Tag: SouthAfrica

As Stats SA's latest labour market data shows graduate unemployment climbing, we argue that the ability to keep learning has become South Africa's most valuable workplace skill. South Africa's latest labour data raises an uncomfortable question. If even graduates are struggling to find work, is a qualification on its own still enough to build a career on?

The Middle East conflict continues to destabilise an already volatile global economy. It is driving energy price shocks, inflationary pressure and heightened uncertainty for developing economies, particularly those exposed to energy and currency volatility. In South Africa, economic shockwaves continue to drive up fuel prices, strain energy systems and push the cost of living beyond reach.

The five-year lock-in period on South Africa's Section 12J hospitality investments is over. Across the country, investors who entered these vehicles for the generous upfront tax deduction are now facing a far more sobering reality. Hospitality investors face distressed assets, a near-absent secondary market and a Capital Gains Tax (CGT) liability that is calculated not on their actual return, but on every Rand they receive at exit.

South Africa’s migration anger may be less about borders than personal debt, rising costs and a shared household finance crisis. Every Africa Month, South Africa marks the African Union’s 63-year-old dream of shared sovereignty, shared prosperity and a borderless continent built together. Africa Day fell on 25 May. The flags went up. The speeches were made.

South Africa’s government is the country’s largest property owner. However, it has not historically managed its vast real estate portfolio with institutional discipline. Thousands of buildings and large land tracts remain poorly maintained or underutilised. This situation could change through the establishment of the South African National Property Company (SANPC).

Time has run out for non-compliant trusts. Since 4 May 2026, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has imposed administrative penalties on trusts with outstanding tax returns. SARS levies these penalties monthly. In some cases, penalties may reach R16,000 per outstanding return.

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.

Across South Africa, rising living costs continue to place significant pressure on households. For many families, medical aid is one of the most important yet most financially demanding commitments. People are rightly asking how healthcare can remain both affordable and of high quality in an environment where medical inflation consistently outpaces general inflation, in South Africa and globally.

Ahead lies a massive and complex energy infrastructure rollout to repair and expand transmission and distribution systems. Both the state and the private sector are deploying historic levels of capital. Soon, thousands of technicians and workers will move to deliver this vision. However, I worry that we are not as prepared to support them as we are to meet budget requirements within this energy infrastructure rollout.

I have spent my career watching South African Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) owners achieve extraordinary results with limited resources. Their resilience is well known. However, this does not remove the difficult path that entrepreneurship often entails. According to our recent Emotional Tax Return report, 95% of South African SME owners make personal sacrifices to sustain their businesses.