Cape Times 2025-10-17

Audi South Africa on Thursday announced the appointment of Markus Schuster as its new country lead, effective September 2025. It said his appointment marks an important new chapter for the brand in South Africa and reflects Audi’s long-term commitment to the local market. Schuster joins Audi South Africa with more than two decades of global automotive experience across Germany, Italy and Singapore. Most recently, he served as managing director of Audi Singapore, where he successfully led the transformation of the subsidiary into Audi’s first direct-to-customer franchise worldwide. The pioneering approach put the customer experience at the focus of Audi Singapore's activities, combining a multichannel sales platform with the Audi House of Progress Singapore. “I feel honoured to take on the role of Head of Audi South Africa,” said Schuster.…

South Africa’s food security has shown modest progress, according to the latest Shoprite SA Food Security Index, released on Thursday. The Index rose to 56.5 in 2024, up from 44.9 in 2023, signaling an improvement but still lagging behind the 2019 score of 65.8, when hunger levels were significantly lower. While Shoprite and civil society groups have welcomed the improvement, they warn that hunger and malnutrition remain deeply entrenched challenges across the country. Sanjeev Raghubir, Shoprite’s chief sustainability officer, said the findings offer “a glimmer of cautious optimism,” but stressed that hunger continues to affect millions of South Africans — including at least one in 10 children. “This index is designed to monitor the country’s progress in addressing hunger and to close the significant research gap that exists on this…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth to hold steady at 4.1% in 2025, with a modest pickup anticipated in 2026, according to its October Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa released on Thursday. While the region continues to show resilience, the IMF warned that global headwinds — including weaker demand, softer commodity prices, and tighter financial markets — are testing its recovery and reform momentum. “Six months ago, our assessment highlighted the region's strong efforts and that growth had exceeded expectations last year,” said Abebe Aemro Selassie, director of the African Department at the IMF. "But we also noted the sudden realignment of global priorities and increasing turbulent external conditions, marked by weaker demand, softer commodity prices, and tighter financial markets. Today, these global headwinds continue…

Ministers and central bank governors push for stronger African engagement in governance Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s largest economies have reaffirmed their commitment to stabilising global growth, tackling debt vulnerabilities, and enhancing Africa’s voice in global financial governance. The two-day meeting held in Washington, D.C., brought together key global policymakers amid an environment of persistent uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and uneven post-pandemic recovery. The G20 noted that the global economy remained resilient in the first half of 2025 but continues to face elevated uncertainty due to ongoing conflicts, supply chain disruptions, high debt levels, and climate-related shocks. While disinflation is progressing across several economies, co-chair and South Africa's deputy finance minister, David Masondo, said members stressed the importance of maintaining central bank independence and data-dependent monetary policy…

By any measure, the cost of unaddressed mental health in South Africa is staggering. Depending on how it's calculated, mental health challenges are costing the South African economy between R161 billion lost in reduced productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover. These numbers, drawn from credible studies by institutions such as Investec should give business leaders pause. Because this is not just an economic issue—it’s a workplace crisis in plain sight. And something that is worth highlighting as October marks Mental Health Awareness Month. Presenteeism, where employees show up physically but are too mentally unwell to function properly, accounts for the lion’s share of the loss. Unlike absenteeism, which is easier to track and quantify, presenteeism is insidious. An employee may be logged on or at their desk, yet disengaged, overwhelmed,…

“The button has been turned.” Those five words from Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, following the team’s draw against Zimbabwe, reveal more about championship mindset than most business books ever could. On Friday night at Moses Mabhida Stadium, the players walked off the pitch devastated. A goalless draw when victory was within reach. The kind of setback that breaks spirits, erodes belief, and, for many teams, marks the end of a dream. But here’s the difference between ordinary teams and extraordinary ones: champions know how to turn pain into power. And in that moment, Broos proved that leadership is not about avoiding disappointment — it’s about managing recovery. Having spent two decades interviewing leaders across five continents, I’ve seen this pattern time and again. Championship teams and world-class organisations share…