Cape Times 2025-10-21

China's economic growth slipped below 5 percent in the third quarter of 2025, official data showed Monday, the slowest pace in a year in the face of trade headwinds and a stubborn domestic consumer slump. The data was released just hours before state news agency Xinhua announced the start of a closely watched four-day meeting in Beijing with top Communist Party officials focused on long-term economic planning. It also comes ahead of in-person discussions later this month between top Chinese and US trade officials - as well as a potential meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Trump earlier this month threatened blistering 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods from November 1, in response to Beijing's sweeping export controls in the strategic rare earths sector. Gross domestic product in…

OBP 2024/25 Annual Performance Report shows a “collapse” of the State-owned vaccine producer The Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) has raised serious concerns about the performance of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), following the release of its 2024/25 Annual Performance Report, which the organisation says signals a “collapse” of the State-owned vaccine producer. According to Saai on Monday, the report — presented before the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture — shows that OBP achieved only 62% of its performance targets, missed R100 million in revenue, and again received a qualified audit opinion with four unresolved findings. Profit reportedly declined from R231m in 2023/24 to R186m in 2024/25, while vaccine production dropped by 24%. Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai, said these figures reflect a deepening crisis rather than isolated administrative problems. Rossouw said…

South African businesses have been given a clear roadmap for international expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the country is actively seeking new trade corridors and investment opportunities. This was during a high-level investment briefing hosted by the Creative Zone by Encor, the United Arab Emirates’ business setup advisory firm, and Azanyah Trade Hub, in partnership with the UAE Embassy in South Africa on Monday. The UAE’s status as a global business and investment hub—offering 100% foreign ownership, a favourable tax environment, investor-friendly regulations, and access to international capital—was presented as an attractive gateway for South African industries such as mining, agriculture, ICT, healthcare, logistics, real estate, and manufacturing. The event brought together senior government officials, investors, corporate leaders, and small and medium enterprises representatives for strategic discussions…

Eskom has welcomed the release of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025, describing it as a critical roadmap for balancing energy security, affordability, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic development as South Africa advances its transition from high-carbon to low-carbon energy sources. This comes after Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, on Sunday announced that the newly unveiled the IRP 2025 will unlock R2.2 trillion in investment over the next 15 years — a programme he described as the largest infrastructure build initiative in South Africa’s democratic history. Ramokgopa said the investment would be an off-balance sheet intervention, largely funded by the private sector through opportunities outlined in the IRP, which seeks to shift the country’s energy mix toward cleaner sources. The IRP outlines the addition of 11 270 megawatts…

One of the challenges of the structural reforms we have been working with the government to deliver is the patience required for the payoff. Reforms take time to translate into measurable economic outcomes, and the lag between implementation and impact can test the resolve of even the most committed stakeholders. For example, the remarkable success in reforming our electricity sector will only really deliver in GDP growth terms when firms are confident again to invest and expand capacity. A stable power supply removes a constraint, but it takes time for businesses to assess the new landscape, secure financing and commit capital to long-term projects. Similarly, an efficient logistics system pays off when companies find they can efficiently supply new global markets and build the plant or expand capacity to do…

Governance is often a dance between movement and stillness. Decisions, debates and deadlines create a rhythm that can easily overwhelm the deeper discipline of reflection. Yet, within that motion, there must exist what the poets have called a "still point"; a centre of clarity where judgment is not rushed by noise and perspective is not lost to pace. The most effective boards learn to find this balance. They move with purpose but pause with intention. Balance in governance is not neutrality. It is the wisdom to act without haste, to lead without domination and to decide without losing sight of principle. The modern board operates in constant tension between risk and opportunity, regulation and innovation, duty and empathy. These tensions are not flaws in the system; they are its pulse.…