Tag: SouthAfrica

Geopolitics often feels distant. Many people see it as something that happens far away, involving borders or disputes over natural resources. These events usually take place on the other side of the world. However, the reality is far more personal for the average South African household. This is precisely why geopolitics matters to your pocket.

Healthcare policy in South Africa has become emotionally charged. While National Health Insurance (NHI) is often presented as an inevitable endpoint, medical schemes are portrayed as temporary structures awaiting replacement. The 2026 Healthcare Budget tells a more sober story. What stood out to me was not dramatic reform but restraint. The government did not introduce a new NHI tax.

South Africa is running out of landfill space fast. Major hubs like Cape Town and Johannesburg have less than five years of remaining landfill capacity. Therefore, the linear disposal method of landfilling is not serving the country’s waste management challenges. In addition to the landfill airspace challenge, organic waste carries an estimated R8.7 billion annual cost on our economy. This cost results from landfill practices.

The war in Iran, particularly supply blockages through the Strait of Hormuz, has pushed global oil prices sharply higher. Before the conflict began, oil traded at around $68 per barrel. It now sits near $105 per barrel. This shift represents an increase of about 54%. At the same time, the South African currency has weakened.

As the 2026 academic year has now started, thousands of South African students face uncertainty about continuing their studies. They struggle because of outstanding university debt. This challenge has growing implications for access to education. It also affects companies that invest in bursaries as part of their Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) strategies.

The Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) Bill will redefine professionalism in South African financial advice, and advisers who adapt early will lead the field. South Africa’s financial advice sector is entering a decisive new era. The COFI Bill, expected to take effect in 2026, will redefine what quality advice means and how it must be proven.

It starts, as these things invariably do, on a perfectly innocuous Tuesday. The coffee is hot. The cat judges me from the sofa. The world seems, temporarily, to behave itself. Then, you make the fatal error. You check your bank account. There it is. A debit order. But not the friendly, familiar figure that you have grown accustomed to. That one we agreed upon over a handshake, or more likely a shiny tick box on a glowing screen.

In the African National Congress (ANC)’s annual “January 8 statement”, President Cyril Ramaphosa again placed fixing local government at the top of government priorities. This emphasis is not new. The president made the same point last year. He also referenced having said it before. The repetition matters. It signals that the challenge is no longer about intent. Instead, it is about execution and delivery in fixing local government.

Higher education institutions face cybersecurity challenges that differ from those in many other sectors. These challenges shape how universities approach tackling cyber threats in complex environments. The major risks facing South African universities include ransomware, phishing, data breaches and insider threats. Institutions also depend heavily on third parties and face a significant cybersecurity skills gap.

The publication of the King V Code on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2025 (‘the Code’) marks more than just an update - it signals a profound philosophical shift. This new Code is engineered to restore and solidify stakeholder trust by providing verifiable assurance that companies are led with integrity and are effectively managed. It is a powerful move designed to drive transparent, long-term governance impacts and fundamentally end the era of "tick-box" compliance.