Fitch Hands South Africa Its First Credit Upgrade in 21 Years
Fitch has lifted South Africa's sovereign rating to BB, the first upgrade in nearly 21 years, rewarding years of hard-won fiscal discipline.
Pick n Pay Hits Pause on 22,000-Job Retrenchment After Government Steps In
A six-hour showdown between the retailer, unions and the Labour Minister has bought 22,000 workers time — but the retrenchment threat is far from over.
Unemployment Epidemic
The economy shed 345,000 jobs in Q1 2026, pushing official unemployment to 32.7% — 8.1 million people — and the expanded rate to 43.7%. The numbers behind the crisis, and where the pressure is worst.
SA Becomes World's Largest Citrus Exporter
South Africa shipped 2.9 million tonnes of citrus in 2025 — overtaking Spain as the world's largest exporter by volume. How agriculture quietly became one of SA's export heavyweights.
Capitec goes Mobile
Calls between Capitec Connect users are now free — an industry first for SA mobile. Why a bank is giving away airtime, and what it says about Capitec's push beyond banking.
SA Artists Bank Over R500m on Spotify
South African artists earned over R504 million in Spotify royalties last year — up 28%, and nearly double 2023. Who's cashing in, and what it says about SA's place in global streaming.
The case for paying South African founders less.
The R1.8m–R2.4m Series-A founder salary arrived from the Bay Area via Twitter and quietly became SA consensus. Opinion: why the benchmark is wrong for this market, and what to pay instead.
POPIA's first big fine: R8m and a precedent.
The Information Regulator has issued an R8m fine for a breach-notification failure — POPIA's first big-ticket penalty. The amount is unremarkable; the precedent is the news.
Capitec opened 60 sites in a quarter.
Capitec opened 60 branches in a quarter — record pace, mostly township and peri-urban — while the rest of banking shrinks its footprint. The contrarian thesis behind the build-out.
Sasol guides earnings down 18%.
Sasol warned full-year headline earnings will fall 15–21%. The shares dropped 6.2%; the bonds barely moved. What's driving the guidance, and what the two markets are telling you.
Naspers sells R12bn of Tencent to fund a buyback.
Naspers is selling ±R12bn of Tencent to fund a R10bn buyback — the eighth such trade in two years. The 40% discount logic, and why it hasn't closed.
Reserve Bank holds at 7.25%.
The MPC voted 3–2 to hold the repo rate at 7.25% — a third straight hold, fully priced in. Hawkish language, neutral substance: what Kganyago's wording signals about cuts.