Viewpoint

As the year winds down, many of us start thinking about what’s next. We consider what we want to change, achieve or let go of in the new year. However, before rushing into resolutions or writing down your 2026 goals, it’s worth pausing.

The need for us to work together with other nations in crucial, but how can we focus on building international relations when our own country is falling apart? Shouldn’t leaders fix their problems first, before showing off a ‘world class city’, that doesn’t exist.

Despite global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, African CEOs are optimistic about their own organisations’ growth prospects. This is according to the our 2025 Africa CEO Outlook Survey, which captures the perspectives of 130 CEOs across Southern, East and West Africa.

If you spend your days inside Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) transactions like I do, you will know the story by heart. Good businesses try to do the right thing by becoming sound empowerment partners. Then the deal stalls on one thing: money that is either too expensive, too risky or simply unavailable.

Africa stands at the most consequential crossroads of its modern development. Our continent is urbanising at a breathtaking pace, a transformation that holds the promise of unprecedented economic growth, innovation and improved living standards. Yet, this promise is being stifled by a critical structural flaw: our cities, the very engines of this growth, are financially hamstrung.

Nearly 3 million Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) employ more than 13 million South Africans. This Heritage Month, a single shopping choice can help secure those jobs. Every rand spent locally is a vote for jobs. We urge consumers to prioritise local businesses this Heritage Month.

We have called upon Parliament to repeal the Expropriation Act of 2024. We also urge lawmakers to introduce a just and equitable land reform programme that adheres to both the text and the spirit of the Constitution. This is an essential step toward pursuing real land reform.

In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, a South African TikToker by the name of "Voice of RSA" (the Voice hereafter) aims at what he calls the dominance of "trickle-down economics". The TikToker argues that economic growth during the presidencies of Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki was essentially jobless

South Africa can take many lessons from the UAE and Saudi Arabia and how they have fortified themselves against the impact of US trade tariffs. In an era marked by shifting global trade dynamics, Middle Eastern countries have showcased impressive foresight and agility.

When Jean-Baptiste Say published his Treatise on Political Economy in 1803, he was not trying to be provocative. He was trying to be clear. In doing so, he ended up stating something both obvious and easy to forget: real economic activity begins with production, not consumption.