Star 2025-10-16

Total remuneration for executive directors increased over the past year, with chief exectives (CEOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs) seeing median increases of 8% and 19%, respectively, according to PwC’s 2025 Directors Remuneration and Trends report that looked at the executive pay across JSE Top 200. Despite macroeconomic pressure and heightened scrutiny of executive pay, shareholders continue to back remuneration practices. PwC’s 2025 Directors Remuneration and Trends report reveals that executive director pay has rebounded over the past year, with increases outpacing inflation and drawing renewed attention to fairness, transparency, and alignment with performance. Makhosazana Mabaso, PwC’s reward partner, said, “These results contrast sharply with trends observed in 2024, where variable pay outcomes had decreased. The return to stronger performance-linked remuneration suggests a shift in market conditions, as well as…

The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has invited private sector players to submit proposals for the development and operation of a specialised Break Bulk Terminal focused on cold storage for fish and related products at the Port of Cape Town. This is a move set to bolster the Western Cape’s vital fishing industry and enhance South Africa’s export logistics. The project, announced on Wednesday, forms part of TNPA’s efforts to modernise port infrastructure and expand capacity for temperature-sensitive cargo. TNPA issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a terminal operator to finance, refurbish, construct, operate, maintain and eventually transfer the new facility under a 10-year concession. The proposed development site – a 7 273 m² brownfield area located adjacent to the ship repair and liquid bulk precincts – is…

South Africa’s fruit industry is celebrating a major breakthrough after the Department of Agriculture signed a historic stone fruit trade protocol with China, opening the Asian market for five key fruit types – apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, and prunes – for the first time. The landmark deal not only enhances trade ties between South Africa and China, but also signals a new phase in agricultural diplomacy – one that promises to boost farmer incomes, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s role as a leading global fruit exporter. Announcing the deal yesterday, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said the agreement could unlock approximately R400 million for the sector over the next five years, with export earnings expected to double within a decade. Steenhuisen said that the protocol marks “a major breakthrough for…

A troubling picture of deteriorating fiscal conditions emerges around the world The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a stark warning that global public debt is on track to exceed 100% of GDP by 2029, reaching its highest level since the aftermath of World War II. The Fund’s latest Fiscal Monitor report, released yesterday in Washington, D.C., paints a troubling picture of deteriorating fiscal conditions, rising borrowing costs, and deepening debt vulnerabilities across both advanced and developing economies. Vitor Gaspar, director of the IMF fiscal affairs department, said public debt continues to rise as governments face mounting fiscal strain from higher defense spending, aging populations, and elevated interest rates. “Global public debt prospects and risks have worsened since our last meeting in April. In such a scenario, debt would be…

As the world’s economic centre of gravity continues to shift, Africa is no longer content with the call for inclusion. It is taking the reins, crafting, co-creating, contributing, and actively shaping the future of global financial governance. From the recent G2O gathering in Durban, a clear message emerged as policymakers, economists, and financial leaders convened for an official side event under South Africa’s G20 Presidency for a high-level forum exploring Africa’s role in reshaping global finance. The world’s financial architecture is in transition – buffeted by geopolitical shocks, widening fiscal pressures, and a growing crisis of multilateral trust. As the system fragments, the Global South faces a pivotal question: will it remain a policy-taker, or help shape the rules that will define the future? Africa is choosing the latter Under…

What happens when powerful foreign banks can influence the value of our rand, raise the cost of living for millions, and then claim that our laws do not apply to them? That, in essence, is the question now before the Constitutional Court, and its answer will define how South Africa defends its sovereignty in a globalised financial system. In August, the Court heard the Competition Commission’s appeal against the Competition Appeal Court’s decision to dismiss charges of rand manipulation against 13 international banks. The judgment, now reserved, will decide whether foreign financial institutions can be held accountable when their conduct directly affects South Africa’s markets. If South Africa cannot hold global banks accountable for manipulating its currency, then our economic sovereignty exists only on paper. This saga dates back to…