Unemployment under Cyril Ramaphosa increased from 26.9% to 31.4%
South Africa’s latest unemployment rate showed that it had deteriorated significantly since President Cyril Ramaphosa took over from his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. On Tuesday, 17 February 2026, Statistics South Africa released the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) results for the fourth quarter of 2025. It showed that South Africa’s unemployment rate has dropped from 31.9% […]
Trump’s new ambassador Bozell arrives in South Africa amid strained ties
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to South Africa, conservative activist and writer Leo Brent Bozell III, has arrived in the country where he will seek to improve fraught ties between the two states. An embassy official told Reuters on Monday that Bozell had arrived. He is expected to […]
‘Residents are prisoners in their homes’: EC premier to ask Ramaphosa for military intervention
The office of Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has called for urgent action in Gqeberha, saying the city’s northern areas are facing escalating gang violence that warrants army support. The premier’s office plans to formally ask the Presidency to deploy the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help local police – a move prompted […]
Another state-owned company in deep trouble in South Africa
State signal distributor Sentech’s ongoing dispute with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has taken a disastrous toll on its finances. National Treasury has intervened to provide funding to Sentech, which is no longer a going concern, meaning it is no longer seen as financially stable enough to continue operating for the foreseeable future. Sam […]
Government’s ‘hidden tax’ chasing taxpayers out of South Africa
South Africa’s narrow tax base is under severe strain, and going another year without adjusting the country’s personal income tax (PIT) brackets for inflation risks driving capital flight. Referred to as ‘bracket creep’, South Africa’s PIT brackets were last adjusted for inflation in the 2023/24 fiscal year, acting as a “stealth tax” that increases the […]
Bad news for Eskom customers now official
South Africa’s energy regulator has allowed state-owned Eskom to raise tariffs and recover R54.7 billion over three years after a series of pricing errors and a failed attempt to settle the matter privately. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa said Eskom can increase electricity tariffs by as much as 8.3% a year through the […]
One government decision that cost 300,000 jobs in South Africa
South Africa has wasted the golden opportunity presented by its rich mineral wealth by constraining the mining sector to the point of stagnation and decline. One government policy, enacted in 2002, is arguably the source of the sector’s decline – the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA). This legislation, by shifting private mineral rights […]
The government broke its contract with South African taxpayers
The South African government has broken its implicit contract with taxpayers, as it is highly corrupt and fails to deliver value for money. The core of the contract between the state and taxpayers was highlighted by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his first State of the Nation Address on 16 February 2018. In his address, he […]
Graaff-Reinet renaming backlash — ‘McKenzie filed a defective notice in government gazette’
The battle against the renaming of Graaff-Reinet to Robert Sobukwe Town has started with local attorney Derek Light, representing the Graaff-Reinet Economic Development Forum, citing legal shortcomings in the process, while hundreds of residents are reportedly signing objections to the name change. Graaff-Reinet attorney Derek Light has sent a legal letter to Minister of Sports, […]
Growing cracks in the BRICS+ wall
The 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos highlighted a deepening divergence in how global stability is managed. While the formalization of President Trump’s “Board of Peace” (BoP) signaled a move toward a hyper-transactional, unilateralist approach to conflict resolution, it simultaneously exposed the structural limitations of the BRICS+ alliance. Sam BusaURL