Star 2026-01-29

Property Fund is looking to re-allocate capital into highewr growth opportunities in South Africa and in Portugal Vukile Property Fund's Spanish subsidiary Castellana is selling its retail parks portfolio for R5.3 billion so it can re-allocate capital into higher growth opportunities in shopping centres in the country and in Portugal. JSE-listed Vukile said Wednesday its 99.7% held subsidiary in Spain, Castellana Properties, had concluded a share sale and purchase agreement with Ferrel SPV 2025, for Castellana to dispose of its retail parks across Spain for €279 million, cash. The disposal comes barely a week after Vukile announced the acquisition of a 35% stake in Pradera Limited, a leading specialist retail property investment fund and asset manager with a 25-year track record across the UK, Europe, China and the Middle…

South Africa’s automotive industry is not calling for punitive tariff hikes on cheap vehicle imports from China and India, but rather for targeted policy adjustments that strengthen local manufacturing without triggering price shocks for consumers. This was the message from BMW Group South Africa on Wednesday after industry representatives appeared before Parliament on the implementation of the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) on Tueday. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has called on government to impose steep tariffs on imports from BRICS partners China and India, warning that local industry is under siege and that trade imbalances are deepening. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) is currently reviewing measures, including higher import duties and excise taxes, and updating the country’s tariff schedule to align…

The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has urged the government to strike a careful balance between protecting the South African automotive manufacturing sector from the growing influx of Chinese and Indian vehicle brands and preserving the strong momentum in the retail motor industry. This comes as the government is currently debating whether to impose higher tariffs of up to 50% on imported cars from India and China as local manufacturers struggle to compete and protect jobs in the domestic automotive industry. However, the move to raise tariffs could result in higher prices for consumers, particularly for entry-level and budget vehicles, which have been the fastest-growing segment of imports from India and China. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) is reviewing measures, including higher import duties and excise…

The Spar Group was served with legal papers Wednesday from Giannacopoulos Group-owned franchises, who are suing for damages for the botched implementation of SAP enterprise resources planning software in the group's KwaZulu-Natal distribution centre. The claim from these companies comes more than two years after the retailer implemented the software. Spar started rolling out the software from January, 2023, but delays impacted distribution and resulted in stock delivery interruptions to franchise stores, and lost sales. Spar said in statement its legal team is currently reviewing the papers. Reports suggest the Giannacopoulos Group is suing for at least R170 million in damages. Spar meanwhile indicated in its 2023 financial year that the SAP implementation problems had resulted in R1.6 billion in lost turnover to the group. The centre returned to…

Real salary increases are expected this year supported by positive economic developments, record-high commodity prices, a stronger rand, and low inflation, according to an analysis by PayInc The PayInc Net Salary Index, which tracks net salaries of approximately 2.15 million salary earners in South Africa, ended 2025 on a positive note with salaries tracking higher than a year ago, it said in a statement. “Although the average nominal salary flattened in December 2025 at R21 397, it was still 1.8% higher than a year ago,” said Shergeran Naidoo, the head of Stakeholder Engagements at PayInc. The upward trend in net salaries during 2024 continued into 2025, with the average nominal salary rising by 3.7%, compared to 4.6% in the previous year. “The sustained recovery in salaries reflects the gradual improvement…

Global exploration statistics often tell a partial story—and South Africa is a prime example. Countries such as Australia and Canada dominate international exploration rankings not only because of their geological activity, but because their junior mining companies are publicly listed on exchanges that require detailed disclosure. This visibility makes their exploration footprint easy to measure. South Africa appears to contribute less than 1% of global exploration spend, but this figure reflects only the work of listed companies. When privately funded and unlisted explorers are included, the country’s true contribution is significantly higher. The reality is simple: a lack of disclosed data does not mean a lack of exploration. The mining sector remains a cornerstone of the South African economy, contributing R444.2 billion to GDP and employing nearly half a million…