Shoprite shrugs off the gloom with 268 new stores
Shoprite opened 268 stores and spent R3.9 billion expanding in just six months, even as Pick n Pay and SPAR scaled back.
Business Bagel News
Daily news from the Business Bagel desk — the markets, money and company stories shaping South Africa, reported fast and kept clear.
Business lobby questions the Reserve Bank's rate hike
Sacci says the Reserve Bank's 25-basis-point hike to 7% is hard to justify in a stagnant economy, though economists back the pre-emptive move.
Shareholders get teeth on executive pay as new company law bites
New sections of the Companies Amendment Act introduce a two-strike rule on executive pay votes, with directors risking their remuneration-committee seats.
Breaking
US tariffs on SA exports appear to be backfiring
Despite Washington's tariffs, the value of South African exports to the United States has risen 11% since the levies took effect in August 2025.
Big story
SA's two-speed economy: mining surges as factories slip
Mining output jumped 8.2% in April while manufacturing fell 2.9%, laying bare an uneven South African recovery.
Editor’s pick
Alexforbes assets swell to R733 billion as profit jumps 22%
Alexforbes grew its closing assets 22% to R733 billion and lifted normalised profit 22%, though headline earnings stayed muted.
Rand holds its nerve as Middle East tensions keep markets on edge
The rand firmed to R16.52 against the dollar even as renewed US-Iran strikes and a closed Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices jumping.
The big banks' new battleground: SA's mid-sized businesses
Nedbank, Investec, FNB and Standard Bank are pouring resources into winning over medium-sized companies — a once-overlooked segment now delivering returns of up to 30%.
Gold rush: SA posts its biggest current account surplus in over four years
Surging gold exports pushed South Africa's current account surplus to 2.4% of GDP in the first quarter — the largest in more than four years.
Petrol price relief of over R1 per litre on the cards for July
Strong fuel over-recoveries, softer oil after the Iran-Israel ceasefire and a resilient rand point to petrol falling around R1.10 a litre in July — even with the full fuel levy back.
Eskom puts a stake in the ground with new renewables company Eskom Green
Eskom has launched Eskom Green, a utility-scale renewable energy business with 17 priority projects aimed at delivering roughly 6 GW of new capacity at its coal-fired sites by 2030.
Mining cadastre finally gets a deadline — but the clock is tight
Government has set an end-March 2027 target to fully launch South Africa's long-delayed mining rights database, with only one province migrated so far.