South Africa is marketing eurobonds in its first potential international debt sale under a government of national unity following May elections. The dollar offering is set to include a benchmark-sized 12-year fixed note with a yield in the 7.4% area, as well as a 30-year bond in the 8.25% area, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. The move comes amid uncertainty for global monetary policy, with Donald Trump's US election victory casting a shadow over...

South Africa's rand hit a three-month low on Tuesday, hurt by a stronger dollar and weaker gold prices, as markets grappled with what another Donald Trump presidency will mean for US policy and trade relations. At 15:51 SAST, the rand traded at 18.04 against the dollar, after earlier touching its weakest level since mid-August. The risk-sensitive rand has been highly volatile since Trump's US election win last week and is on course for its third day of heavy losses. Investors have piled into...

Political parties on Wednesday welcomed the decrease in the unemployment rate, however they slammed the Government of National Unity (GNU) for failing to grow the economy. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported that South Africa's unemployment rate decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 32.1% in the third quarter, from 33.5% in the second quarter. The expanded unemployment rate, which includes discouraged work seekers, decreased by 0.7 of a percentage point to 41.9%, compared with 42.6%...

The Public Servants Association (PSA) on Monday called for proper regulations and for the appointment of health inspectors to monitor the compliance of spaza shops. The association urged Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to prioritise the matter, while calling for the intensification of monitoring to prevent further loss of lives. The PSA said reported cases must be subjected to investigation and where deliberate foul pay is proven, culprits needed to...

Parliamentary Communications and Digital Technologies Committee chairperson Khusela Diko expressed concern at Communications Minister Solly Malatsi's decision to withdraw the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Bill from Parliament, saying this will delay the implementation of crucial reforms necessary to save the broadcaster. In withdrawing the Bill, Malatsi argued that it was "totally flawed" and did not address the faltering funding model of the public broadcaster. It also...

The long-term historical ally of the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party (SACP), says it never initiated any engagement with the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), neither has it received any request for a formal engagement. The party was responding to a news article, which claimed that the MKP was negotiating behind the scenes to solidify an alliance with the SACP with the explicit objective of jointly challenging President Cyril Ramaphosa's Government of National...

The Lebombo port of entry between South Africa and Mozambique has been partially reopened as of 15:00 on Friday, to allow for the movement of people between both countries. Cargo processing will continue once Mozambique officials are stationed at processing areas. Deadly protests began after the Frelimo party was announced as winner of the national elections on October 9. In response to the protests, South Africa closed its main crossing border. The Commissioner of the Border Management...

Parliament's Education, Sciences and Creative Industries Select Committee said on Friday it wants government to ban foreign nationals from operating spaza shops and maintain an updated register of people who sell snacks at schools. This comes after the deaths of several young primary school learners and hundreds others who have taken ill, owing to poisonous snacks. African National Congress secretary-general Fikile Mbalula announced on Thursday that the party is exploring the development of...

South Africa is concerned by the impact Donald Trump's election as the next president of the United States may have on talks to tackle climate change, its environment minister said on Friday. Trump's election and the collapse of Germany's coalition government this week have come right before COP29 talks aimed at curbing global warming, which scientists blame for destructive hurricanes, floods and heatwaves across the world this year. "We are concerned about America because we don't know what...

President Cyril Ramaphosa described the unveiling of King Shaka's statue at the King Shaka International Airport, in KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday, as a great source of pride that tells the history of Shaka's life and his contribution, all of which he said are being retold and reclaimed by the generation born into democracy. Ramaphosa was speaking in Durban, where he said the statue stood as a testament to a "glorious era" in the life of the Zulu nation during the reign of King Shaka. He...

Legal professional Dali Mpofu has followed in the footsteps of former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members and has joined the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), saying the new party is the vehicle through which "much needed black and progressive unity" will be achieved. Mpofu resigned from the EFF, after serving as the chairperson for five years. "After a lot of soul searching, I have taken a decision that I will be joining MKP. I am joining MKP because I believe that it is the vehicle through...

The African National Congress (ANC) has "categorically rejected" what it labelled as baseless claims by Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille regarding the blue party's alleged role in shaping South Africa's Government of National Unity (GNU). This after Zille told the South Africa Chamber of Commerce UK that the DA was instructed by the business community to protect President Cyril Ramaphosa from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and uMkhonto weSizwe Party...

South Africa has temporarily closed its main border crossing with Mozambique over safety concerns, its border authority said on Wednesday, as protests against last month's disputed election in Mozambique continued to escalate. At least 18 people have been killed in the protests, according to human rights groups, as opposition supporters demonstrate against what they say is a fraudulent election win by Frelimo, the party that has ruled Mozambique since 1975. Security forces have responded with...

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday congratulated former US President Donald Trump on his re-election as the President, saying South Africa looked forward to continuing the partnership between both countries. Trump defeated the US Vice-President Kamala Harris chalking up more than the 270 Electoral College votes required. "I look forward to continuing the close and mutually beneficial partnership between our two nations across all domains of our cooperation. In the global arena, we look...

Donald Trump was elected president, capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House and ushering in a new American leadership likely to test democratic institutions at home and relations abroad. Trump, 78, recaptured the White House on Wednesday by securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency, Edison Research projected, following a campaign of dark rhetoric that deepened the polarisation in the country. The former...

Britain's Prince William paid a visit to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday in Cape Town after taking a nature walk with rangers and conservationists at Table Mountain National Park. The Prince of Wales is on a four-day trip to South Africa for the annual awards ceremony of his Earthshot Prize, which will be held on Wednesday. He will also attend a global wildlife summit and hold other climate-focused engagements. Video footage shared by Ramaphosa's office showed William and...

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen on Tuesday argued that provincial governments would have "too much" power under the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, as he joined protestors at the Voortrekker Monument to march against sections 4 and 5 of the Act. The DA joined Solidarity and AfriForum in the march against what has been described as "attacking the soul of the Afrikaans community", and sought to hand over memorandums to government representatives. Sections 4 and 5 of...

As it celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) president Thulani Ngwenya called for a review of the operations of South Africa's justice system to ensure better efficiency and accountability. Ngwenya was speaking during Popcru's central executive committee meeting, where he pointed out that when crime statistics are released, only the police are held accountable, and not the judiciary. "We need to ensure greater synergy between the operations of...

Goldman Sachs believes South Africa is unlikely to suffer the large revenue shortfall projected by its finance minister and that the nation's path for fiscal consolidation remains credible. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana painted a bleaker-than-expected picture when he delivered a medium-term budget update last week with a slightly wider deficit. Despite this caution, South Africa remains on track to stabilise debt and bring if below 70% of gross domestic product by the end of the decade,...

In his latest letter to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged the strengthening of collective resolve to ensure that every child has a safe, caring and nurturing childhood, noting government's progress in realising the right to education. National Children's Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of November, which is the month in which the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations in 1989. Ramaphosa said government had made the most progress in...

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has proposed to Parliament the Anti-Corruption Bill, which seeks to introduce an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) as an independent, Chapter 9 institution, focused solely on investigating and prosecuting serious corruption cases. DA justice and constitutional development spokesperson Glynnis Breytenbach said the Anti-Corruption Bill sought to create a fully independent Chapter 9 institution, with its sole mandate being the investigation and prosecution of...

The National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) announced on Friday that it will review Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Johannesburg, Advocate Andrew Chauke's decision to withdraw corruption charges against former Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa and businessman Jehan Mackay. The NDPP said it will review the decision in line with Section 179 (5) (d) of the Constitution and communicate the decision. Kodwa, also a former Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible...

ActionSA said on Friday it will formally write to National Director of Public Prosecution Advocate Shamila Batohi, to review the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA's) decision to withdraw corruption charges against former Minister and African National Congress (ANC) MP Zizi Kodwa. Kodwa was implicated in the State Capture Commission of Inquiry for allegedly receiving a R1.7-million bribe from an executive of a local technology company, which received government tenders. Kodwa was arrested,...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Judge Margaret Victor as Special Tribunal president with effect from Friday, for a period of three years. The Special Tribunal has a statutory mandate to recover public funds syphoned from the fiscus through corruption, fraud and illicit money flows. Special tribunals differ from ordinary civil proceedings, which Ramaphosa described as adversarial in nature. Special tribunals adopt a more flexible and expeditious approach to legal actions and its...

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Johannesburg, Advocate Andrew Chauke, announced on Friday the decision to withdraw corruption charges against the former Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa and businessman Jehan Mackay. Kodwa, also a former Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security, was implicated in the State Capture Commission of Inquiry for allegedly receiving a R1.7-million bribe from an executive of a local technology company, which received...