Tabla de contenidos para 2026-01-07 en Mercury

Labour unions are warning of an impending confrontation with government over the urgent setting and implementation of new electricity tariffs for ferrochrome smelters, after Transalloys has become the latest company to issue a retrenchment notice amid persistently high power costs. Transalloys said in late December that it had issued a Section 189 notice that could impact 600 jobs, which could take effect in the coming weeks. The company warned that it is no longer able to sustain operations under the current electricity pricing regime. Transalloys CEO, Konstantin Sadovnik, said electricity is the smelter’s biggest cost driver and that, at current Nersa-approved tariff levels, the company was unable to compete with international rivals. "That gap makes sustained operation impossible. The smelter has no choice in the matter. We regret placing this…

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has dismissed allegations that it lacks the capacity to manage security checkpoints at its airports, particularly passenger and baggage screening points, following reports that the entity has been informally recruiting private security staff to plug staffing gaps. The claims emerge in the wake of serious security breaches last year, most notably an incident in which a passenger departed from OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) and was later found in possession of two training hand grenades upon arrival at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Workers employed by private security firms have alleged that ACSA has been “poaching” experienced personnel to work at screening checkpoints, despite internal policies that only Acsa-branded uniforms should be visible at these points. Those left behind at private firms say…

Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABInbev), the Belgium-based global brewer, said Tuesday it had exercised its right to reacquire, for about R49.16 billion, the 49.9% minority stake in its US-based metal container plants. The stake will be reacquired from a consortium of institutional investors led by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, for a price estimated to be approximately $3bn. "Our US-based metal container plant operations include seven facilities across six states and are a strategic component of our business, ensuring quality, cost efficiency, speed of innovation and supply security for our brands, while providing industry-leading manufacturing jobs and driving economic growth in communities across the US," a statement from the group's board said on Tuesday. The exercise of the repurchase option will be funded with cash-on-hand and is consistent with the group's capital…

The “second-hand economy” in South Africa is a thriving market where people buy and sell used goods, particularly clothing, contributing significantly to the local economy. By providing affordable options to consumers and creating jobs through small businesses, with platforms like Yaga and online marketplaces facilitating this trend, it is considered a growing sector with potential for further expansion due to increasing online access and a focus on sustainability. Gone are the days when the second-hand market revolved around cars as clothing has become the most prominent category in the second-hand market, including both casual wear and luxury items. Estimates suggest the second-hand clothing market alone is worth nearly R10 billion. Second-hand fashion typically has lower prices compared to fast fashion, making it more attractive to people wanting to save their…

THE business community is up in arms about the state of Pietermaritzburg and has pleaded for the intervention of the provincial government amid concerns that the city’s condition is undermining investment. The community is especially worried about cleanliness, infrastructure decay and lack of safety and security in the city. MEC for Economic Development, Musa Zondi, revealed recently in an interview with The Mercury that he had been approached by businesses in the Pietermaritzburg area, including some of the largest employers, to assist in clean-up the KwaZulu-Natal-Natal capital. Last year, the MEC announced a programme to revitalise small towns, intending to ensure that the province's economy is not solely concentrated in the larger cities. The Pietermaritzburg area, particularly the CBD, is deteriorating rapidly, with large parts of the town that…

AfriForum, which is a party in the court battle against the Information Regulator (IR) in the fight regarding the publication of matric results in newspapers, said it will strongly consider turning to court to obtain an urgent order for the results to be published next week. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is expected to announce the national pass rate on January 12 with results to appear in newspapers and be available to matric pupils on January 13. But as the IR filed a notice to appeal last month’s judgment, the media’s publication of the results cannot go ahead. The court’s judgment last month had approved the publication of the results in newspapers with the use of pupils’ exam numbers and not their names. Alana Bailey, head of cultural affairs at…

A KwaZulu-Natal firearm dealer and director of a security company says no firearms were seized and no arrests were made during a search operation by police. Jerome Chetty, a 10-year firearm dealer and director of a security company, was commenting after a post about the incident by the KZN Department of Transport. Chetty and his cousin, a policeman from Johannesburg, were stopped by police and the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza while on their way to a gunsmith in Pietermaritzburg on Monday. During the department’s #NenzaniLaEzweni Operation, the RTI, Durban metro police, and South African Police Service (SAPS) intercepted Chetty and his cousin and searched their vehicle, which contained firearms and ammunition. The department said Chetty produced an expired permit for transporting a rifle. This was…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has reassured students set to receive financial support in the 2026 academic year that an upfront payment will be made on February 1 to prevent them from being stranded at universities and TVET colleges. Addressing the media in Pretoria yesterday, NSFAS board chairperson, Dr Mugwena Maluleke, said the payment will cover the full book allowance, one month of meals, accommodation, personal care, and travel allowances. Last year, students took to the streets in Pretoria, accusing NSFAS of delaying funding to pay for residences, with some facing eviction from their landlords due to unpaid rent. They also claimed that due to the delayed funding, they were forced to attend classes on an empty stomach. Maluleke said the entity is geared up for the 2026…

Bafana Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign came to an abrupt end in the round of 16, offering moments of promise alongside clear areas for growth. While Hugo Broos’ side showed resilience and flashes of quality against Africa’s elite, inconsistency across the pitch ultimately proved costly. As South Africa reflect on their early exit, some players emerged with credit, while others saw the tournament as a missed opportunity to make their mark. Here, we rate those who saw a decent amount of minutes on the field. Ronwen Williams – 5/10 Reliable on the goal line, the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper could do little as six goals were conceded across the tournament, many through no fault of his own. More than just a shot-stopper, Williams played a key leadership role, helping marshal…

1996 Bafana Bafana AFCON-winning squad member Roger De Sa has weighed in on the team’s run at the ongoing continental showpiece, diverting from “popular opinion”. Bafana were eliminated from the event in the Last 16 on Sunday night after losing 2–1 to Cameroon at the Agdal Medina Stadium in Rabat. That result stung for the team and their supporters as they arrived at the event full of confidence that they would emulate the ’96 class and surpass their third-place finish from the last edition in Ivory Coast. After all, Hugo Broos and his men had done well in the past few months following the event in Ivory Coast, qualifying for AFCON without a loss and automatically securing their ticket to the World Cup finals in June for the first time…

S&P Global says headline PMI declined to 47.7 in December, from 49.0 in November Business conditions in South Africa deteriorated sharply in December, with the S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) falling to its weakest level in nearly a year as subdued demand weighed heavily on output and new orders. S&P Global on Tuesday said the headline PMI declined to 47.7 in December from 49.0 in November, remaining below the 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction and signalling a faster decline in private-sector activity. The index has now been in contraction territory throughout the final quarter of the year, with December’s reading the lowest in 11 months. According to S&P Global, the downturn was driven by a sharp fall in business activity, which contracted at its steepest…

Botswana’s long-standing growth model, anchored in diamond revenues and strong public institutions, is facing mounting strain, with deep-seated structural bottlenecks threatening the country’s medium-term growth prospects and efforts to diversify the economy, according to a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) analysis. In its recent Selected Issues Paper, "Addressing Growth Bottlenecks in Botswana", the IMF warned that while Botswana achieved exceptional economic and social progress after independence, economic momentum has weakened markedly over the past two decades. Growth has slowed, unemployment, particularly among the youth, has risen to persistently high levels, and fiscal and external buffers have eroded. The IMF said the situation has been exacerbated by a sharper-than-expected and likely prolonged decline in global diamond demand, which triggered a severe economic contraction in 2024. With fiscal space now constrained and…

Experts have raised alarm over the potential global economic and energy market consequences following reports that the United States launched a military operation in Venezuela over the weekend, resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Dr Sakhile Hadebe, a lecturer in Political Science and International Relations at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), on Tuesday said the reported US action represents a dangerous turning point in the global political economy, with implications far beyond Venezuela. “While framed in Washington as a targeted intervention, the ripple effects extend far beyond Caracas, particularly for an already fragile global economy,” Hadebe said. “The most immediate impact would be felt in energy markets. Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, yet years of sanctions and underinvestment have already constrained its output.”…

Welcome to 2026! If December was anything like usual, the aftereffects of all that festive cheer are probably still catching up with you. Between the Christmas lunches where you couldn’t get enough peppermint tart and that New Year’s Eve party where the bubbly flowed a little too freely, your body might be begging for a time-out. After stepping onto the scale, you might feel the urge to lace up your takkies and run a half-marathon or commit to a punishing juice cleanse. But before you rush into a gruelling gym routine or set impossible resolutions, take a breath. Here is how to press the reset button the right way. Drink more water Alcohol and salty festive snacks are a recipe for dehydration. That sluggish, foggy feeling you have is often…

TEACHER unions are warning of chaos when schools reopen next week, pointing out that schools are not ready and that not all the Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) are in place to ensure a smooth start to the 2026 academic year. The unions in KwaZulu-Natal stated that the schools have not received all their LTSM that were supposed to be delivered by last year. The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal revealed this week that it is working to ensure that some of the LTSM supplies are available to schools this week. The education department is facing financial challenges, which have prompted an intervention by the provincial Treasury. This intervention dictates that the Treasury must approve the spending by the department of amounts above a certain threshold. Some observers have…

The murder case of Warrick Robert Stock, popularly known as DJ Warras, was postponed to next week when the accused appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The accused, 44-year-old Victor Mthethwa Majola, made a brief appearance in court, where the matter was postponed to January 13 for a formal bail application. During proceedings, the magistrate inquired about Majola’s well-being while in custody and asked whether he had received medical treatment at the Johannesburg prison. Majola confirmed that he had been attended to, in telling the court that he saw a doctor on Monday. Majola claims to be injured and had requested medical attention during his previous appearance. Stock was shot and killed outside the Zambesi House building in Johannesburg’s CBD in December. He had been employed as a security…

ANC branches in KwaZulu-Natal are finalising their elections in preparation for the provincial conference. This was revealed by the party spokesperson Fanle Sibisi in an interview yesterday. According to the new deadline, which was announced by the party’s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula at the National General Council last month, the provincial task team’s term of office was extended to February after the province failed to hold a provincial elective conference at the end of November. Mbalula had slammed the provincial leadership structure, describing it as a significant disappointment. He also announced that there would be changes in the structure, which will see the removal of some and new leaders appointed. Despite Mbalula’s criticism, Sibisi said the party in the province is moving ahead with its programmes of reviving the organisation. He…

A convicted child rapist will continue serving his life term after his appeal against his conviction and sentence failed in the Western Cape High Court. Songezo Wulana, who was 43-years-old during trial proceedings, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Parow Regional Court for the rape of an 11-year-old child whom he had given R20 to in exchange for her silence. The child, who was the accused's neighbour, told the court that she took the money from her rapist as she wanted to buy chips for herself and returned to his home twice after the initial incident. “During cross-examination, she maintained that (Wulana) raped her. She also stated that she took the R20 that he gave her as she was desperate for it. She wanted to buy chips for herself.…

THIS season, Connor Esterhuizen has come into his own, scoring big runs across the formats and showing maturity while doing it. The 24-year-old has always been earmarked as one to watch for the future because of his explosive game in the shorter formats of the game. Last season, when he played a key role in MI Cape Town winning the third edition of the SA20, he lived up to those expectations, especially since he had the big shoes of Nicholas Pooran to fill as a first choice wicket-keeper batter. This season, the right-hander has taken his game up a notch, smashing big scores domestically for the Lions including a double century and a couple of centuries in the first-class cricket, showing his class and what he can achieve in the…

Business sentiment about construction activity among civil engineering contractors improved to a multi-year high in the fourth quarter of 2025, boosted also by much better profitability. The FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index gained nine points to reach 52 in the fourth quarter of 2025. The underlying data measuring construction activity and overall profitability improved noticeably. "The civil construction survey is the best non-official gauge for infrastructure investment. On that score, the survey results are quite positive. However, the spread of activity seems to be clustered in renewable energy generation and mining, which is not bad – or even surprising – but does suggest that key reforms in other areas of the economy are still lacking," said Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, senior economist at FNB. In terms of the short-term outlook for work, the…

Jubilee Metals Group, the JSE and London-listed company focused on mining copper in Zambia, said it has received $20 million so far from the sale of its South African chrome and platinum interests. Jubilee's board said in a statement Tuesday that following completion of the sale of its South African Chrome and PGM operations, the company had received a second cash instalment of $10m from Chrome One, the company that bought the operations from Jubilee. Jubilee's Tjate platinum PGM exploration project in South Africa is not included in the disposal and in time the board plans to consider how to unlock value from this resource. The payment follows the formal completion of the sale of the South African Chrome and PGM Operations to One Chrome last week. Following the disposal,…

Venezuelan Ambassador to South Africa, Carlos Feo Acevedo, has commended South Africa for its principled stand against the recent unlawful capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This week, South Africa called on the UN Security Council to act swiftly against the US over its military operation in Venezuela, with the South African government saying the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) failure to act decisively against the US after it forcibly took Maduro and his wife, Cilla, out of Caracas was akin to inviting anarchy. Acevedo delivered an address at the South African Communist Party (SACP) Joe Slovo Lecture in Soweto yesterday, where leaders from the SACP, the ANC, and the Congress of the South African Trade Union gathered to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the passing of former SACP leader…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special advisor for investment promotion, Alistair Ruiters, still appears to be the preferred candidate to replace Ebrahim Rasool as Ambassador to the United States, ten months after the latter was expelled and declared “persona non grata” by US President Donald Trump's administration. Ruiters reportedly has a strong backing from the business community and the DA, who view him as a pragmatic, professional choice capable of navigating US markets and politics. Other candidates are ANC veteran and former Minister of Defence and Constitutional Development Roelf Meyer, Marthinus van Schalkwyk (former leader of the National Party who later joined the ANC and served as Minister of Tourism), Andries Nel (the current Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development), Gerhardus Koornhof (President’s parliamentary counsellor), Trevor Manuel (former Finance Minister) and…

One of the four men accused of murder and violence during the July unrest is seeking legal aid after running out of funds for his private defence. Ravine Naidoo, 67, terminated the services of his lawyer, advocate Ali Essop, in late 2025 due to financial constraints. Naidoo is charged alongside Trevor Gopal, the owner of Tees Tavern in Phoenix, Tyreece Govender, and Timothy Govender. The men face charges including the murder of taxi driver Njabulo Dlamini, attempted murder of Nkosikhona Madlala and Sandile Colin Sambo, public violence, and malicious damage to property. Gopal is additionally charged with incitement to commit public violence. Details of Dlamini’s death on July 12, 2021, were heard in the Durban High Court between July and August 2025. Dlamini, accompanied by Madlala and Sambo, had allegedly…

BAFANA Bafana midfielder Relebohile Mofokeng says South Africa’s round-of-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations has provided him with important lessons as his international journey continues. As the tournament enters its business end—where Africa’s top sides are battling for continental supremacy—Hugo Broos and his squad will be observing from afar, having missed out on a significant opportunity to further build on what has been a largely encouraging period for the national team. With their next competitive assignment only coming later this year at the Fifa World Cup, set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Bafana Bafana now face a lengthy wait, relying solely on international friendlies to prepare for the global showpiece. There is optimism that the disappointment suffered at AFCON will serve as…

Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith reflected on his 37th Test hundred after posting a score of 129 not out at the end of Day 3, and credited his home venue, Sydney Cricket Ground, for becoming the second batter on the all-time list of Ashes Test runs with 3663, only behind the legendary Don Bradman (5028). Smith brought up his 100 after running three off a shot to fine leg off the bowling of Jacob Bethell. This was Smith's 13th Ashes ton, with only Bradman (19) producing more. It also marked Smith's first ton of this series. "I just love batting here. Obviously, it's my home deck. I know the ground really well, (and) when I get in here, I really like batting here. The pace of the wicket sort of…

FORMER Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn described is as “weird” and “strange” that fast bowler Ottneil Baartman did not make the ICC T20 World Cup squad, despite being the leading wicket-taker in the SA20. Baartman was a key player for South Africa in the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, as he bowled a total of 19 overs in the five games he played, meaning it was only in one game that he didn’t go through his allotted four overs in a match. The right-arm quick returned an economy rate of 4.94 runs per over, an almost unheard of rate in the shortest format of the game. In the SA20, he is one of two bowlers that have crossed the 50 wickets mark, alongside Marco Jansen who has…