Table of contents for 2025-12-02 in Cape Times

South Africans showed buying confidence this Black Friday as spending surged by 64% compared to last year, defying continued financial pressures and proving that strong deals still have the power to draw consumers back into the market. Electronics emerged as the biggest winner, with sales tripling compared to last year. Physical stores also outperformed online channels as shoppers opted for hands on evaluation of major purchases. Industry analysts say this reflects the emotional nature of Black Friday shopping in South Africa, where customers still want to physically assess high value items before committing. Health and beauty purchases soared to four times last year’s levels while home furnishings spending rose three and a half times. Jewellery spending also tripled, highlighting pent up demand across discretionary categories. Payment service providers recorded exceptional…

The Ports Regulator of South Africa has approved a lower-than-requested tariff increase for the National Ports Authority (NPA), granting an average rise of 7.57% for the 2026/27 financial year—below the 9.61% originally proposed by the Authority. Announcing the Record of Decision (ROD) in Durban on Monday, Ports Regulator CEO Mukondeleli Johanna Mulaudzi said the NPA had submitted its tariff application on 1 August 2025 in line with Section 72 of the National Ports Act. The Authority had requested an allowable revenue of R16.73 billion for 2026/27, along with indicative increases of 9.61% for the two subsequent financial years. Following a detailed review of the application, public submissions, consultation presentations, and updated inflation data from the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, the Regulator determined an appropriate Revenue Requirement of R17.42bn for 2026/27.…

South Africa’s retail sector delivered robust growth in the third quarter of 2025 as consumers continued to spend on essential and discretionary fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), even while the country’s technology and durable goods market remained under sustained pressure, market researcher NielsenIQ (NIQ) South Africa said on Sunday. In its latest State of the Retail Nation report, NIQ said consumers spent nearly R167.5 billion on FMCG products across both traditional and modern trade channels during the July–September period. The figure represents a year-on-year increase of 7.1% in total sales value, supported by an 8.7% rise in unit sales. Analysts say the combination of volume growth and moderate inflation suggests that demand held up better than expected despite subdued economic conditions. The report comes at a time when South Africa is…

At the weekend, I introduced a West African founder to a UK-based WhatsApp group of high-value investors and operators I'd been plugged into a couple of years ago. The response? Crickets. Not because the founder wasn't impressive. She was. But ostensibly because the group had grown weary of introductions from people spending their social capital like venture money: liberally, hopefully, and often without carefully-curated specificity. I'd used Ghanaian Jasiel Martin-Odoom's forwardable blurb template to craft the introduction. Martin-Odoom, who leads fintech investing at Accion Venture Lab, knows a thing or two about the mechanics of connectivity. He has published hundreds of consecutive days of content and built AI tools that he says have dramatically reduced his newsletter production time. He created his forwardable blurb guide specifically because, as he puts…

Alexforbes raised its interim dividend 9% after solid performances across its corporate, investments, retail and growth market segments. "We brought stability and confidence to our clients by anchoring our propositions on the delivery of best advice. Our advice allays fears, creates clarity of thought and helps clients make better decisions. It's the role that Alexforbes has played for 90 years and will continue to do so," said the CEO Dawie de Villiers. On the JSE on Monday morning, Alexforbes' share price fell 2.22% to R8.35 after the release of the results, a price that was 11% higher over a year. To mark its 90th-year, the group launched a free e-book designed to build early money skills among children aged 7-9. "This book is our 90th birthday present to all of…

Drip Footwear was once a story of inspiration for black entrepreneurs, but it faced a severe financial crisis in 2024, leading to its liquidation. On Friday, bids opened on auction site Bidder’s Choice Group, for several items belonging to the business from the Drip Trademark and stock from the stores. Nineteen stores are listed on the website with items available for auction. Drip Footwear quickly gained popularity in South Africa, built on an inspiring origin story: Lekau Sehoana grew up in poverty, at times without shoes, and made his first pair of shoes from old denim and polyurethane in high school in 2003. The commercial brand, capitalised on the urban street culture meaning of “drip” (looking nice or stylish) and became a beacon of hope for many aspiring black business…

FORMER Ekurhuleni city manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi, has blamed a legal opinion for not taking action against suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department’s acting chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi. Mkhwanazi has been accused of entering into two memoranda of understanding for the city with Medicare 24 and CAT VIP Security, companies tied to controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, accused of attempted murder of ex-girlfriend. He had also allegedly facilitated the registration of vehicles belonging to CAT VIP Security under the name of the municipality and having them fitted with blue lights. An Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) report, had recommended that action be taken against Mkhwanazi. Testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry yesterday, Mashazi said the Ipid report investigating allegations against Mkhwanazi was forwarded directly to suspended police chief Isaac…

Shamwari’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (WRC) in the Eastern Cape recently welcomed a very unusual traveller, Mia, a spirited little meerkat who boarded her first-ever flight from Cape Town for a second chance at life. Mia’s story began in 2016 when she was rescued by Cape Nature and brought to Exotic Animal World as part of a confiscation of four meerkats. Mia arrived pregnant and missing the tip of her tail. Soon after, she gave birth and went on to raise four pups who lived long, happy lives. But as time passed, Mia outlived her companions and found herself alone, until Shamwari stepped in. As Mia settles in, she’ll enjoy sunshine, space, and the company of her own kind. For Shamwari, it is another chapter in a 33-year mission to…

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) has warned that Africa is plagued by an increasing array of illicit financial flows, with many countries serving as sources, transit points, or destinations. It added that these flows erode economic stability, fuel corruption, and sustain organised crime, causing harms that extend well beyond the continent. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and Ghana’s Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), the continent loses more than $88,6 billion (R1.66 trillion) to these flows annually. The continent also faces challenges from poverty, inequality, and climate change that can exacerbate crime rates, though safety levels vary significantly by country and region, with some nations being among the safest in the world. According to GI-TOC, large-scale scandals have frequently relied on professional intermediaries to…

South Africa’s new-vehicle market posted another month of robust growth in November, surging by 12.5% year-on-year buoyed by a favourable macroeconomic environment that strengthened household and business confidence while helping to ease affordability constraints. However, the Automotive Business Council (Naamsa) on Monday said export volumes dipped but remained resilient in view of softer global demand conditions and renewed geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, domestic sales remained firmly on an upward trajectory. Data from Naamsa showed that aggregate new-vehicle sales rose to 54 896 units, an increase of 6 113 units compared to the 48 783 units sold during the same month a year ago. The contrast with November 2024 is striking. Last year's units marked the best month of that year but was driven primarily by rental fleet deals as consumer demand…

Africa stands at a crossroads in the flow of global energy dynamics — a pivotal moment where the continent can leverage its abundant fossil fuel resources for equitable development. To ensure this outcome, stakeholders must concentrate investment on key areas like refining capacity, trading networks, and adoption of cleaner fuels if Africa is to be prepared for the 2050 projections covered in the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) 2026 Outlook Report, “The State of African Energy.” Africa’s need for refined products is set to surge, driven by demographic and economic forces. According to our report, Africa's refined product demand is projected to climb from approximately 4 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2024 to over 6 million bbl/d by 2050. While many advanced economies are moving to reduce their dependence on…

Gamers know that every millisecond counts. Whether you’re in the final circle of a battle royale, climbing the ranks in an FPS, or streaming your gameplay to the world, your monitor can make or break the experience. With the global PC gaming population having hit 907.5 million players in 2024, up from 873.5 million the year before, one piece of gear is taking centre stage: the gaming monitor. Across Africa, the gaming ecosystem is evolving rapidly. From the rise of eSports tournaments and gaming cafés to the growth of digital content creation, African gamers are demanding performance that rivals global standards. In South Africa, where the gaming market is now worth over $1 billion and growing at more than 9% annually, the monitor is fast becoming the competitive edge. And…

Standard Bank Group's financial performance for the 10 months to the end of October was broadly in line with that of the first half. This was according to a trading update released by Africa's biggest bank by assets on Monday, which said its guidance for the full financial year to end December 31, 2023, remained unchanged. The share price was trading flat at R263.61 on the JSE Monday morning, a price that was 12.56% higher over 12 months. Commenting on the operating environment, the bank's directors said on average, across the countries in which the group operates in sub-Saharan Africa, inflation has eased, and interest rates have declined. "While macroeconomic reforms and stabilisation efforts have brought relative stability, particularly in Nigeria, Angola and Ghana, sovereign stress has remained elevated in…

South Africa’s agricultural sector entered a new regulatory era this week as the Department of Agriculture officially brought the Plant Improvement Act of 2018 and its corresponding regulations into operation from Monday, 1 December 2025. The long-awaited implementation, signed into effect by President Cyril Ramaphosa following approval by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, replaces the nearly five-decade-old Plant Improvement Act of 1976. Published in Government Gazette No. 53707 on 21 November, the new Act introduces a modernised framework for the production, certification, trade and quality control of seeds and propagating material in the country. It establishes new systems for registering plant-related businesses and their premises, enforces quality standards for plants intended for cultivation and sale, and strengthens oversight of import and export activities. A key feature of the legislation…

The first 1 000 days of a child’s life, from conception to their second birthday, are the most critical window for brain development. In South Africa, that window is being systematically violated. For two decades, the nation has failed to lower its stunting rate, leaving more than 1.5 million children under five years old, equating to one in four, trapped in a cycle of undernutrition that creates a future of poverty. The data from the South African Early Childhood Review 2024 shows that we are losing the battle for a healthy nation’s future. Malnutrition, stunting and overweight South Africa faces a triple burden of child malnutrition: undernutrition (stunting), micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight. Stunting is more than just being too short for one’s age; it is the physical manifestation of chronic…

THE 1.1 million gap in the country’s HIV response represents mothers who stopped treatment because transport was too costly, men who walked away after negative clinic experiences, young people who feared disclosure, and thousands who moved between provinces without continuity of care. “It represents the painful truth that success in HIV is never permanent, said Deputy President Paul Mashatile when he addressed a World AIDS Day commemoration at Ga-Masemola Stadium, Sekhukhune District in Limpopo yesterday. Mashatile, addressed the gathering in his capacity as the chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC). The country continues to carry the highest burden of HIV globally, with an estimated eight million People Living with HIV (PLHIV), and about six million of them on life-saving treatment. To page 2…

The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) research team has completed a large-scale camera-trap survey of the Boland Mountain Complex (BMC), documenting 38 individual leopards 22 males, 11 females and 5 of unknown sex. At least two of the females were accompanied by cubs. The survey area stretches from Bainskloof in the north, through the Limietberg, Jonkershoek, Hottentots-Holland mountains and Groenlandberg, to the Kogelberg coast in the south, overlapping both the Cape Winelands and Kogelberg Biosphere Reserves. The CLT explained that they had previously conducted intensive surveys of the leopard population in the BMC during 2010 – 2012. These were the first extensive surveys of its kind in this region and provided a baseline leopard population density. “Between May and September 2025, we conducted another re-survey of the BMC, mimicking the original…

Alleged underworld figure Nafiz Modack was grilled in the Western Cape High Court over 18 SIM cards for one phone, but denies that he used any to orchestrate the assassination of Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear. Modack’s stash of SIM card numbers was in the spotlight during cross examination yesterday. Modack is alleged to have had 18 sim cards from the same phone used in communication with co-accused Zane Kilian, who also faces charges of illegally intercepting cellphone information (pinging) using the illegal cellphone-locating LAD platform. However, Modack denied that he was in communication with Kilian. The State said they would argue that given that there had been a previous attempt on Kinnear’s life, it would be too risky for the assassin to hang around outside his home suggesting pinging was required.…

The implied corruption behind the ‘coincidences’ SOUTH Africa didn’t need another scandal. We’re drowning in them. What we needed was clarity. We needed a moment where the fog lifts just long enough for the public to see the machinery behind the mess. Strangely, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, with his selective memory and careful silences, has given us exactly that. But the real revelation didn’t come from his testimony. It came from ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli, who calmly listed a string of “coincidences” that should make every South African sit upright. Let’s stop insulting ourselves. In politics, when leaders lean on the word “coincidence”, it usually means the truth is walking a little too close for comfort. What Ntuli highlighted wasn’t random. It was a pattern. A pattern so obvious that…

Johann Rupert’s group and shipping company propose restructuring of Mediclinic Holdings Remgro, the JSE-listed investment group chaired by renowned South African businessman Johann Rupert, and global shipping company MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company Holding, have proposed a restructuring of their interests in international healthcare group Mediclinic Holdings. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will see JSE-listed Remgro acquiring full ownership of Mediclinic Southern Africa and MSC's subsidiary Investment Holding Limited S.à r.l (IHL) acquiring full ownership of Hirslanden, Mediclinic's Swiss operations. Remgro and IHL will then continue to hold their respective joint interests in the Middle East and Spire Healthcare Group plc businesses. Mediclinic became 50% held by MSC, and 50% owned by Remgro in terms of an acquisition deal concluded in May 2023, and Mediclinic was delisted from the JSE,…

South Africa’s manufacturing sector took a sharp downturn in November, with the seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) plunging by 7.2 points to 42, its weakest reading in several months and well below the 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction. The steep decline was driven by worsening conditions across four of the index’s five major components, with only employment showing a marginal improvement, though it too remained in negative territory. Absa analysts noted that the PMI reflects actual changes in activity and demand rather than sentiment, making the latest figures a direct signal of renewed strain in the sector. Overall, Absa said the November PMI underscores the fragile state of South Africa’s manufacturing sector, where domestic demand remains weak, export markets are subdued, and output continues to lag,…

Tharisa, the South Africa-based platinum and chrome mining company, paid a 33% lower dividend to 3 US cents (4.5 US cents) in the year to September 30, after production fell, but headline earnings improved marginally. Reef mined increased 17.4% to 5.4Mt from 4.6Mt. PGM production fell by 4.7% to 138.3koz (thousand ounces) from 145.1koz in the previous year. Chrome concentrate production fell 8.2% to 1.56Mt compared with 1.7Mt in the previous year. The share price nudged up 0.7% to R21.65 on the JSE Monday afternoon - a year before the share price traded at R16.40. Revenue declined by 16.4% to $602.9 million. Operating profit was up 5% to $125.6m from $119.6m in the previous year. Earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation was up 5.5% to $187.3m. Headline earnings a…

“I deny offering anybody money to kill my husband.” These were the words of accused husband killer, Zurenah Smit, 59, who took the stand at the Western Cape High Court yesterday to testify about allegations that she masterminded her husband’s 2019 murder. She was questioned about allegedly having promised her co-accused R2 million to have her husband murdered. In her testimony, Smit maintained her innocence when she made bare denials of being involved with robberies and the 2019 murder carried out at Louisenhof Farm, where she lived with her slain husband Stefan Smit. Smit denied allegations that she drugged her husband to steal R235,000, a firearm, and Kruger Rand coins from a safe. “I had no reason to drug my husband. He was taking care of me and provided for…

In a bittersweet twist of fate, Themba Zwane, the celebrated forward for Mamelodi Sundowns, made a much-anticipated return to the football pitch on Friday during the CAF Champions League match against Algerian hosts MC Alger. Yet, this well-deserved comeback proved too little, too late for the 36-year-old striker, who has been left out of Bafana Bafana’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Morocco later this month. Zwane’s brief appearance, lasting the final two minutes of a goalless encounter, was a heartening sight for fans and a testament to his perseverance and dedication to regaining match fitness. National team coach Hugo Broos, however, opted against including him in the 25-man squad announced on Monday, citing the need for immediate readiness just weeks before the tournament. “We don’t…

Marco Jansen fondly remembers the first time he encountered Indian legend Virat Kohli. Still a gangling teenager back then, Jansen and his identical twin brother, Duan, were called up to be “net bowlers” to the touring India squad at a Wanderers training session. Despite not being called on during the first day, the Jansen brothers waited patiently before getting their chance the next day. “There were two days at the Wanderers. The first day was both my brother and myself, we didn't bowl a single ball or we bowled like the last 20 minutes,” Jansen said, after the Proteas’ 17-run defeat to India in the first ODI in Ranchi. “And then in those 20 minutes, I think Ravi Shastri was the coach back then. “He asked us to please…

Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal deserved respect after the English Premier League leaders battled to a bruising 1-1 draw with title rivals Chelsea at the end of a gruelling week. Arteta’s injury-hit side salvaged a point at Stamford Bridge thanks to Mikel Merino’s 59th-minute header. It took everything Arsenal had to emerge unscathed after fired-up Chelsea ignored Moises Caicedo’s 38th-minute red card and took the lead through Trevoh Chalobah’s 48th-minute header. Arteta was especially impressed with Arsenal’s display because they started a Premier League match without injured centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for the first time this season. Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres were only fit enough for the bench, while Leandro Trossard was also absent due to injury. In the circumstances, Arteta was delighted to see his team refuse…