audit report will be made public through the normal annual report processes,” AGSA said. The Acsa…

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has said he was giving Eskom a six month deadline to submit a new cost analysis report on the Medupi Power Station Flue Gas emissions. Minister of Environment, Dion George, on Monday vowed to hold the power utility to account on environmental compliance while still demanding adequate electricity supply. George announced exemptions to extend the operational licences of eight coal-fired power stations to continue with operations. He said the department had braced for all challenges, including court processes, from Eskom on the stricter enforcement of compliance with environmental legislation but warned he ever went to court on winnable matters. "Medupi, is a heavy emitter of toxic chemicals and that a lot of people have been animated about. I decided the…

Company asked for lower electricity and rail tariffs, and removal of a scrap metal export tax ArcelorMittal South Africa (Amsa) will defer the closure of its loss-making Long Steel plant to August 31 after getting a R1.68 billion injection from the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which will stave off the retrenchment of 3 500 workers and keep operations running for at least six months. In a statement on Monday, the steelmaker said as part of the agreement, Amsa has committed to the continued operation of the Long Steel business and retention of jobs during the deferral period and had also received a Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) grant to assist in funding employee costs, which will reduce the drawdown required against the IDC facility. "Based on engagements between…

South Africa’s Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise (SMME) sector is often referred to as the lifeline of the economy and a new report has identified that crucial support is needed for female entrepreneurs. The report, commissioned by the Shoprite Group, revealed the critical need for targeted support for female entrepreneurs and improved access to markets and resources in underrepresented regions. World Wide Worx conducted the research via a survey, which gathered insights from 800 SMME owners nationwide. It highlighted the diversity within South Africa’s small business sector, but also found significant systemic challenges related to gender, age, geography, and education. For example, while 51.2% of SMMEs are male-owned, women are more likely to own smaller businesses and face greater barriers when trying to scale. Entrepreneurial activity is also concentrated…

PwC has warned that energy disruptions remain the number one concern for business leaders in South Africa as they fear the power supply shortages would be a key challenge in 2025–2026, despite the suspension of load shedding since March 2024. The second PwC South Africa Economic Outlook for 2025 released on Monday looked at the status quo of three challenges - energy supply, water supply and weather events - approaches for South African businesses to mitigate associated risks. Local business leaders responding to the survey for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risks Report 2025 identified energy and water supply shortages among South Africa’s biggest risk factors over the next two years, while global results included extreme weather events as a top-three risk. Despite the absence of planned power outages…