Star 2025-07-11

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967. Albanese last week published a report listing up to 48 multinational corporations in defense equipment manufacturing, logistics, tech, tourism, knowledge production, and agriculture as having profited from “the genocide carried out by Israel” in Gaza by providing cloud and AI technologies to the Israeli government and military, among other things. The decision to sanction Albanese came under President Trump’s Executive Order 14203, aimed at countering actions perceived as violations of US sovereignty and interests. Rubio on Wednesday said the sanctions derived from Albanese's alleged direct engagement with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts that the US considers to…

Local government and spatial integration have remained the two most pressing issues in which the government continues to struggle to implement reforms at the onset of Phase II of Operation Vulindlela (OV) even though momentum was gaining traction in other areas. According to the OV progress report for the first quarter for the 2025/26 financial year, reforms on these two were facing significant challenges and an intervention is required. OV is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the National Treasury which aims to achieve more rapid and inclusive economic growth through a programme of far-reaching economic reforms. Seven priority reform areas have been approved by Cabinet as part of OV Phase II, including energy, water, freight logistics, visa system, local government, spatial integration and housing, and digital public infrastructure…

South Africa’s manufacturing sector saw a 0.5% increase in production in May In a tentative sign of resilience, South Africa’s manufacturing sector saw a 0.5% increase in production in May when compared to the same month a year earlier following six consecutive months of year-on-year decline. This reading, released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Thursday, highlights a delicate turnaround following a tumultuous April which witnessed a significant production revised slump of 6.4% year-on-year. Nicolai Claassen, director of industry statistics at Stats SA, said five of the 10 manufacturing divisions recorded upward growth. Claasen said the metals and machinery division was the largest positive contributor, expanding by 4.3% year-on-year and pushing overall growth higher by 0.9 of the percentage point. “Glass and non-metallic metal products, wood paper printing and…

The Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC) has sounded a clarion call to Parliament, highlighting alarming trends in the fiscal drag imposed by State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). In a recent presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Monitoring and Evaluation, the FFC revealed that direct government transfers to SOEs rose significantly from 1% of GDP in 2015/2016 to 1.6% in 2021/2022. This stark upward trend raises pressing concerns over the sustainability of SOE funding and the need for urgent reforms. The Commission’s damning analysis underscores a decade-long commitment from the government, which, between 2008/2009 and 2019/2020, spent approximately R160 billion to bail out financially troubled SOEs. The FFC's warnings come amid growing anxiety over the potential fiscal repercussions of the proposed National State Enterprises Bill, which it claims fails to adequately address long-standing…

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping 30% tariff on all goods imported from South Africa, citing “unfair trade practices” and a lack of reciprocity. While the decision has rattled exporters and drawn sharp criticism from Pretoria, it may well be the catalyst we need to rethink our economic destiny. Rather than respond with indignation or fear, South Africa should view this challenge as an opportunity: to accelerate innovation, create new export markets, and, above all, build jobs for our youth - both at home and abroad. We’ve faced shocks before. From sanctions during apartheid to the 2008 global financial crisis, from Covid-19 to greylisting - South Africans have shown resilience in adversity. This tariff shock, while painful, could become a turning point, especially if aligned with…

On July 7, 2025, the President of the United States Donald Trump issued a formal letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing a 30% tariff on all South African goods and products entering the US. This decision, he claims, is in response to “persistent trade deficits” and South Africa’s own tariff and non-tariff barriers. While the tariffs are not limited to the tech sector, their implications for the South African digital economy, SMMEs, and ICT service providers are especially severe. This is a sector built on fragile margins, export driven business models, and global digital dependencies. The 30% tariff, and the separate 10% tariff on companies aligned with BRICS, threatens to undo years of slow, hard-earned progress in transforming South Africa into a digital player on the continent. So, what exactly…