Tag: Harry Scherzer

For many South Africans living and working in the Gulf, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh, earning a living in the Region can be a transformative experience. Salaries arrive without Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions or Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) contributions. In most Gulf Cooperation Council countries, workers also pay no personal income tax.

The amount South African residents can send offshore without South African Revenue Service (SARS) clearance has remained unchanged since 2011. However, that is about to change. On 25 February, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the Single Discretionary Allowance (SDA) will increase from R1 million to R2 million per person each calendar year.

As we enter the second quarter of 2026, South Africa’s economy faces a critical test. SA’s hard-won recovery now confronts significant pressure. A global energy shock has triggered a sharp rise in living costs. Fuel prices continue to surge. Consequently, logistics-driven inflation now affects the entire consumer landscape.

This year has been marked by significant geopolitical instability. As the conflict in the Middle East continues, South African importers face pressure from three sides. Fuel costs are rising. Supply chains are disrupted. In addition, the Rand, already one of the world’s most volatile emerging market currencies, now carries a war premium on every international transaction.

South Africa takes on the presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) in 2025 with six headline priorities. These include debt sustainability for low-income countries, mobilising finance for a just energy transition, food security, disaster resilience and digital infrastructure. Among these, payment reform is the one that businesses in the country will feel most directly.

With the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s review imminent, the country faces more than the risk of remaining greylisted. Outdated and costly international money transfers undermine competitiveness, increase trade risks and deter investment. A month remains before the FATF’s follow-up site visit. This visit will decide whether the country is ready to be taken off the dreaded FATF greylist.

In global trade and investing, one truth never changes: timing matters. Nowhere is this more evident than in foreign exchange. Even small shifts in currency values can change the cost of sending money abroad or affect the returns on an offshore investment. Timing is everything in these situations.

When was the last time you bought something with physical cash or wrote out a cheque? In fact, how often do you even have to do money transfers on your laptop rather than your phone? When did you last have a one-on-one appointment with your insurance broker? Pick any area of finance and you’ll likely find similarly big changes over the past couple of decades. 

Unless you have a peculiar fondness for queues, chances are you prefer doing as many day-to-day tasks that fall under the “life admin” category as possible online. Whether it’s grocery shopping, renewing your car license disc, or paying your rates bill, most of us prefer doing them from the comfort of our desks or homes. It’s faster, more convenient, and saves a lot of hassle. 

It’s no secret that the Rand is incredibly volatile. Anyone who listens to the currency reports at the end of a news bulletin knows how big the swings (mostly in the wrong direction) any time there’s a major economic event at home and abroad.