Índex per 2025-06-10 a Cape Times

The FNB/BER Building Confidence Index has taken a significant hit, plunging five points to a troubling 36 in the second quarter of 2025 after a modest gain in the first quarter. The Index released on Monday characterises a construction industry at a crossroads, where the prospects of a recovery are overshadowed by a consistent drag from the residential sector. This latest reading revealed that nearly 65% of respondents in the construction sector expressed dissatisfaction with the current business conditions, raising red flags for the sector’s health as the market grapples with both residential and non-residential challenges. Amid these struggles, the sentiment surrounding main contractors has reached its lowest point since the third quarter of 2022, dropping to a dismal 35. The decline has been primarily driven by an ongoing downturn…

Eskom has assured the country that system remains stable despite being constrained on the back of rising demand as a result of inclement weather conditions. The State-owned power utility on Friday said it would add 2 550MW to the grid on Monday, and thus rotational load shedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. “While system constraints are occasionally experienced, adequate emergency reserves are in place and are being strategically deployed to support demand during the morning and evening peak periods, particularly as the country prepares for a forecasted cold spell in the coming week,” it said. Eskom added that it was making steady progress as they move beyond the peak maintenance season, with the Planned Capability Loss Factor (PCLF) having decreased from last week’s average…

Omnia Holdings delivered a resilient performance for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025 despite set backs in the agriculture division, which was impacted by currency issues in Zimbabwe, drought in Zambia, and the civil unrest in Mozambique. The diversified company, propelled by its mining sector which is seeing new orders for its regional markets on the back of a rebound in copper and battery metals, achieved robust results and delivered bumper dividends. “The agri business Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique didn't perform well,” Seelan Gobalsamy, CEO of Omnia told Business Report in an interview. “Zimbabwe had the usual currency issues and a lot of uncertainty (and) we had some regulatory challenges and in Zambia, we saw a massive drought that impacted revenue.” The unrest that rocked Mozambique in 2024 and…

I’ve had a front-row seat to Sona Mahendra’s latest entrepreneurial chapter, watching her transition from backing founders at 54 Collective to building her own startup. The transformation has been fascinating: seeing how lessons learnt while supporting other people’s ventures now play out in her own. After her initial TechTides Africa column hijack, African Tech’s Next Big Challenge: Matching Venture Capital to Realistic Outcomes, I’ve been tracking how she navigates the founder’s chair with fresh perspective from the other side. Her four-part Sona’s Field Notes email capsule series offers a window into this evolution, both psychological and practical. The first instalment tackled that haunting question keeping African founders awake: “But is it VC-backable, though?” Mahendra pushed back. Why pre-filter ideas through investor lenses when most founders are too early for VC…

PPC CEO, Matias Cardarelli, said on Monday that the cement manufacturer has worked hard to control underperformance within the group, unlock internal revenue and putting in place measures to enhance efficiencies, helping the company to a full-year earnings surge. This comes as headline earnings per share in PPC for the year to end March 2025 grew from 19 cents a year ago to 40 cents. This was despite a decrease of 1.9% in revenues to R9.88 billion for the same period. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation surged 28% to R1.59bn with operational free cash flow increasing to R1bn, helping the company to grow ordinary dividends for the period to 17.6 cents compared to 13.7 cents per share in the previous comparative period. Cardarelli said PPC has had to…

THE search continues for missing nurse, Londiwe Pretty Mnyandu, who disappeared nearly 10 days ago after leaving her workplace in Bellville. According to police, 30-year-old Mnyandu, was last seen on May 31. She was on her way to a man in Samora Machel who was apparently known to her. “Information reveals that Londiwe left her place of employment on Saturday with a colleague on her way to Samora Machel to visit a male known to her. She has since not yet returned to her place of employment in Bellville. At the time of her disappearance she was seen wearing a nurse's uniform,” police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi said. Her disappearance comes weeks after the murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale who was last seen leaving her home in Athol, Johannesburg. The postgraduate…

The spectacular rise of UCT rugby star Ntokozo Makhaza has reached a thrilling new high with his first official call-up to the Springbok squad - remarkably, before even making his senior Currie Cup debut. Makhaza, a standout performer for the UCT Ikey Tigers and a student pursuing a degree in psychology and social development, was on Thursday named in Rassie Erasmus’ first Springbok squad of the 2025 season. He joins the 54-man squad as one of nine uncapped players, with the reigning back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions set to open their season against the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium on June 28. The news came as a complete surprise for the fleet-footed winger, who will soon join the Toyota Cheetahs. “To be honest, I found out through social media,” he…

A man will effectively serve 35 years' direct imprisonment following his conviction in the Paarl Regional Court on a raft of charges, including rape and child pornography. The 27-year-old man must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole. This comes after he was found guilty on two counts of trafficking in persons for online exploitation, four counts of rape of two minor children, three counts of using children for or benefiting from child pornography, 629 counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of unlawful and intentional distribution of child pornography, and three counts of child abuse. The court sentenced the accused to a total of 195 years but ordered most of the sentences to run concurrently. The rapist cannot be named to protect…

The expanded 32-team Fifa Club World Cup kicks off in the US next week with fears that the sport’s governing body could be killing the goose that laid the golden egg, with profits placed above player welfare. Most of the criticism of the tournament has focused on the timing, in the off-season window when players usually recharge after gruelling domestic and continental campaigns. It was not such a major factor in its previous guise, when it featured a handful of teams who only played a few matches. The current tournament will now run for almost a month, with the eight groups of four teams playing 63 matches in total. The top two in each group will qualify for the knockout rounds. The $1bn prize money is an obvious drawcard for…

A whistleblower at the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) has blown the lid on corruption in the supply chain at the authority. In an interview with Wayne Duvenage, CEO of civil action organisation, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, procurement professional Tumi details her efforts to combat irregularities, including the manipulation of tenders and the appointment of non-compliant service providers. “I thought it was about time that I break my silence. I've been quiet for quite some time and enduring this abuse,” said Tumi. She said, when she joined the SETA in March 2012, it was under administration. Tumi discussed how she was deliberate in adhering to compliance with supply chain management best practices yet was repeatedly suspended and victimised. Tumi highlighted what she believes…

The Competition Commission has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the proposed R23 billion acquisition of Barloworld, subject to certain public interest conditions. This comes after the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), Barloworld’s biggest shareholder with 21.93%, in April accepted the Standby Offer for the acquisition of all of Barloworld’s ordinary shares for a cash consideration of R120 per share, with additional conditions, by the recently formed special purpose consortium, Newco. Newco on Monday said the recommended conditions principally relate to its commitment as stated in the PIC undertaking announcement to implement a 13.5% broad-based black economic empowerment transaction in Barloworld after the delisting of Barloworld from the JSE and A2X. Newco comprises Entsha Proprietary and Gulf Falcon Holding, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zahid Group. The Commission’s recommendation will now be…

SpaceX’s rockets ferry US astronauts to the International Space Station. Its Starlink satellite constellation blankets the globe with broadband, and the company is embedded in some of the Pentagon’s most sensitive projects, including tracking hypersonic missiles. So when President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to cancel Elon Musk’s federal contracts, space watchers snapped to attention. Musk, the world’s richest person, shot back that he would mothball Dragon -- the capsule NASA relies on for crew flights -- before retracting the threat a few hours later. For now, experts say mutual dependence should keep a full-blown rupture at bay, but the episode exposes just how disruptive any break could be. Founded in 2002, SpaceX leapfrogged legacy contractors to become the world’s dominant launch provider. Driven by Musk’s ambition to make humanity…

Greencoat Renewables Plc (GRP), a leading owner and operator of European renewable energy infrastructure assets, officially debuted its secondary listing on the JSE's AltX on Monday. GRP remains listed on the Alternative Investment Market in London and the Euronext Growth Market in Dublin. The listing presents a significant opportunity for the Irish-based company, which has a current market capitalisation of €850 million (R17.2 billion), to diversify its shareholder base, enhance liquidity and position itself to take advantage of growth opportunities over time, it said in a statement. GRP offers South African investors access to a large and diversified Pan-European platform consisting of 40 renewable energy assets across five countries, producing 1.5GW of energy. This high-quality and modern portfolio is underpinned by long-term, European government-backed cashflows. In 2024, GRP generated…

South Africa's Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policies are here to stay. These were the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa who once again re-affirmed the country's affirmative action policies as key to economic transformation and inclusion. This comes as the DA among others have recently voiced their opposition to the country's economic policies. Ramaphosa and Minister of International Relations, Ronald Lamola during their recent address before the Black Business Council summit, affirmed the current legislative framework. In his newsletter yesterday, Ramaphosa indicated that the country's economy will not succeed without the current policies, adding that now is not the time to back-track on these policies as they are the cornerstone of economic inclusion and the much-needed economic growth as enshrined in the constitution and the Freedom Charter. "Our Constitution reflects…

Teacher unions are warning of burnout and mental health challenges among educators as a result of being overloaded with work due to the thousands of vacancies across provinces. The unions blamed the vacancies on the austerity measures imposed by the national government. The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the National Teachers Union (Natu) stated that these austerity measures are damaging the quality of education and putting lives at risk. Natu said during the 2023/24 financial year, over 23 000 posts in provincial education departments across the country were cut, with the total number of unfilled but funded vacancies exceeding 46 000. The unions said overcrowding in classrooms deprives pupils of individual teacher attention, while teachers are burdened with increased administrative work, leading to burnout and mental health challenges.…

The treatment meted out to a woman arrested at King Shaka International Airport on vague suggestions that she may be involved in fraud, and her subsequent 10 nightmare days in custody amounted to horrific suffering. This is according to the Supreme Court of Appeal in awarding her R580,000 in damages. Cynthia Khedama earlier won her case in the KwaZulu Natal High Court against the police. She was initially awarded R580,000 in damages, but on appeal before a full bench of the court the amount was reduced to R350,000. Khedama appealed before the SCA against the reduced amount. She initially claimed R1 million in damages from the police. The SCA, in upholding the appeal, commented that in considering the treatment and conditions which prevailed in almost all places where she was…

LONDON: Embrace the grandeur of the occasion. That’s Shukri Conrad’s message to his young Proteas team as they prepare to face Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s. An “ordinary” Test at Lord’s – if such a thing exists – is customarily associated by pomp or splendour. The Members Pavillion is adorned with males in navy blue blazers with gold buttons with their necks held up by red and yellow ties – affectionately known as egg and bacon in these parts – that smells of opulence and inheritance. And the rest of the stands from the Mount to the Tavern are filled with London’s most swanky sipping French champagne in crystal glasses. It’s a far cry from wearing shorts and plakkies whilst finishing off a boerie and beer…

Ireland’s inability to advance past World Cup quarter-finals is fresh in our minds after their dramatic exit at the hands of New Zealand in 2023, but it is hardly anything new. When the men from the Emerald Isle lost 36-12 to France on this day in 1995, it was their third consecutive exit at the last-eight stage of a World Cup. Mind you, there had been only two previous World Cups — the tournament was launched in 1987. So, the trend of Ireland losing quarter-finals was entrenched from the word go and to this day they have not got the monkey of their backs. Truly not much has changed because, like 2023, the 1995 Ireland team looked strong in the pool games. They had given the imperious All Blacks a…

Impending closure of Kariega tyre manufacturing plant stirs myriad of concerns regarding SA’s macroeconomic policy The announcement of Goodyear South Africa's impending closure of its tyre manufacturing plant in Kariega after 78 years of operation has stirred a myriad of concerns regarding the nation's macroeconomic policy and its capacity to lure and sustain investments. Goodyear South Africa on Monday confirmed that they would be undergoing a restructuring at their plant and that this would affect more than 900 jobs, coming as the manufacturing sector's output in the country has been dwindling. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) also confirmed on Friday that it had received a section 189 notice from Goodyear. The tyre manufacturing giant said it was transforming its go-to-market strategy in the Europe, Middle East…

In corporate governance theory, whistleblowing is presented as a noble act. It is the final alarm bell when internal controls, risk systems and ethics programmes fail to deter wrongdoing. But in practice, whistleblowers often pay the price for their courage. They are labelled disloyal, isolated, retaliated against, quietly restructured out, or, in the worst case, wiped out. The real shame is that this frequently happens under the watch of boards of directors that claim to uphold integrity and accountability. Boards often approve whistleblowing policies and list them in their governance reports. Hotlines are set up, ethics posters are displayed, and employees are encouraged to “see something, say something.” But what happens after that initial call is made? Who follows up or protects the whistleblower? More often than not, boards delegate…

In the past, there has been a failure to prepare young people for the technology-driven world. Some schools still lack computer labs. In general, the education sector has been playing the catch-up game at school level. In the Artificial Intelligence (AI) age, there’s no need to play the catch up game. There’s a need to assign each school learner an Artificial Intelligence (AI) to serve as an education companion. For now, the idea of implementing an AI for each learner may seem impractical due to costs and general readiness. Such obstacles need not stand in the way of designing now, for an education system that embraces AI for each learner. What would be the use of AI for a school learner? The current education system has been lacking data about…

Alexforbes delivered a strong set of results for the year ended March 21, 2025 on the back of a strong investment performance and as the group celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Profit for the year from continuing operations improved 28% to R745 million, owing to a significant decrease in non-trading and capital items. CEO Dawie de Villiers said, “What excites me about Alexforbes is the way we have punched above our weight for 90 years and the impact we’ve had on the financial services industry. We have influenced and led real change and continue to do so and most importantly, we secure the financial well-being of members in the retirement funds that we serve. “With the vision of transforming clients’ financial journeys, I am proud to share that we…

For many couples, sharing a bed is a symbol of intimacy, but it doesn’t always guarantee a restful night’s sleep. This is true for people who have to sleep next to a partner whose snoring keeps them up all night, or whose tossing and turning turns into a nightly struggle. This is where the idea of a “sleep divorce”, essentially sleeping in separate beds or rooms, comes into play. While the term might sound dramatic, sleep divorce has nothing to do with ending a marriage. Instead, it’s about prioritising rest by choosing to sleep separately. A sleep divorce refers to a mutual decision between partners to sleep separately in order to improve the quality of their sleep and, often, their relationship. It doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s trouble in paradise.…

National prosecutions boss Shamila Batohi is facing renewed criticism from several parties, including the EFF, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and ActionSA, over her recent statements about sabotage within the NPA. Last week Batohi, responding to criticism over several embarrassing defeats in high-profile cases said there had been "infiltration" of the prosecution service, but later backtracked, saying she had used the wrong term and instead that certain cases were being deliberately sabotaged. Despite the backtracking by Batohi, the parties remain unconvinced and are demanding accountability, saying if there is sabotage then this happened under her watch and she should take responsibility by stepping down. The MK Party yesterday expressed concern over Batohi's statements, emphasising the need for transparency and accountability within the NPA. “We are the first ones to call for…

The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture has taken significant steps towards healing historical injustices by announcing two transformative projects: the reburial of Khoi and San ancestral human remains, and the second phase of the Exile Repatriation Project. These initiatives not only aim to restore dignity to ancestors but also honour the memory of those who sacrificed everything for the nation’s freedom. Minister Gayton McKenzie emphasised the need to correct historical wrongs, saying: “These are acts of justice, remembrance, and healing.” The minister acknowledged the individuals whose lives were marked by dispossession and erasure. “Today we gather not only to give an update but to honour the memory of those whose dignity was stolen through centuries of injustice.” The first initiative focuses on the reburial of 58 ancestral remains originating…

A City Law Enforcement officer attached to the Anti-Land Invasion Unit has been arrested on charges of murder, kidnapping, and extortion. A multi-disciplinary operation led by the Hawks, Provincial Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and Provincial Organised Crime, resulted in the apprehension of the 43-year-old officer. Hawks spokesperson Siyabulela Vukubi said the kidnapping is alleged to have taken place on May 16 in Kraaifontein. “The victim was last seen by a friend who reported that the victim went to Bellville to view a vehicle he intended to purchase and never came back. “Instead, another friend of the victim received a call from the victim reporting that he had been kidnapped and was being assaulted,” Vukubi said. Simultaneously, the suspects demanded a ransom of R100 000 for the victim’s release. The suspects made further…

A justice system teetering between institutional collapse and captured governance On June 3, the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein ruled that the extradition of Moroadi Cholota from the US to South Africa was unlawful. This landmark judgment by Judge Loubser has not only released the State’s key figure in the high-profile R255 million asbestos corruption case but also cleared the way for the prosecution of others involved. Still, it has also exposed deep procedural and constitutional failings within South Africa’s prosecutorial regime. Cholota’s unlawful extradition from the US and subsequent release by the Free State High Court reveal more than just procedural oversight, they expose systemic dysfunction, a repurposing of primary objectives of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) as articulated in its strategic ethos and unravels the credibility of…

South African athletics legend Caster Semenya remains determined to see her marathon battle against World Athletics (WA) — to secure equal rights for female athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) — over the line. The former Olympic and world 800m champion is still waiting for a verdict from the highest chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. It has been almost a year since deliberations began. The challenge initially targeted World Athletics’ draconian rules that forced DSD athletes with elevated testosterone levels to take medication in order to be eligible to compete against other women. Semenya, who has DSD but identifies as a woman, had hoped that a victory would allow her to compete again without limitations. However, as the legal battle has dragged on, the former track…