Índex per 2025-06-09 a Cape Times

AFP The global auto industry has been rocked by China's decision to restrict exports of rare earth magnets that are crucial to making vehicles. With a near monopoly on the output of rare earth elements, Beijing is using them as a key weapon in its trade war with Washington. These are the implications for the sector: China's restrictions China accounts for more than 60% of rare earth mining production and 92% of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency, driven by generous state subsidies and lax environmental protections. As the trade war with the US has developed, Beijing has required Chinese companies since April to obtain a licence before exporting these materials - including rare earth magnets- to any country. While these rules were expected to be relaxed…

Quantumed, on Friday announced that its CEO, Avian Bell, has been named to the prestigious Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2025 in the Healthcare category. "This recognition celebrates Bell’s visionary leadership and Quantumed’s unwavering commitment to the personal healthcare industry through community upliftment and public health education across South Africa," Quantumed said. Under Bell’s leadership, Quantumed (a proudly local start-up) has become a leader in promoting sexual healthcare, personal wellness and safety education, particularly targeted towards underserved and preciously marginalised communities. The company’s innovative outreach programmes and accessible healthcare solutions have empowered countless South Africans with the knowledge and tools to take control of their health. “This recognition is not just a personal milestone, but a testament to the incredible work our team is doing to make healthcare…

Despite the news from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) that the South African economy recorded disappointing GDP growth (0.1%) in Q1 2025, and the news that Goodyear will close shop in RSA, resulting in nine hundred permanent job losses, the JSE and the Rand keep on recovering. On the JSE the ALSI ended Friday on a new weekly close record of 96 366 or 2.1% higher than the previous Friday. The index broke quickly through the 95 000 level on Monday and through 96 000 on Thursday. The South African economy recorded worrying economic growth and employment numbers for the first quarter of 2005. The economy in real terms advanced by only 0.2%, with manufacturing (-0.2%), mining 9-0.2%), construction (-0.1%) contributing towards a worrying picture. Since 2022 three quarters of contraction…

Fortress, a real estate investment company with a diversified portfolio of high-quality logistics and retail assets located in South Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, in an update on its operations for the period subsequent to December 31 2024 said on Friday that the logistics sector continues to demonstrate strong performance, with high-quality, secure space in sustained demand. Fortress reaffirmed its current forecast for distributable earnings of R1.93bn for the financial year ending June 30, 2025 and provided distributable earnings guidance for 2026 of between R2.046bn and R2.075bn, representing growth in distributable earnings of between 6% and 7.5%. "Vacancy rates remain low across the portfolio, highlighting the attractiveness of our assets. Currently, 117 915m2 of new logistics developments are underway, with 72.7% pre-let. This strong letting activity reflects the superior…

Anaemia is quietly but significantly affecting the lives of millions of young people worldwide, and South Africa is no exception. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly one-quarter of the global population suffers from anaemia, with adolescent girls being the most vulnerable. In sub-Saharan Africa, anaemia rates among teenagers have surged by 15% over the past decade, with about 40% of adolescent girls affected. This isn’t just a number, it’s a growing health crisis with profound consequences for young people’s energy, focus, and future. South African teens, already navigating the challenges of rapid growth, academic pressure, and physical activity, are particularly at risk. Anaemia is preventable and treatable if we can recognise the signs. What’s behind the rise in teen anaemia? For many South African teens, the root causes…

Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Council chairperson, Helen Zille, said she is considering contesting to become the next Johannesburg mayor. This is as the political parties are gearing up for the 2026 local government elections. In an interview with IOL, Zille confirmed that she has been approached to become the DA’s mayoral candidate, but she is in talks with her family regarding accepting the nomination. “I have been approached to put my hat in the ring for mayor. I am still considering it and consulting my family,” she said. Although no deal was reached, Zille said they have been head-hunting candidates for over a year, with potential ones showing interest. However, she said some potential candidates have said they cannot do the job for the remuneration offered to a mayor. “If…

THE Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has granted Hoërskool DF Malan the authority to change its name to DF Akademie, a decision aimed at distancing the institution from the controversial legacy of its namesake, who played a pivotal role in the apartheid regime. This approval comes after a prolonged legal battle incited by discontent from a faction of parents regarding the proposed name change. The SCA’s ruling followed a unanimous judgment after a previous attempt to block the name change was dismissed by the Western Cape High Court. The case originated in 2021 when four parents—Barend Hermanus Rautenbach, Johan Smit, Francois Malan, and Barend de Klerk—sought to contest the decisions made by the school governing body (SGB) regarding the school’s identity. Judge John Smith, writing for the court, said that…

A peanut butter manufacturer has agreed to pay a R500 000 administrative penalty following a product safety investigation after several peanut butter products were found to contain high levels of aflatoxin, a toxic substance produced by certain moulds. The National Consumer Tribunal confirmed the settlement agreement between the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and peanut butter manufacturer House of Natural Butters (Pty) Ltd, trading as Eden All Butters. According to the NCC, the supplier and the commission entered into the settlement agreement on February 25, 2025, which was subsequently referred to the Tribunal. On June 3, 2025, the Tribunal confirmed the agreement and made it a consent order in terms of section 74(1) of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The NCC said it had first been alerted to the issue in…

The child was hit by a stray bullet as a Strand taxi driver was gunned down in Lwandle on Saturday night. This follows a tragic shooting on Friday morning at a Mfuleni taxi rank where seven people, including a commuter, were shot resulting in the killing of four men. Gunmen stormed a Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) office and opened fire on the victims. The motive behind the attack is believed to be related to the ongoing conflict within the taxi industry. Strand Community Police Forum spokesperson Niklaas Thysen said: “It has been confirmed that a taxi violence shooting incident where a taxi owner was shot dead at Lwandle Street on (Saturday) night. "The circumstances around the shooting incident where a taxi owner was shot dead are…

Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday. The reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4–6, 6–7 (4/7), 6–4, 7–6 (7/3), 7–6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes. The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner’s 20-match winning run at the majors. Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It comfortably eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris, when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4hr 42min.…

Unions and analysts fear the closure in Eastern Cape could devastate the local economy amid high unemployment Goodyear South Africa’s announcement on Friday to discontinue its manufacturing operations in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, has sent shockwaves through the region, with over 900 jobs at risk due to a Section 189 notice served to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa). The decision, communicated by Goodyear’s Managing Director Paul Gerrard, has raised alarm among unions, and economic analysts, who fear the closure could devastate the local economy amid high unemployment. Mziyanda Twani, Numsa Eastern Cape Regional Secretary, said on Friday that the union is dismayed by Goodyear South Africa's announcement to discontinue its manufacturing operations in South Africa. “The union has been served with a Section 189 notice from…

Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) said on Friday that it will activate a centralised Operational Centre (OC) at its headquarters on Monday in response to the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. RMIS said the OC will be led by a designated RMIS veterinarian and will oversee a team of veterinary professionals and industry representatives, along with a specialist public relations and public affairs agency, forming the FMD Working Group. “The FMD Working Group will be mandated to develop and implement a structured, time-bound response to the outbreak, with medium- to long-term goals, including a focus on vaccination among other key areas.” The primary objective of this plan is to guide RMIS in addressing the current FMD situation in South Africa, with a strong focus on protecting red meat role players…

Cabinet recently approved the Employee Services Amendment Bill and the National Labour Migration Policy. These are welcome interventions by government led by the African National Congress in response to the deep frustrations of workers and society. They seek to empower the Department of Employment and Labour to manage the flood of undocumented migrant labour into the economy and to balance this with the need to tackle the dangerously high levels of unemployment, 43.1% overall and 72% for young people. Migration is the nature of humanity and South Africa is no exception. South Africa’s DNA is fused with centuries of migration, both forced and voluntary. This is magnified by South Africa’s status as Africa’s most industrialised economy. Whilst migration is a mark of all societies, the natural flows into South Africa…

JSE-listed international fashion, homeware and lifestyle retailer TFG’s robust financial results for the year to end-March 2025 were fueled by a strong second half from TFG Africa, store expansion, and the acquisition of White Stuff in the UK. Headline earnings a share (HEPS) were up 4.6% to 1015.6 cents. The final dividend was raised by 15% to 230 cents a share. “The result underscored a ‘relentless’ focus on market share growth, margin improvement, and cost management,” CEO Anthony Thunström said in a statement. The group has a portfolio of 39 leading retail brands, with over 4 900 outlets in 23 countries on five continents. “We are targeting the opening of over 100 new stores in the coming year while optimising our existing footprint. With the Riverfields distribution centre now close…

Market regulators from six countries are cracking down on the illegal promotion of financial products by influencers on social media, UK officials said Friday. Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the action, which began on Monday, has resulted in three arrests in the UK and the authorisation of criminal proceedings against three individuals. The crackdown is being conducted jointly with regulators from Italy, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. Some 50 "warning letters" have been issued, which will result in more than 650 requests to remove content from social media platforms and more than 50 websites "operated by unauthorised finfluencers", the FCA said. It has also sent seven "cease and desist" letters, and invited four so-called finfluencers for interviews. So-called finfluencers, or financial influencers, use their social…

Imagine a world where blood shortages no longer cost lives. A world where emergencies in rural South African clinics or busy city hospitals aren’t derailed by the lack of compatible blood for transfusions. Thanks to revolutionary research by Japanese scientists, this future may be closer than we think. A critical breakthrough in healthcare is unfolding: the development of artificial blood. This innovation, led by Hiromi Sakai and his team at Japan's Nara Medical University, has the potential to save millions of lives globally by addressing one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare, blood shortages. The blood supply crisis Blood transfusions are essential in healthcare, saving lives during surgeries, childbirth, trauma, and the treatment of severe illnesses. Yet, maintaining an adequate blood supply is a constant challenge, especially in low-…

While the worst of the cold front has passed over the Western Cape, residents will still have to contend with the frosty temperatures. Cape residents particularly felt the winter weather this weekend, with the cold front bringing persistent rain and freezing temperatures. The City’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, said they were monitoring for any impacts from the current forecast, but “thus far, no significant impacts have been reported to the Disaster Operations Centre, although this situation might change as the day progresses”. SA Weather Services (SAWS) Senior Forecaster Kate Turner said the cold front passed over the province on Saturday, but icy temperatures were expected throughout the week. “A cut off low pressure (system) develops over the central parts of the country (today), which is causing rain and…

Last week, Sharks coach John Plumtree had no choice but to keep calm about the loss of influential captain Eben Etzebeth ahead of the United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final against the Bulls, but after his team had lost 13-25, he admitted it had been a severe blow. Last Monday, Etzebeth took a head knock in training and was forced to withdraw from the semi-final. The loss of the most-capped Springbok of all time was exacerbated by the injury to another in-form lock in Jason Jenkins, who was injured in the quarter-final against Munster. “Eben is the best lock in the world as far as I’m concerned,” the Sharks coach said. “He’s our captain, and he inspires those around him. When he’s in our group, it’s probably a different pack, so…

It’s Youth Month and while we’re focused on all things young people, it’s hard to ignore the mammoth-sized elephant in the room: unemployment. With youth unemployment now sitting at a staggering 45.5% (Stats SA - F2025:Q1) – and no clear plans in May’s National Budget on how this will be tackled as a nation – you’d be forgiven for feeling somewhat despondent. This has led to many young people pursuing entrepreneurial endeavours, which shows proactivity and determination. However, our research shows that there are more school or college graduates who want to join a reputable company where they’ll be able to learn from their colleagues and leaders, rather than try to start their own business. Yet, their concern is that they don’t have the necessary experience to secure a job.…

The drivers of change in South Africa consisted of the pentagon of race, rail, gold maize and war. I will focus on the vertex of rail. Although today there is very little rail in existence compared to what it used to be in the 1960/80’s, it was pivotal to South Africa’s advancement. The first rail line was one constructed in 1860. It was three kilometres long and connected the Market Square in town to the Point. The Natal Railway Company was responsible for this. It is said that the Natal Mercury had this to say about this initiative “It will substitute the railway age of animation for the wagon age of sloth. It will set upon this portion of barbarism-bound continent the truest seal of the Englishman’s presence. It will…

Mr Price Group increased its final dividend a creditable 12.7% to 593.5 cents a share after the value fashion retailer managed to raise its operating profit margin through lower markdowns, increased sales, and market share gains, after a muted first half. Total revenue increased by 7.9% to R40.9 billion, and the group gained 50 basis percentage points (bps) of market share, as measured by the Retail Liaison Committee. The gross margin expanded 80 bps to 40.5%, and operating profit reached a record level of R5.8bn, with the operating margin increasing 20 bps to 14.2%. Headline earnings a share increased 10.7% to 1 424 cents, respectively, after a stronger second half. This was despite the weaker month of February for the retail sector and the shift of school holidays and Easter…

Down run king Tete Dijana came out victorious with Piet Wiersma hot on his heels during the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban yesterday. On the women’s front, Gerda Steyn made it her fourth Comrades Marathon win. Dijana said he felt like a real winner, and he was indeed, a “down-run real champion”. “I was so excited. Very, very excited and also emotional because I remember what happened last year… I was in the best shape, but the devil came, so I was happy that at least the devil didn’t attack me this year,” Dijana said. “I’ve been getting pressure from social media saying, ‘don’t let it go again’, they used the word again. So I had to fix everything.” Dijana said he came prepared. His…

THE City has seen a steady rise in reported foodborne illnesses over the last three years, with analysis from recent food samples showing non-compliant food safety standards of around 15%. In just a 10-month period since July 2024, the City's laboratory received 4853 samples from Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) from a range of food handlers, which were subjected to 17 759 analyses. The results revealed an overall compliance rate of just over 80%, raising concerns about food safety standards. Last year, a spike in foodborne illness cases claimed the lives of 22 people, including children and resulted in nearly 900 reported incidents over just a few months. The severity of the situation prompted the National Disaster Management Centre to classify it as a national disaster under Section 23 of the…

A diner at the Stellenbosch-based Beyerskloof Wine Bar, who said that she had ingested a needle-like object which she claimed was in her hamburger, has won her damages claim against the establishment. The Western Cape High Court found the restaurant’s breach of care was linked to the diner’s harm. Maxine Williams blamed the wine bar for ingesting the foreign object and claimed more than R750 000 in damages against the establishment. The restaurant had disputed that it was the cause of any danger. The object that was allegedly ingested by the plaintiff did not come from consumables sold and/or prepared by them, they said. Williams testified that on the evening of October 3, 2020, she and her husband visited their favourite restaurant in the area, and each ordered a hamburger…

Alleged underworld crime boss Nafiz Modack was found guilty of corruption charges at the Cape Town Regional court on Friday. The case was postponed to July 8 for Modack to be sentenced. The conviction comes in the wake of a sentence that was handed down to former top cop Brigadier Kolindren Govender after he entered into a plea agreement with the State after he admitted that he had a corrupt relationship with Modack. Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani said: “It was reported that during November 2011, Modack acted with a common purpose by paying gratification in a total amount of R146 000 to Govender in return for special treatment. “He was also convicted of defeating the ends of justice by preventing his colleagues from performing their duties” Subsequently, Govender…

Aiden Markram knows this final build-up week pretty well. The tension and excitement of it all bottled into one. Markram, of course, has gone through this all before when he led the Proteas - the only men’s South African captain ever - in the T20 World Cup final against India in Barbados last year. Here at Lord’s though, where the Proteas are preparing to face Australia in the World Test Championship final starting on Wednesday, he drops down to Temba Bavuma’s lieutenant. But that does nothing to diminish the importance of Markram’s calming influence on a group of players where the majority are tasting the rarified atmosphere of Lord’s for the first time. “It's got that (final) feel about it, for sure,” Markram told reporters, on the outskirts of the…

Historically, the balance of power has often tipped in favour of the PSL teams during the dreaded PSL promotion/relegation play-offs. This season’s three-team mini-tournament, initially scheduled to start at the end of last month, will now kick off on Wednesday in Rustenburg. The play-offs were postponed due to unresolved issues in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, involving Durban City, JDR Stars, and Cape Town Spurs. As a result, the league’s restructuring has now set the stage for the two National First Division (NFD) teams — Casric Stars and Orbit College — from the Motsepe Foundation Championship to begin their campaign later this week. Casric Stars, a Mpumalanga-based club, finished third, while Orbit College, based in Rustenburg, finished runners-up to NFD winners Durban City FC. Over the past decade, top-flight PSL sides…

Mamelodi Sundowns made a grand departure for the Fifa Club World Cup in the US at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday afternoon. Sundowns’ players were clad in new, colourful tracksuits specially designed for the tournament, while the technical teams wore sleek grey attire. Head coach Miguel Cardoso stood out in a knitted hat featuring the South African flag — a symbolic and impeccable choice from the Portugal-born manager. It reflected both the team’s and his readiness to carry the nation's hopes on the global stage. Sundowns have been a beacon of hope for South African sport, coming agonisingly close to lifting the CAF Champions League title just a week ago. However, their aspirations were dashed at the final hurdle, losing the second leg 2–1 to Pyramids in Cairo, and…