Cape Times

There is a marked improvement on the coal export rail line to Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), which said on Tuesday it was eyeing expanded export volumes, with Transnet attributing the improved shipments to implementation of solutions to end train delays, stoppages and inefficiencies. Logistics logjams related to Transnet’s rail constraints have been blamed for lower export performance by South African bulk miners although the freight rail operator has started to improve. RBCT board chairperson, Nosipho Damasane, said they had sought to accelerate efficient movement of coal to the terminal pending finalisation of reforms for Transnet. The terminal had joined hands with Transnet on implementation of short-term measures to short circuit challenges that were slowing down coal shipments for export. “So we moved away from diagnosis of the problems to…

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has announced that South Africa has resumed submitting Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) field strains to the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom, marking the first time since 2011 that the country has sent samples to the global authority. Steenhuisen said the Pirbright Institute serves as the World Reference Laboratory for FMD. While the institute does not manufacture vaccines, it plays a critical role in determining whether vaccines used globally match the virus strains currently circulating in the field. Steenhuisen noted that over the past year, the Department of Agriculture had already sent various materials to the Pirbright laboratory as part of routine sharing among World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reference laboratories, most recently in the last quarter of 2023. “The reason WOAH reference laboratories share circulating…

Trade and industry department confirms that discussions on proposed changes are under way Tongaat Hulett is seeking policy and regulatory reforms it believes are critical to the survival of South Africa’s sugar industry, with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) confirming that discussions on proposed changes are under way. The embattled sugar producer, which has been battling to recover from a financial and debt scandal, remains under business rescue and is struggling to implement its turnaround plan. Now, knowledgeable sources within South Africa’s government and industry have told Business Report that Tongaat Hulett could be forced to halt business rescue implementation and availing of funding should the company fail to secure reforms related to the South Africa Sugar Association (Sasa). “The winning bidder is dangling a carrot…

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has called on government to impose steep tariffs on imports from BRICS partners China and India, warning that local industry is under siege and that trade imbalances are deepening. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim made the remarks during a parliamentary briefing by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and automotive industry stakeholders on the implementation of the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM) on Tuesday. While labour supports investment and does not oppose South Africa’s BRICS membership, Jim said government must reassess the value of its trade partnerships at a time when the domestic auto sector is facing intense import pressure and heightened global trade tensions. "We are not against BRICS. We are not against China. But if Chinese…

Welcome back to the grind and cheers to a kinder 2026. As December fever caught us, many of us slipped seamlessly into familiar rituals: deciding who is hosting, delegating food purchases, planning menus, preparing game-day logistics, and coordinating family gatherings. These moments are about joy, connection, and celebration. But here is a question worth sitting with: While we were planning the fun, were we intentional about how we separated and disposed of our waste at home? Not just whether the bin was taken out, but whether food waste was separated, recyclables cleaned and sorted, and residual waste truly minimised. If the honest answer is “not really,” then that’s not a failure. It’s a signal. It tells us that waste separation and conscious disposal are still not muscle memory. They…

South Africa’s recent removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and European Union’s (EU) grey list was rightly met with both relief and some pride. It signals that, after two years of intense scrutiny and reform, South Africa has made tangible progress in strengthening its guardrails to counter terrorist financing, and combat fraud and money laundering. But, as significant as this is, it’s only the end of the beginning. South Africa’s real financial reputation test starts now as the global system that judged us moves into a much stricter era. The FATF may have cleared South Africa, but its scrutiny will continue into 2026 and 2027 to ensure that the actions taken deliver measurable outcomes and enforcement. Heavier paperwork, slow processing, heightened scrutiny and even disrupted payment flows will…