Category Archives: South Africa News

South Africa News

Fedhealth’s affordable new offering – a supercharged hospital plan for only R945 pm – caters for the young, healthy and digitally savvy

An exciting new solution from Fedhealth medical scheme offers the most affordable hospital plan on the market – ideal for young, healthy, digital natives. With annual inflation reaching a 13-year high in July 2022 (7.8%), budgeting for essential monthly expenses like groceries, transport and healthcare has become increasingly difficult – especially for younger people. Our […]

Using accurate forensic intelligence to combat serial and organised crime in South Africa

“When constructing any kind of civil or criminal case against an individual or corporation, it is imperative that all the evidence that is to be presented in a court of law be one hundred per cent accurate and verifiable,” says Sameer Kumandan, Managing Director of SearchWorks, South Africa’s largest and most innovative data aggregation platform. “False […]

The four-day work week trend spins back into the mainstream

By Johan Botes, Partner and Head of the Employment & Compensation Practice, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The four-day work week is nothing new. Reading about its anticipated return is akin to getting a letter from an old friend who disappointed you long ago and then disappeared, but for whom you still have fond feelings. Like yo-yos […]

Resilient SMEs will thrive in 2023

By Garth Rossiter Chief Risk Officer, Lulalend The past year has not held much for the SME sector to celebrate, but I expect 2023 to be a year of growth and recovery. 2022 saw the end of COVID-19-related restrictions but, at the same time, we also experienced some of the worst levels of load shedding […]

How to start a business with almost no money

By Catherine Wijnberg One of the questions I am most frequently asked is: “How can I get funding to start my business?” Today’s Google search will give you 340 million answers to this question. But if it’s just one good answer you need, this one might help. The reality is that most new businesses start […]

Enhancing Connectivity Can Bolster Economic Diversification in South Africa, Offering Sustainable Growth and Benefits to All Citizens

Over the past 10 years, South Africa has been dealing with an economic and growing unemployment crisis that has placed the country in a dire situation. There is a growing need for economic development. However, in the past, the mining industry has been the major economic driver of a country that was once the biggest […]

South African Small Construction Companies are Bracing for 2023 and Making Preparations to Rebuild and Thrive

The South African construction industry has been remarkably resilient in the face of the pandemic, managing to rebound as quickly and effectively as possible. Now, as businesses and individuals alike begin to look forward to 2023, it is essential that everyone starts setting themselves up for success in the coming year. For small business owners […]

Don’t be an Ass (mule) this festive

The festive season is a time to be enjoyed, spending quality time with family and showering others in kindness and generosity. However, the South African festive season is also, unfortunately, synonymous with fraud. If history is anything to go by, many South Africans are expected to fall victim to fraud during this period. The Ombudsman […]

COP27 lays foundations for long-term investment opportunities in Africa

By Philippa Owen, ESG Lead at GraySwan After several days of focused negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, this year’s COP27 closed with a sense of comfort that the needs of emerging and developing markets have not been overlooked. The agreement to create and implement a loss and damage fund to rescue and rebuild physical and social […]

South Africa: The latest developments in Just Energy Transition

Kieran Whyte, Partner and Head of the Energy. Mining & Infrastructure Group, Baker McKenzie, Johannesburg During the World Leaders’ Summit at COP 27 in November 2022, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the new Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP) for South Africa. It was at COP 26 in November 2021, that it was […]

Real-time data tracks considerable growth in Black Friday and Cyber Monday spend

CAPE TOWN – Hot on the heels of yet another interest rate increase adding more yet squeeze on businesses and consumers alike, South Africans showed they still have an appetite for retail spending, with data from leading omnichannel payment solutions provider Ecentric Payment System’s 2022 Black Friday Payment Gateway Dashboard showing whopping increases in both […]

Female Venture Capitalists are pioneering South Africa’s Silicon Valley

By Paula Mokwena, CEO at Fireball Capital The global venture capital (VC) ecosystem is no stranger to the common challenge that female entrepreneurs face – lack of funding. Research by the World Bank shows that for every $1 invested in women, $25 goes to men in the African startup space1. This is the case across all regions […]

South African assets may be cheap, but that’s not a good enough reason not to invest offshore

By Mart Marie de Jongh, Certified Financial Planner at GraySwan  and Gregoire Theron, Chief Investment Officer  The investment world’s fixation on global inflation and whether we are approaching the peak and heading towards a recession, has many investors sitting on cash, waiting for signals of a better market. Despite this, investing in South Africa presents […]

Background checks are worth their weight in gold in the mining sector

South Africa possesses ore reserves amounting to a value of more than US$2.5 trillion, with 16 commodities ranked in the top ten internationally. In such an important and high-value sector of the economy, it’s easy to see why the mining industry is a frequent target for malfeasance of all kinds – from deceptive suppliers to tender fraud. […]

Green is the new Black: Balancing the environmental cost of Black Friday

Black Friday has gone from being a uniquely American event to a near global phenomenon, and, like all consumption at scale, it has environmental consequences. The upside: There’s a new way for online retailers and consumers to reduce their environmental impact, says Steffen Burrows CURBON Co-founder and Director. In trying economic times, Black Friday offers some genuinely […]

What no one tells you about entrepreneurship

How one small business beat the odds and secured a coveted contract with Shoprite Checkers By Terrena Rathanlall, Fetola SME Media Portfolio Manager You could be forgiven for thinking that the Instagram story about the businessman with the flashy car and mansion in the background is a realistic depiction of entrepreneurship. It could not be […]

The rise of fin-fluencers: Gen Z turn to social media for share trading advice

One in five Gen Zers (21%) go to social media for investing advice. Older generations prefer online news and blogs for trading tips. Just 3% of South Africans use a Certified Financial Planner. Commentary from Finder.com’s investment editor Kylie Purcell. Social media is the go-to source for share trading advice among young adults in South […]

10 Top Lessons From Leading Entrepreneurs

Being an entrepreneur is no easy feat, but with a clear plan, passion and hard work – a lot is possible. As we enter Entrepreneurship Month, we speak to entrepreneurs from different fields and industries about their success and ask them their key tips on achieving greatness! From Ignite Fitness’ CEO, Schalk Hugo and internationally […]

Trends in global healthcare shifts the focus to innovative skills development

Over the past two years, global healthcare systems have faced significant disruption and strain due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. During this time, the skills and dedication of nurses and doctors – as frontline workers – have been highlighted. These skills now face a further, possibly bigger, challenge. How do we translate these skills into an […]

Breaking the ceiling: Women in business are leading the way to economic freedom

By Catherine Wijnberg, CEO of Fetola  Too often the subject of women entrepreneurs has an underlying condescending tone of reaching down to help them succeed. If we look at the data, the facts and the evidence we see a different story. This story tells us that when the playing field is levelled – especially through […]

A life less ordinary: Professor Barry Dwolatzky launches exhilarating memoir Coded History: My Life of New Beginnings

Coded History guarantees that everything you thought you knew about Emeritus Professor Barry Dwolatzky is gladly reconsidered. Nothing about this book is what you would imagine possible in the life of Wits University’s unassuming and much-loved professor. Coded History: My Life of New Beginnings launched yesterday, 2 November 2022. This self-penned memoir by Wits University’s Emeritus […]

Entrepreneurs pertinent to the growth of the MICE industry

Much like entrepreneurs, exhibitions are economic enablers.  There is no doubt that entrepreneurship, collectively, is an essential driver of societal health, wealth creation, and a formidable engine of economic growth. In fact, according to the latest  Global Entrepreneurship Monitor South Africa report; the nascent entrepreneurial rate increased from 7,3% in 2019 to 10,5% in 2021, […]