Management

Across South Africa, a quiet entrepreneurial shift is underway. From spare rooms and garages to small home studios and converted garden offices, thousands of businesses are launching from home. They are also selling to customers nationwide. While the rise of e-commerce has accelerated this trend, another factor also plays a crucial role.

Most South African business leaders did not start their businesses to spend their days managing customer escalations. They also did not expect to second-guess managers or complete work they delegated six months earlier. Yet this is exactly where many of them end up.

South Africa’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face increasing pressure to grow cautiously. Economic volatility, rising operating costs and stubbornly high unemployment continue to reshape hiring decisions across the small business sector.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) discussions in South African boards generally default to carbon, community impact and governance process. While those remain essential, they do not tell the full story of organisational sustainability. A business may define sustainability narrowly. However, it still fails if it cannot protect data and recover quickly from cyber disruption in a digital economy.

The UAE has lifted its airspace restrictions. In addition, the US-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding as of 18 May 2026. Emirates has also restored 96% of its global network. Meanwhile, other Gulf carriers, including Etihad, Qatar and Saudia, continue rebuilding operations. Capacity constraints are also gradually easing. By most operational measures, conditions are improving. However, traveller confidence tells a different story.

We have entered an economy where the most valuable asset is no longer capital, technology, or even talent. It is cognitive capacity.

Winch operator salaries in South Africa typically range from about R7,000 to R25,000 per month, depending on industry, experience, location, shift structure and whether...

Increasing female CEO representation is critical for business performance, innovation and economic growth. The company also highlights the need to strengthen leadership pipelines and reduce bias within organisations. Research from McKinsey & Company consistently shows that companies with more women in leadership outperform their peers.

The conversation around African hospitality has shifted. For years, the industry spoke about the continent’s “untapped potential”. Today, that potential is translating into sustained and undeniable growth. The sector has moved beyond the recovery phase and entered an era of sophisticated expansion that is redefining the global travel map. This momentum also highlights the importance of sustaining growth in Africa through long-term strategies and investment.

For decades, businesses assumed that information in the public domain was harmless. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ended that assumption. By aggregating thousands of public data points, AI can reconstruct strategy, pricing and expansion plans. Under the King V Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa, protecting confidential value in this environment has become a board-level governance responsibility.