Inhoudsopgave van 2025-09-05 - Cape Times

B20 South Africa tables recommendations that encompass the “hopes of millions” across Africa Business leaders under Business 20 (B20) South Africa have made recommendations to G20 governments calling for policies that spearhead infrastructure development and funding, job creation, empowerment of small to medium enterprises, as well promotion of investment into industrialisation and digital inclusion. B20 serves as the official business community dialogue platform with the G20, an international forum bringing together the world’s major economies, with South Africa currently chairing the G20 and handing over to the United States in November. B20 South Africa, with input from other business leaders across the continent, on Thursday tabled policy recommendations that encompass the “hope of millions” across Africa. “These recommendations are not just policy proposals. They form a blueprint for the transformation…

Cash-strapped and in dire need of 30 000 naira (about $20), Mariam Ogundairo turned to a loan app, downloading it and registering her phone number. The money was quickly sent over but came with a 21.6 percent interest rate, due in two weeks. Like many in Nigeria, battered by inflation, Ogundairo was too broke to pay back what she owed. Then came a deluge of harassment - a tactic that has become the hallmark of many loan apps in Africa's fourth-largest economy. "They started calling my phone contacts when I couldn't pay back on time, saying I owed them," Ogundairo told AFP. "I lost my security, and it makes me so sad and scared." Such loan apps in Nigeria, branded "predatory" by campaigners, are texting threats and leaking sensitive photos…

As South Africa grapples with an unemployment rate at 32.9%, young people are responding not with resignation, but with innovation. One of the most promising shifts emerging in the digital economy is the rise of personal shoppers — a model that is quietly reshaping the face of e-commerce across the country. Traditionally viewed as a premium or niche service, personal shopping is evolving into a powerful bridge between formal retail and underserved markets. Defined by SME South Africa as individuals who buy goods and services on behalf of others, personal shoppers are increasingly filling critical gaps in access, logistics, and digital literacy —particularly for consumers in townships and rural areas. Entrepreneurs like Jabulile Ngcobo, widely known as The Joburg Runner, exemplify this trend. Using platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, she…

South Africa is navigating an increasingly uncertain macroeconomic landscape. Inflationary pressures, sluggish growth, high unemployment, and persistent structural failures are coalescing into a difficult reality for investors and entrepreneurs alike. For high-net-worth individuals, the risks are compounded by rising fiscal desperation and regulatory volatility. Inflation, once thought to be a temporary consequence of global supply shocks, has revealed deeper vulnerabilities in South Africa’s economy. Persistent currency depreciation, inefficient state expenditure, and rising administered prices have made it clear that inflation is becoming entrenched. The South African Reserve Bank is constrained, tightening too much risks growth; doing too little risks credibility. Neither option resolves the structural deficit that continues to grow. At the same time, policy uncertainty continues to spook investors. Load-shedding, political instability, and the slow erosion of institutional capability…

Sanlam’s strong annualised return on group equity value of 18.2% for the six months to June 30 was well above its 14.7% hurdle rate and reflects strong value creation from high levels of new business and positive experience variances. The results were achieved in a challenging operating environment marked by global trade tensions and shifting investor sentiment. Group earnings, the net result from financial services, increased by 15% per share, demonstrating satisfactory performance across all operations. “The balance sheet remains healthy, our operating businesses all have tremendous momentum, and we continue to gain market share,” Sanlam Group CEO Paul Hanratty said in an online presentation. New business volumes increased by 7% in a challenging economic environment for customers, reflecting the benefit of the group’s diversified portfolio. The South Africa business…

A kidnapped Indian businessman has been reunited with his family after the South African Police Service (SAPS) anti-kidnapping task team rescued him during an operation that also left a notorious Mozambican kidnapping kingpin dead. The Indian businessman was kidnapped on July 23 this year from his business premises in Benoni. Police traced the businessman to a shack in Alexandra shortly after midnight on Thursday. His safe return followed a shootout near the R21 in Kempton Park on Wednesday evening, where the suspect known as “Dollarman” was fatally wounded. SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the suspect, António Francisco Macamamo, was a major figure in regional kidnapping syndicates. According to some security sources, Macamamo demanded that ransoms be paid strictly in US dollars — a strict condition that earned him…

A heated debate in the Western Cape Legislature has laid bare deep political divisions over how to tackle the province’s violent crime crisis. Opposition parties accused the DA of failing communities, while the governing party placed the blame squarely on national policing failures. The debate was introduced by DA MPL Gillion Bosman, who warned that the province is facing “a crisis where dangerous criminals are released on parole and are back in our communities, while SAPS vacancies remain unfilled”. Bosman said the recent spate of shootings in Delft, Gugulethu, Muizenberg, and Eerste River, which claimed more than 30 lives in just weeks, showed how the justice and policing system is failing residents. “Families are being torn apart because the system cannot keep violent offenders behind bars,” he said. Community Safety…

Unfollowed Christian White, Summer DeRoche Narrated by Anna Skellern Audible Originals INFLUENCERS are on the rise, excuse the pun. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have allowed for anyone to become a sensation overnight. But where lives are meticulously curated and presented for admiration, the stakes can become chillingly high. The newly-released audiobook Unfollowed, authored by Christian White and Summer DeRoche and narrated by the captivating Anna Skellern, plunges listeners into the world of influencer couple Jess and Nick Brooks, whose lives are turned upside down in a nightmarish twist on what it means to be “social media famous.” As they navigate the challenges of parenting two young boys, Oliver and Archie, Jess and Nick’s once-aspirational existence crumbles. During a free luxury getaway to a Balinese resort masked as the ultimate…

On 3 September, Beijing hosted a solemn ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address and inspected the armed forces. Eighty years ago, the peace-loving people from all over the world stood in solidarity against our common enemy. We fought bravely, and achieved the great victory in the anti-fascist war. This war was an unprecedented catastrophe in human history. It affected around 2 billion people in over 80 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania, and caused over 100 million casualties among military personnel and civilians. The ultimate downfall of fascism is proof that justice always triumphs over evil, light always prevails over darkness, and progressive…

Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has vowed that the government was doing everything it can to control the spread of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) that is affecting the red meat industry. Speaking while visiting communal area in North West to oversee a Cattle Vaccination Campaign on Thursday, Steenhuisen said that they secure close to a million vaccines against FMD. “They have arrived in South Africa and we are rolling out a vaccination programme in the provinces. There is a particular focus on KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and North West. We have 274 live cases around the country," he said. "We need to get on top of this as it is causing huge uncertainty and economic harm to the red meat sector." Steenhuisen added that the visit to the North West…

South Africa’s greatest untapped resource is not buried beneath our soil - it is the 10 million young people who stand at the gateway to adulthood, eager to contribute but too often locked out of the world of work. The debate has rightly focused on education, training, and skills. But there is a harder, less glamorous question we need to answer: how do we connect our youth to actual opportunities in the global economy? Beyond Skills: The Access Gap Today, the barriers facing South African youth are not only about what they know but who they can reach. A young coder in Khayelitsha, a designer in Soweto, or a logistics talent in Durban may be technically trained, but without connections to employers in Lagos, London, or Los Angeles, their skills…

The South African Revenue Service (Sars)’ proposed Value-Added Tax (VAT) Modernisation Project is geared to combat challenges faced by traders, businesses, and Sars, including compliance inefficiencies, the risk of errors, and tax evasion. Phase 1 will entail inserting key definitions into the VAT Act, including “e-credit note”, “e-debit note”, and “interoperability framework”. While this VAT Modernisation Project clearly aligns with Sars’ strategic objectives of making voluntary compliance easy, and non-compliance both hard and costly, the streamlined process will also benefit taxpayers, reducing reliance on time-consuming paper-based invoicing and reconciliations. Although this particular project is still at the proposal stage, Sars has successfully implemented a number of other “Compliance Projects” and collection drives. Sars modernisations in the age of automation Sars’ compliance success, in this age of automation, can…

Trellidor Holdings has declared a 12 cents a share dividend at the end of the first phase of its strategy to restore shareholder value. Directors of the custom-made security barrier manufacturing group said at the release of financial results on Thursday that the dividend for the year to June 30, which compared with zero dividend last year, was paid out because of successful cash generation and debt reduction over the past 24 months. They said restoration of shareholder value remains their foremost focus - the first phase had been successfully completed, being the significant reduction in debt and stabilising the balance sheet. This coupled with the disposal during the year of the Tylor shutters and blinds business and NMC interior decorative products business for R51.9 million, meant the group was…

The motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa by the MK Party is still being processed for approval before it is tabled for consideration by Parliament. This development comes on the heels of the party having to resubmit the motion in an effort to ensure compliance with parliamentary rules. This emerged when MK Party chief Colleen Makhubele enquired at the meeting of the National Assembly Programme Committee yesterday. The motion is not included in Parliament’s programme for the term, which ends with the constituency period from September 22 until October 5. “We submitted a motion of no confidence. We would like to know when it will be tabled and how far it is," Makhubele said. "I know there are amendments that were submitted. I don’t see it in the…

AMID the ongoing taxi strike that has brought Durban's public transport system to a standstill, Santaco has outlined a key demand to permanently resolve the problem of the issuing of operating permits. The SA National Taxi Council yesterday called on the eThekwini Municipality to conduct a study to determine the exact number of taxis operating in the city. Sifiso Shangase, the provincial spokesperson for Santaco, made this request amid a crippling strike by taxi operators in Durban. The taxi operators halted their services to protest against the government over the impounding of taxis by eThekwini metro police, as well as the city's failure to recommend the issuing of operating permits. The provincial government, eThekwini Municipality, and Santaco have held marathon meetings over the past two days in an attempt to…

Across the Cape Winelands, a quiet shift is gaining momentum, one rooted in mentorship, ownership and community development. It’s a shift that’s not just reshaping who gets to be part of the wine industry, but how they thrive within it. For too long, knowledge of wine was something passed around the same tables through informal apprenticeships, family networks, and closed-door connections. For many black South Africans, this meant not just exclusion from ownership, but exclusion from understanding: terroir, varietals, markets, culture. But change is happening, and mentorship is at the heart of it. According to Phil Bowes, manager of Inclusive Growth Strategies at SA Wine, the sector now supports 107 black-owned wine brands, up by 50% in just ten years, alongside 81 black-owned farms spanning grape production, logistics, and retail.…

A FEMALE hiker had a narrow escape when she was grabbed from behind, choked, assaulted, and robbed of her belongings on a popular Pipe Track trail this week. The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon when the woman was attacked near Camps Bay at about 1.50 pm. Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that an adult male suspect was arrested and is facing charges of attempted murder and robbery. “He will appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court once formally charged,” Twigg said. The Camps Bay Crime Investigation Division (CID), which assisted SANParks rangers during the operation, said: “At about 2.30 pm, our control room was made aware of information regarding a mugging that had taken place on Table Mountain above Camps Bay approximately 15 to 20 minutes earlier.…

The 2025 South Africa-Cape Town Chinese Theme Book Fair officially opened, bringing a vibrant celebration of literature and cultural exchange to the city. The event, held in Cape Town last week, aims to deepen the connection between China and South Africa through the power of books. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Li Nan, who chaired the meeting on behalf of the Chinese Publishing Delegation, emphasised the role of books as a “bridge to promote mutual understanding and communication between different countries and different nations.” “We are especially proud to present this China-Cape Book Fair, adding brilliant hues to this already vibrant bridge of cultural change,” Li stated. “Through these books, we hope to build a bridge that crosses time and space, so that South African friends can get to know…

South African households are grappling with an increasingly severe economic strain as rising inflation in essential goods and services continues to outpace wage growth, eroding purchasing power and amplifying financial vulnerability. This alarming trend disproportionately impacts low-income communities, as highlighted in the latest Cost of Living Report (CoL) published by the Competition Commission on Thursday. According to Competition Commission economist Andiswa Sibhukwana, low-income households are among the hardest hit as they spend a significant portion of their earnings on necessities. The ongoing energy crisis has exacerbated these challenges, driving electricity tariffs significantly higher, and causing additional strain on those already burdened by economic hardship. Sibhukwana pointed out that consumers face persistent inefficiencies in price transmission within the food value chain. "While some staples like canned pilchards have shown signs of…

amidst global economic uncertainty Absa Group has signalled a steady outlook for South Africa's growth despite a rocky start to the year. In its latest Quarterly Perspectives report for the third quarter of 2025 released on Thursday, Absa said available data suggested a more encouraging second quarter, with an anticipated gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 0.3% quarter-on-quarter. Absa is forecasting 2025 GDP growth of 0.9%, just 0.1 percentage point lower from its last Quarterly Perspectives in May. Assuming no further external shocks, it expects real GDP growth to improve to 1.6% in 2026 and average 2.1% in 2027-29. Miyelani Maluleke, senior economist and head of South Africa Macroeconomics Research at Absa Group, said that the external environment was showing some resilience, but uncertainty was high. “Economic activity has looked…

For many motorists, the first time they truly pay attention to their insurance policy is when they need to submit a claim after an accident. One of the most common areas of confusion is the excess, the portion of the claim you are responsible for paying out of your own pocket. SAMBRA regularly receives queries from customers who are uncertain about how their excess works. SAMBRA represents almost 1,000 motor body repair businesses across South Africa and accounts for the majority of all insured repair claims in the country. The primary purpose of an excess is to discourage small or unnecessary claims. It ensures that insurance is used for significant, unaffordable losses rather than minor repairs, which keeps premiums more affordable for everyone. Excesses can vary depending on your policy:…

After stunning the oil world with a slew of production increases, OPEC+ is preparing to decide its next move at a key meeting on Sunday. Saudi Arabia and its partners have yet to decide how to proceed after completing the fast-tracked addition of 2.5 million barrels a day that was finalised at its previous gathering, several delegates said on Wednesday. Bloomberg reported at the time that the group would consider all options going forward including increasing further or maintaining current levels, and that remains the case, according to one of the delegates. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies shocked the oil market in April with the accelerated revival of a large tranche of halted supply - abandoning years of effort to shore up prices. People familiar…

The Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke says lack of accountability has normalised corruption as part of life in South Africa, and the country has regressed as a result. The AG was speaking at a three-day National Combating Corruption Summit hosted by the University of Johannesburg yesterday. The conference brings together leaders from various sectors to discuss strategies and collaborate on solutions to fight corruption This comes as South Africa scored 41 out of 100 on Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the same as its 2023 score. This indicates persistent public sector corruption, as a score below 50 is considered serious. The CPI assesses countries on a scale where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean, with South Africa ranking 82nd out of 180 countries in the 2024…

SOUTH AFRICANS remain deeply pessimistic about their country’s direction, with 80% saying the nation is on the wrong track. According to Ipsos’ latest “What Worries the World” study, this represents a return to pre-election pessimism levels, despite an initial surge in optimism following the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in mid-2024. The monthly tracking data provides a compelling narrative of online South African sentiment over the past 20 months, reflecting major political developments. The study shows how public mood fluctuated from the uncertainty preceding the May 2024 national elections, through the challenging GNU negotiations in June, to a notable improvement in July-September 2024 when optimism peaked at 40%. “The ‘What Worries the World’ study offers a snapshot of world opinion on pressing global issues. The cornerstone of…

Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development has welcomed the decision to admit 16 amici curiae (friends of the court) who will assist the Western Cape High Court with insights concerning the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa. In its litigation, the applicants challenge the constitutionality of provisions under the Sexual Offences Act 23 of 1957, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 (SORMA), and the City of Cape Town By-Law on Streets, Public Places, and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances (the By-laws), insofar as they criminalise the provision and solicitation of sex work. The main application, brought by S.H. and Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), against the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, will be heard on May 18 to 20,…

Timeless South African: Celebrating 101 Iconic Dishes Ilse van der Merwe Loot.co.za (R428) Penguin Random House Acclaimed author Ilse van der Merwe officially launched her newest cookbook, Timeless South African: Celebrating 101 Iconic Dishes, published by Penguin Random House South Africa in August. The launch took place at Workshop17, Watershed, at the V&A Waterfront. Timeless South African beautifully curates a selection of 101 dishes deeply woven into the South African culinary fabric – whether staples or celebratory fare, each dish stands as a testament to our nation’s warmth, diversity, and shared heritage. From vetkoek and amagwinya to koeksisters and gatsby, and the storied origins of bobotie, hertzoggies, and Durban bunny chow, the book marries rich storytelling with stunning full-page photography. The launch in collaboration with Loot.co.za unfolded with the charismatic…

Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile has pledged his commitment to the club after a much-discussed move away failed to materialise, insisting he is ready to fight for his place in the team. The Brazilians endured a challenging transfer window, marked by several departures and uncertainty around key players’ futures. For coach Miguel Cardoso, having his star striker available again comes as a major boost as Sundowns chase domestic dominance and an elusive second CAF Champions League title. The club has made significant changes to the squad, letting go of some players while welcoming new faces, including former Stellenbosch FC defender Fawaaz Basadien. Shalulile was one of the most talked-about players of the window, with strong rumours linking him to a move to North Africa. At 31, and with his starting…