Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-10-30 i Mercury

Africa is losing billions of dollars every year through illicit financial flows (IFFs) from its mineral sector, undermining the continent’s potential to benefit from the global clean energy transition, according to a new report by Greenpeace Africa on Wednesday. The report, titled "Africa’s Critical Minerals: A Development Lifeline or a New Green Resource Curse?" warns that IFFs have become “increasingly widespread and complex,” allowing multinational mining companies to avoid paying taxes and depriving African governments of vital revenue. It estimates that South Africa has lost more than $10 billion (more than R170bn), while Nigeria loses more than $17bn every year through corporate tax evasion and profit shifting in the extractives industry. Citing the African Union’s African Minerals Development Centre, the report notes that since 1980, about $1.3 trillion has left…

South Africa’s food security is getting worse, despite the government spending billions to try to stop hunger levels rising. It is a losing battle, because the government strategy is flawed. Instead of policies that would reduce the number of poor people, it is throwing huge resources at efforts to make an increasing number of poor people less hungry. The result is that food security surveys regularly show that the number of hungry people is rising, and every quarterly jobs report shows that, even when percentages improve slightly, the actual number of unemployed people is going up. One of the world’s highest unemployment rates results in high levels of poverty, hunger and starving children. Even though South Africa is food secure at national level, producing enough to export, the situation…

MTN Ghana, a subsidiary of JSE-listed MTN Group, maintained its solid growth trajectory of the first half with service revenue increasing by 36.3% in the third quarter to end September 2025, compared with the same period last year. The number of mobile subscribers increased by 6.4% to 30.5 million. The number of active data subscribers increased by 11.4% to 18.9 million. The number of active mobile money subscribers increased by 4.1% to 17.7 million. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 41.6% to GHS10.2 billion. Profit after tax (PAT) increased 45.9% to GHS5.5bn. Total capital expenditure increased to GHS4.6bn from GHS3.3bn. “MTN Ghana’s performance was driven by the consistent execution of our commercial strategy, resulting in a 6.4% year-on-year (YoY) growth in our subscriber base and a…

Gauteng police say they are continuing to investigate the social media abuse case opened by former Cabinet minister Lindiwe Sisulu against activist Goolam Vawda, as Vawda finds himself in a spat with the Sunday World newspaper over a ‘reneged contract’. Sisulu laid a criminal complaint on July 21, 2024, at the Roodepoort police station, accusing Vawda of cyberbullying, hate speech, and publishing defamatory content targeting her and others via social media. A year later, there have been no reported arrests or developments, despite the fact that Vawda has taken to X (previously known as Twitter) saying that he had signed a binding sales agency agreement with Fundudzi Media (Sunday World). Vawda claims that he had a six-month contract with the newspaper, which was recently purchased by new owners, which include…

The Sharks will conduct a forensic analysis of their business as they come to grips with a disappointing start to their United Rugby Championship campaign, with coach John Plumtree and Director of Rugby Neil Powell hardly the only ones going under the spotlight. Plumtree would have every right to feel hard done by if he were the only one held responsible — apart from Powell, who is to take up a new position further down the ladder — and it is significant that a coach of his experience is to be kept on in a “mentoring and advisory role” at the union he has served so loyally. It has been confirmed that Plumtree will step down as head coach at the end of the season. The Sharks said in a…

So often, Mamelodi Sundowns have been the hunter - the ruthless predator that has feasted on its prey with the utmost brutality. Their reign as kings of the jungle, that is the Premiership, has been challenged countless times, yet rarely with substance, as all comers have been wiped out in their tracks. It has been an era of dominance, with the past eight consecutive seasons built on precision, power, and an unrelenting desire to remain at the top. The 2025/26 Betway Premiership season has already brought back that familiar storyline. Fifteen challengers have once again lined up to stake their claim, but few have truly looked the part. Many have shown flashes of potential, but not quite like the familiar foe from Soweto, who last season threatened but never quite…

There should be no love lost between Durban City coach Gavin Hunt and his former employers, Kaizer Chiefs, when they meet in a Betway Premiership clash at Moses Mabhida Stadium tomorrow night (7.30pm kick-off). When Hunt took over the reins at Chiefs in 2019, it must have felt like a career-defining moment. Except his three-year stint didn’t even last a full season, as he was sacked in the lead-up to the CAF Champions League final, which his successor, Stuart Baxter, only took charge of it in the fianl which he went on to fumble and lose to Al Ahly. Hunt, whose illustrious career includes four league titles - with the now-defunct sides SuperSport United (three) and Bidvest Wits (one) - has admitted that being sacked by Chiefs remains one of…

Sydney Cricket Ground, 2015. AB de Villiers goes berserk. He had done something similar a month earlier at the Wanderers when sporting a pink ensemble smashed his way to 149 from 44 balls. But here on the World Cup stage, he went even one better, bludgeoning 162 not out off only 66 balls against the West Indies. It included the fastest 50, 100, and 150 in ODI history at the time. Kolkata, Eden Gardens, 2023. With the Proteas reeling at 24/4 in the World Cup semi-final, David Miller delivered under pressure with a superb century to lift the Proteas to a competitive 212. It was not enough to keep the mighty Australia at bay, but Miller showed the BMT (Big Match Temperament) that many of his teammates lacked. I was…

The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has set late November as the earliest date to resolve issues with Instrument Flight Procedures (IFPs) at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA), while aiming to complete similar work at Polokwane Airport by Christmas Day. The State-owned aviation navigation entity plans to finalise a full overhaul of South Africa’s IFP systems by June 2026, with more than R1.6 billion allocated for the project. ATNS acting CEO, Matome Mahomola, on Wednesday said during a media briefing that the disruptions to flights at KMIA earlier this month were linked to challenges in updating the country’s flight procedure systems — a process that has been slowed by a shortage of critical technical skills and the global poaching of qualified personnel. "This full process will be completed by…

The PayInc Net Salary Index, which tracks the average nominal net salaries of approximately 2.1 million earners in South Africa, increased for the sixth consecutive month in September 2025. This steady increase aligns with the gradual improvement in economic activity and reflects the labour market’s resilience over recent months. Shergeran Naidoo, the head of Stakeholder Engagements at PayInc, said, “The PayInc Net Salary Index reached R21 428, which was 0.3% up on August’s level and 2.3% higher than a year ago.” The average net salary continues to strengthen, showing a 4.3% rise in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the corresponding period in 2024. According to a PayInc Net Salary Index analysis of the number of salaries paid, just more than 175 000 additional salaries were disbursed during…

The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD) has raised concern over another increase in the cost of household food baskets, warning that poor and low-income households are being pushed deeper into food insecurity. According to PMBEJD’s October 2025 Household Affordability Index, the average cost of the household food basket rose by R61.18 (1.1%) month-on-month, from R5 379.42 in September to R5 440.60 in October. Year-on-year, the cost increased by R91.95 (1.7%) from R5 348.65 in October 2024. The rise in household costs comes despite recent data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) showing that food inflation slowed for the second consecutive month, easing to 4.4% in September 2025 from 5.2% in August. Mervyn Abrahams, PMBEJD director, said several staple foods saw notable price increases during October. “Foods in the…

In April 2025, South Africa assumed the leadership of the Startup20, an official Engagement Group of the G20. For a continent long brimming with entrepreneurial energy, this was more than a symbolic appointment, it was an opportunity to show that innovation is not imported to Africa; it is built here. Over the past six months, Startup20 South Africa brought together founders, policymakers, investors, and ecosystem enablers with a shared mission: to strengthen the role of Startups and MSMEs in driving sustainable growth. The engagement group is structured around five key Taskforces, Foundation and Alliances, Finance and Investment, Inclusion and Sustainability, Trade and Market Access, Township and Rural Entrepreneurship, each addressing real-world barriers faced by entrepreneurs. These taskforces explored crucial areas such as access to early-stage funding, inclusion of women and…

A bodyguard/driver of controversial businessman and murder-accused Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe told task team members effecting the businessman’s arrest that he (Molefe) is friends with now suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. This was revealed by Captain Maxwell Wanda, a former member of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT), who was at the time deployed to assist the Gauteng team of detectives investigating the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart. Swart was shot dead when hitmen allegedly mistook him for a colleague who had exposed tender corruption linked to Transnet. Wanda was testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry about what transpired when the members were effecting the arrest of Molefe at his Sandhurst residence in Johannesburg on December 6, 2024. The captain said that, after an interaction with the members of…

Two employers and 47 illegal foreign nationals have been arrested in a large-scale inspection blitz carried out by the Department of Employment and Labour in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mandeni, in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The Labour department said the operation also resulted in the closure of a clothing and textile factory. The operation was led by Employment and Labour deputy minister Jomo Sibiya and Mandeni mayor Thabani Mdlalose and was held after complaints regarding alleged labour exploitation in local factories. The department said the inspection aimed to measure compliance with various legislative frameworks, including the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), the National Minimum Wage Act, and others designed to safeguard…

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says while South Africa’s 7th Parliament has become more active, its oversight efforts still lack consequence. Releasing its 7th annual Parliamentary Oversight Report yesterday, titled The Review Nobody Escapes, OUTA said the new Parliament has “the tools, constitutional authority, public backing and multi-party legitimacy essential to rebuilding trust in democratic institutions. What it needs now is the will to act with conviction.” The 2025 report assesses how effectively Parliament is fulfilling its constitutional duty to hold the executive to account, drawing on data from the ParliMeter dashboard developed by OUTA, the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) and OpenUp, with funding from the European Union. According to OUTA, between June 2024 and June 2025, parliamentary committees held 1 165 meetings, nearly double the number recorded in…

George Linde could not hide his satisfaction after a somewhat experimental South African side brushed aside Pakistan in the first T20 International in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The Proteas were missing a number of first-choice players like openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton, but posted a commanding 194/9. Pakistan never got going in their chase as they were all out for 139 as the visitors romped to a 55-run win. Spinner Linde, who returned figures of 3/31, said it was good to see the Proteas have the confidence to field a number of fringe players. South Africa’s Exciting Depth and Quinton de Kock’s Return “Obviously, we’ve got a lot of depth in South Africa, and all the players here are very exciting,” said Linde after the match. “I think about the…

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus could’ve easily continued his experimentation with combinations for the first Test against Japan this Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London. With it falling out of World Rugby’s international window and having only the local United Rugby Championship and Japan-based players available, the Boks resisted the urge to continue that rotation policy they had followed since the mid-year matches and the Rugby Championship. The Japanese will face an almost full-strength side apart from a few positions, like tighthead prop, where Zachary Porthen will make his debut and at fullback with Cheslin Kolbe covering for the injured Damian Willemse. At first glance, you might have expected Erasmus to use this fixture as another testing ground. Although Japan is a dangerous side, they aren’t France or Ireland. It…

The National Treasury has unveiled a bold plan to strengthen South Africa’s carbon credit market, paving the way for greater private investment in emissions reduction and low-carbon projects as part of the country’s transition to net zero. The consultation paper, Developing the South African Carbon Credit Market, released on Wednesday outlines a comprehensive framework to expand the carbon offset system and improve market integrity, regulation, and liquidity. It aims to make South Africa a leading destination for climate finance in Africa by modernising market architecture, clarifying the legal status and financial regulations of carbon credits, linking domestic trading with international carbon markets and stimulating investment in South Africa’s low-carbon projects. By reducing administrative barriers and enhancing the role of financial institutions and regulatory bodies, Treasury believes that these reforms would…

What does it say about South Africa’s financial services sector when, in searching for a CEO for one of the country’s top investment firms, only 14% of the candidates are women, and even fewer are black? Despite two decades of transformation policy, the female leadership pipeline remains worryingly thin. And while the gender imbalance is not new, the urgency has intensified. Succession challenges, the emergence of new banks, and a rapidly evolving consumer landscape have created a real scramble for leadership talent…and the pool is not deep enough. This is not just a gender issue, it’s a broader talent crisis. Over the past five years, South Africa’s financial services sector has undergone a quiet but significant shift in how it sources and evaluates leadership. The traditional pipeline, once dominated by…

Public relations (PR) and marketing are often terms that are used interchangeably. In business, both functions are critical in building a successful brand. This makes understanding the difference between them difficult, especially for small business owners. However, these functions serve different purposes and understanding the difference can be a game-changer for growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The rising implementation of PR by businesses is becoming more evident across Africa. Recent research by the African Public Relations Association (APRA) and the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) found that 38% of business leaders now rely more heavily on PR counsel, a 31% increase from 2024. Although sometimes the objectives, goals, and even some tactics used in PR and marketing may be closely related, marketing is all about promoting products…

Google has announced a R49 million funding through Google.org to support AI skills development, education, online safety and cybersecurity in South Africa. Google said in a statement on Wednesday that the announcement was made at AI Expo Africa, the continent’s largest business-focused artificial intelligence and smart technology event, which brings together thousands of enterprise buyers, suppliers and innovators each year. The funding builds on Google’s AI skilling work announced earlier this year and focuses on expanding the country’s AI talent pipeline while strengthening community safety through support for leading non-profit organisations and academic institutions. Kabelo Makwane, the country director for Google South Africa, said the funding reflects a long-term commitment to supporting the country’s digital transformation. “This is about building capacity where it matters most, in our classrooms, our communities…

Primary Health Properties (PHP) has confirmed that UK authorities have raised no competition concerns regarding its proposed £1.7 billion (R22.61 billion) acquisition of Assura plc. The London and JSE-listed Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) said on Wednesday that, following this decision, the requirement by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to keep PHP and Assura financially and operationally separate, is expected to conclude shortly. PHP first announced its firm intention to acquire Assura on May 16, 2025. Assura develops, invests in, and manages healthcare facilities across the UK, while PHP focuses on purpose-built properties for healthcare practitioners and other primary care providers—primarily NHS-backed tenants. PHP aims to capitalise on the fact that more than one-third of the UK’s primary care estate requires modernisation or replacement. PHP believes that limited…

South Africa is now the first country to officially robe court interpreters — a step taken to recognise the important role interpreters play in the justice system. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi this week launched the court interpreters’ robing programme at the Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria. She described it as a pioneering effort that positions South Africa as a leader in global attempts to professionalise court interpreting. “This is the first robing of court interpreters in the world, and it is happening here, in our country — a testament to our commitment to justice, dignity, and inclusion.” Kubayi stressed that court interpreters are not merely linguistic facilitators. They are guardians of constitutional rights, ensuring that every person, regardless of language, background, or ability, has meaningful access…

Oscar Piastri’s near-flawless Formula 1 season hit its first real snag in Mexico City. The Australian, who had led the championship for much of the year, left the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with a fifth-place finish and the uneasy sense that he’s suddenly on the back foot. For a driver whose rise has been built on composure and precision, the race in Mexico exposed the one area he still needs to master — adaptability. Piastri’s struggles were not the result of a slower car or team error. In fact, he was quick to clarify that nothing had changed mechanically. “The car’s obviously not changed for a while now, so it is nothing to do with the car,” he admitted. “I’ve just had to drive very differently the last couple of weekends…

These really are amazing times for South African cricket. On the back of the men’s team lifting the World Test Championship crown earlier this year, the Laura Wolvaardt-led team have now become the first senior Proteas Women’s side to forge ahead to an ICC World Cup final. In beating, nay dismantling previous tormentors England yesterday in Guwahati, the Mandla Mshimbyi-coached team brought to an end decades of disappointment and semi-final trauma. The final margin of a 125 runs was an accurate reflection of their dominance from the moment Wolvaardt creamed Lauren Bell’s first ball of the match through the covers. Wolvaardt, and her Proteas team, never looked back from that moment even when England tried their utmost to claw their way back into the contest. But this glorious night…

Barcelona midfielder Pedri will be sidelined for several weeks with the torn bicep leg injury he picked up in a 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid this weekend, his club announced. The 22-year-old Canary Islander was sent off in Sunday’s game and would have missed next Sunday’s league match against Elche, but will likely also miss a match away at Celta Vigo before the international break. “The approximate recovery time will be determined by the evolution of the injury,” Barcelona said. Barcelona face Club Brugge in the Champions League on November 5. Pedri joins Joan García, Marc Ter Stegen, Gavi and Raphinha in the Barca sickbay while Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo have returned to training. Barcelona are second in La Liga, five points behind leaders Madrid. Meanwhile, Brazilian forward Vinicius…