MTN just posted its best African run in years, so why did R22.55bn vanish?
A single writedown on MTN's stranded Iran stake dragged reported profit down and knocked the share nearly 6%, even as its core markets boomed.
Companies
The deals, results, leadership and strategy of the companies shaping South Africa.
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Varsity College's owner is building the campuses the state can't, and cashing in
Advtech guided half-year earnings up to 18% higher as it opens new campuses in Sandton and Gqeberha, with Durban next.
The JSE-listed landlord quietly winning in Spain
Lighthouse Properties lifted half-year earnings almost 10% as recent Spanish mall buys fed through, and raised its dividend outlook.
Google's Gemini joins the billion-user club, drawing level with ChatGPT
Gemini has passed a billion monthly users, Google's fastest climb yet, as AI assistants reach a scale once reserved for the biggest internet platforms.
The cheapest Uber is going away: UberX bows out in South Africa on 1 September
The budget ride that put Uber on local roads in 2014 is being retired as the app trims its menu and the low-cost fight with Bolt and InDrive heats up.
Shoprite opened more stores last year than Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Spar combined
While much of SA retail trod water, the Checkers owner added a net 262 stores and guided full-year earnings up to 14.7% higher.
Meta's new AI model is small enough to run on your laptop
Alongside a 6,500-word manifesto from Mark Zuckerberg, Meta released Muse Glimmer — a model built to put an AI agent on your own machine.
Nedbank is about to debit some customers for fees it forgot to charge
A billing glitch undercharged certain debit-order fees between February and May. On 17 August, the bank claws back the difference.
Big story
While everyone chased gold, the company that runs the JSE quietly cleaned up
JSE Ltd grew its half-year profit almost 17% by taking a small cut of a very busy market.
Coal is paying off again for Thungela
The miner expects its half-year profit to more than double — helped by firmer coal prices, a steadier Transnet, and a one-off asset sale.
Breaking
eNCA wants to cut more than half its newsroom
South Africa's first 24-hour news channel has begun a process that could axe 171 of its 309 staff — and its journalists are not taking it quietly.
The owner of SA's biggest mall got censured for a deal it never put to a vote
The JSE has publicly rapped Accelerate Property Fund and fined it R500,000 for appointing Fourways Mall's managers without asking shareholders.