Star 2025-12-09

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) on Monday notified consumers about product recalls affecting the Jeep Wrangler vehicles and various Kia models, as informed by the suppliers. Stellantis South Africa has informed the NCC that it is recalling 323 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. According to the supplier, the dust inside the clockspring could compromise airbag circuit(s), causing illumination of the airbag warning light and or a non-deployment of the driver’s airbag during a crash. The impacted Wranglers were sold nationally during 2016 and discontinued in 2018. Kia South Africa has notified the NCC that it is recalling a total of 18 600 vehicles of the following models: Sportage (SL, KM), Sorento (XM), Optima (TF), Cerato (TD), and Soul (AM). These vehicles were sold nationally between the year 2009 and 2015 through…

Capitec Bank Holdings has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Walletdoc Holdings for R400 million, a move to contest the fast crowding SME payments space. Walletdoc Holdings' fully owned subsidiary Walletdoc, established in 2015 by founders Leonard Shenker and Dan Wagner, is a South African fintech company providing scalable, innovative payment gateway solutions for merchants, including online and in-app payments, digital wallets, Instant EFT, payment links, and real-time payouts. Other players in the SME payments space include Yoko and Nedbank. South Africa's biggest bank by customer numbers said Monday in a statement that Walletdoc's culture of innovation, efficiency, and client focus was closely aligned with the bank's core values. Capitec has historically lagged in the business banking space and is working hard to grow into this gap. An…

South Africa’s economy is showing early but meaningful signs of recovery, with improved business confidence, firmer growth prospects, and renewed policy momentum, but government must act swiftly to ensure the gains do not evaporate. This is according to a new Bureau for Economic Research (BER) report released on Monday by Lisette IJssel de Schepper and Claire Bisseker. The report argues that while South Africa’s longstanding structural constraints are well understood and key reforms are already on the table, the country now needs “urgency, leadership and discipline” to convert this positive shift into durable economic progress. After years dominated by public frustration and pessimism, the report says the national mood has noticeably improved. “The country hasn’t solved its problems, but the balance of risks has tilted, and mood is less relentlessly…

The Black Business Council (BBC) has urged restraint in public attacks on the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), particularly regarding criticism of its R3.5 trillion in assets under management and concerns over the performance of its unlisted investment portfolio. This comes amid mounting calls from political parties and civil society for increased scrutiny of the PIC’s governance and investment decisions. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is among the loudest voices demanding action. The party has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Parliament to convene urgent public hearings with the PIC Board, its CEO, and the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) to answer for what it describes as “ongoing governance failures, ethical breaches, and poor investment decisions.” UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has further urged the Auditor-General and the Special Investigating Unit to…

Assassination of witness sparks renewed concern over ability to safeguard investors’ confidence The assassination of a key witness in the Madlanga Judicial Commission of Inquiry has sparked renewed concern over South Africa’s ability to safeguard investors’ confidence, protect whistleblowers and uphold the rule of law. The Madlanga Commission is investigating allegations of political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, including alleged infiltration of criminal syndicates into law enforcement, intelligence, prosecution authorities, the judiciary, and correctional services, among others. The murder of Marius van der Merwe, referred to as "Witness D" outside his Brakapan home at the weekend has raised alarms among governance specialists and economists just months after the country exited the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist. Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) said South Africa’s efforts…

South Africa’s building sector ended the year on a stronger footing, with the FNB/BER Building Confidence Index rising eight points to 43 in the fourth quarter of 2025—its joint highest reading in a decade and above the long-term average of 40. The improvement follows a slight dip to 35 in the third quarter. Yet, despite the encouraging jump, the latest index level released on Monday still indicates that more than half of survey respondents remain dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions. Hardware retailers, buoyed by stronger sales, were the biggest drivers of the improvement, with confidence in this segment rising 21 points. FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi said the rebound reflects resilient consumer demand supported by lower inflation, interest-rate cuts, and continued withdrawals from the two-pot retirement system. “The jump in…