Indholdsfortegnelse for 2026-01-27 i Cape Times

Heartwood Properties has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets. Heartwood is currently listed on the Cape Town Stock Exchange and will retain its primary listing there. Heartwood’s shares will commence trading on A2X on Monday, February 2, 2026. Heartwood is a commercial and industrial property investment and development company with a portfolio concentrated primarily in the Western Cape. The company’s decision to list on A2X forms part of its ongoing focus on enhancing shareholder value and broadening market access. The secondary listing provides Heartwood shareholders with more choice. By listing on A2X Heartwood Properties is now able to provide access to the both the retail market through the Cape Town Stock Exchange and the institutional market through A2X. A2X is South Africa’s licensed stock exchange focused on…

Economists have offered mixed reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s upbeat assessment of South Africa’s economic recovery, warning that while several indicators have improved, growth remains too weak to deliver meaningful job creation and sustained investment. On Monday, Ramaphosa said that in the last months of 2025, South Africa saw a number of indicators that collective efforts to rebuild the economy are bearing fruit. “The economy has posted four consecutive quarters of growth. There has been a steady reduction in unemployment, while recent data released by Statistics South Africa shows that levels of poverty and inequality have declined considerably. Confidence in our economy is rising, the stock exchange has been performing well, and the average inflation rate is the lowest it has been in two decades,” he said. Ramaphosa added that…

The World Economic Forum last week provided a prominent platform for South Africa to demonstrate that our reform story is delivering tangible results. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana led a delegation including several ministers and senior business leaders to Davos, where South Africa House on the main promenade hosted events showcasing our progress to global investors. The message was fundamentally different from a year ago. While last year we delivered hope grounded in policy commitments, this year we could point to concrete achievements: exit from the FATF grey list, a credit rating upgrade from S&P Global, stable electricity supply after ending load shedding, and progress on logistics reforms, including the Durban port concession and private rail operators accessing Transnet’s network. As Minister Godongwana put it, the delegation returned not with promises,…

Last year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) became a buzzword where most companies claimed to have some sort of AI capability. Experts remained concerned about the speed of innovation while society was still trying to develop safeguards around AIs. In 2026, I’ve noticed a new trend. AI companies have decided to focus on healthcare. Most of them used the World Economic Forum 2026 gathering as their platform to launch. The Gates Foundation and Open AI have announced the collaborative launch of Horizon 1000, a $50 million initiative designed to advance health care in Africa through AI. Amazon through its One Medical division, launched an “agentic health AI assistant” that lives inside its primary care app where it can access members’ complete medical records. The assistant is designed to explain lab results,…

Economic growth prospects in China and India is expected to boost demand for South African commodity exports this year although resurgent logistical constraints impacted coal and iron ore in November, with the Minerals Council calling for the government to speedily transport infrastructure for bulk commodities. South Africa’s mining production fell in November 2025 by 2.7% on a year-on-year basis after six consecutive months of year-on-year growth, dragged down by steep drops in coal, iron ore, gold, and platinum group metals (PGMs). However, Bongani Motsa, an economist with the Minerals Council of SA, said this production drop for the month of November was not due to weak demand for shipments from South Africa. Demand for minerals exported from South Africa is likely to remain stronger inspite of geopolitical upheavals sparked off…

The board of Barloworld, which delists from the JSE on Tuesday after 86 years on the market, would remain focused on strategy, disciplined governance and transparent stakeholder communication, said the chairman Lulu Gwagwa. The group, which focuses on heavy industrial equipment and services, and food and ingredient solutions for the consumer industries, is delisting from the JSE and A2X after being acquired by Saudi Arabia's Zahid Group. "Looking ahead under private ownership, our priorities are clear: to safeguard the well-being of our people and to execute our strategy with pace, while upholding the board's duty to act in the organisation's best interests by integrating diverse stakeholder perspectives to ensure long-term, sustainable value creation," said Gwagwa in the integrated report released Monday. She welcomed soon to be newly appointed directors and…

LOCAL government experts have warned that the ANC’s plans to strengthen service delivery in municipalities faces an upheaval battle without the involvement of other Government of National Unity (GNU) parties. “It cannot be a single party effort; the other political parties that are part of the governmental machinery will have to be drawn in, as the challenges experienced in local government are being faced by the South African populace in general,” said Professor Purshottama Sivanarain Reddy, a local government specialist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His remarks come after the ANC, which controls only one metro out of the country’s eight, announced new plans to deal with service delivery at its National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla gathering in Boksburg at the weekend. Speaking on the opening day of…

POLICE Minister Senzo Mchunu allegedly promised an undercover operative “a free” and “happy life” if he provided false information to the Madlanga Commission of inquiry. The commission is probing allegations that Mchunu, who has since been placed on enforced leave, interfered with police operations to protect criminal syndicates. His decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) was cited as part of the plan to allegedly weaken the police. Witness E is among key witnesses testifying before the Madlanga Commission about police’s alleged involvement in the murder of former ANC youth league secretary general Sindiso Magaqa. Witness E has been under witness protection for more than five years. Testifying yesterday, Witness E said Mchunu pressured him about the PKTT operations, asking him if he knew of any victims of…

The case against Garden Route artist Bevan van Druten, charged with the murder of former detective Anneke "Nicky" van Heerden, has been postponed to Thursday for a formal bail application. Van Druten, appeared in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court yesterday where he told magistrate, Zukiswa Hans, in Afrikaans: “I want to apply for a state lawyer.” This came after prominent Garden Route attorney Carl Jeppe refused to represent the 53-year-old man, a decision Jeppe himself confirmed. Van Druten was assigned a Legal Aid attorney, while the State withdrew its request to have him sent to a district surgeon for mental evaluation. Hans said she had not been informed of the application and was hearing of it for the very first time. The matter was postponed for Van Druten to bring…

In an inspiring revelation from the latest SuperSport episode of the documentary series Bucs Camp: Brotherhood, Cape Town-born footballer Oswin Appollis opens up about his narrow escape from a life of gangsterism. The 23-year-old Orlando Pirates star, affectionately nicknamed “10111” for his incredible speed and creativity on the pitch, reveals that many in his community believed he would inevitably follow in his father’s footsteps, a known gangster. Growing up in Bishop Lavis, a notoriously tough and gang-ridden neighbourhood in Cape Town, Appollis faced the daunting challenge of carving his own identity amidst societal expectations. Appollis’ heartfelt story goes: “My name is Oswin Appollis. I’m from Bishop Lavis, Cape Town. I grew up with my mother, my granny and my little brother, in a neighbourhood that wasn’t easy. “Life there was…

Jannik Sinner sent an Australian Open statement by rolling into the quarter-finals yesterday, but fellow champion Madison Keys was dethroned as Melbourne braced for extreme heat. Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti battled stifling conditions to set up a last-eight showdown with Novak Djokovic, while six-time major champion Iga Swiatek progressed in rampant fashion. Two-time defending champion Sinner raced to a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) victory over fellow Italian and close friend Luciano Darderi. Tomorrow the second seed plays US eighth seed Ben Shelton, who beat Norway’s 12th-seed Casper Ruud. Djokovic and Sinner are on course for a blockbuster last-four showdown, with the Serbian great also in action tomorrow against Musetti. The latter vowed yesterday to push Djokovic “to his maximum”. The Italian powered past ninth-seeded American Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5, 6-4…

South Africa’s wine export sector recorded stable value performance over the past year despite declining volumes, as producers navigated a challenging global trading environment marked by softer consumption, rising tariffs and increased trade complexity, Wines of South Africa said in a statement on Monday. Global wine consumption continued to weaken amid economic pressure, while trade barriers and higher tariffs added further strain to exporters. Against this backdrop, South Africa’s wine industry maintained its focus on sustaining value in established markets while expanding into developing and emerging regions, particularly across Africa and Asia. Total wine exports reached 264 million litres during the period, with exports accounting for 40% of total sales compared with 60% in the domestic market. Export value amounted to R9.8 billion, representing a 2.4% year-on-year decline, despite…

Current rally bodes well for South Africa’s economy as jittery investors seek safe havens The current rally in the gold price to new higher levels above $5 000 per ounce bode well for South Africa’s economy and local bullion producers, analysts said on Monday as jittery global investors whetted their appetite for safe haven assets due to international trade and geopolitical upheavals. Gold prices rocketed past $5 000 per ounce Monday morning as the US Dollar weakened against other international and emerging currencies. Appetite for South African assets also yielded up, with the rand breaching the R16 to the dollar threshold, leaving analysts’ eyebrows for further prospects leveled at the R15:$1 level. Market analyst Simon Brown told Business Report that the rally in the price of gold would be beneficial…

There has been a welcome reaction to the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC), a division of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, announcing that the sugar tariff review process has been gazetted regarding the Dollar-Based Reference Price (DBRP). ITAC's review comes after the South African Sugar Association (Sasa) applied for an increase in the current DBRP while the Beverage Association of South Africa (Bevsa) applied for a reduction in the current DBRP. ITAC said that Sasa applied for an increase in the current DBRP from $680 (R10 900)/ton to $905 (R14 400)/ton. “Sasa, citing amongst other reasons the need to protect the local sugar industry and ensure its sustainability. This application was made known to industry stakeholders, who were provided the opportunity to submit preliminary comments.” ITAC added that…

Last week's piece examined what survives the AI agent layer collapse — the gap between automating tasks and enabling purpose. But survival is one question. Who benefits is another. And cue Part 2. Two recent publications offer competing lenses on AI's economic promise: The Anthropic Economic Index Report, a data-driven analysis of how people actually use Claude; and Stephen Deng's "Africa’s Narrative Lock-In" essay, a venture capitalist’s (VC) diagnosis of why African tech is stuck telling the wrong stories. Both contain useful observations. Both are shaped by the interests of those producing them. The Anthropic data Anthropic's Economic Index white paper landed in mid-January 2026, within days of the company shipping Claude Cowork — the desktop automation feature that prompted Eigent to open-source itself. The timing is instructive. The report…

As South Africans await the 2026 budget announcement next month, the beer industry is warning that another above-inflation tax increase could harm small brewers, threaten thousands of jobs, and push consumers towards the illicit alcohol market. This warning comes as Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana is set to table the 2026 budget on February 25, 2026. The association has noted that past excise hikes have already squeezed profit margins and limited investment, placing small brewers under significant financial strain. Last year, the government raised beer excise by 6.75%. The association has called on the National Treasury to implement a predictable, CPI-linked excise framework that would give brewers certainty and protect jobs. "The reality is that beer companies — large and small — already carry a double tax burden: corporate income…

ACTIONSA leader, Herman Mashaba, played his cards to the chest when asked whether he would run for the position of mayor of Johannesburg. Mashaba said the party wants new leaders to take the party forward, adding that only in the event that the party is unable to attract such young leaders, would he consider himself for the position. “We have made it clear as ActionSA that we are looking for another Nasiphi Moya and another Xolani Khumalo. But if they are not available, Herman Mashaba will then make himself available. However, we are yet to announce our mayoral candidate,” he added. In the event that he does, he would be up against the likes of Helen Zille, whom he once worked with during his time in the DA. Mashaba made…

RENAMING KwaZulu-Natal to KwaZulu would be a travesty of cultural justice and an expression of unearned cultural supremacy, says cultural analyst Professor Musa Xulu. He was reacting to Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s call to rename the KwaZulu-Natal province by removing the ‘Natal’. Speaking during the 147th edition of the Battle of Isandlwana, in Nquthu in the north of the province last Thursday, the king announced that he would start a campaign to drop Natal from the province’s name. The king’s argument is that prior to the colonisation of the province, the area was known as KwaZulu and fell under the Zulu kingdom. He said the colonisers renamed it Natal. However, Xulu disputed the king’s assertion, saying that there was never a time where the entire province was called KwaZulu. Xulu…

SAPS has been found liable for damages after a Grade 10 learner was shot by police during a school protest. A group of students had protested during morning assembly about the state of decay the school was in. Siphelele Totseka instituted action against the Minister of Police in the Eastern Cape High Court after he was shot by police during the protest. He testified that he was a Grade 10 learner at Madala Senior Secondary School in 2019 when the incident occurred. The students assembled for prayer as per his school schedule. Instead of singing the usual gospel songs, he, along with his fellow learners, initiated a protest concerning the dilapidated state of the school’s infrastructure. According to Totseka, the school toilets were blocked, and windows were cracked, exposing them…

Victor Mthethwa Majola, the man accused of orchestrating the killing of Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock, has been denied bail by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court. Majola, 44, faces charges of murder, premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder following the fatal shooting of the popular DJ, radio personality and businessman outside the Zambesi Building in Johannesburg’s central business district in December last year. DJ Warras, who was also the founder of a VIP protection company, was shot multiple times in what the State alleges was a planned hit. His killing sparked widespread shock across the entertainment industry and among his followers. During bail proceedings, Majola told the court that he should be released pending trial, insisting that he is not a flight risk and has no reason to evade justice. He…

It may have been just a throwaway line, but when JP Pietersen said his centres might end up on the flanks in the return match against the Stormers, it was not as far-fetched as you might think, as the coach tackles a loose forward crisis. Andre Esterhuizen, we know, is an accomplished hybrid centre-cum-flank for the Springboks, while the strapping Hooker certainly has the physical attributes to one day follow in the footsteps of his midfield partner. For Pietersen and the Sharks, the epic defeat of the Stormers in Cape Town came at a heavy loose forward cost — Manu Tshituka was injured in the 21st minute, Phepsi Buthelezi, who had a brilliant first half, went down 10 minutes into the second period, and replacement flank Siya Kolisi limped off…

A month ago, Proteas T20 captain Aiden Markram instructed his national teammates to “have as much fun as you can” in the Betway SA20. But now that South Africa’s premier domestic T20 competition has come to a thrilling conclusion at Newlands on Sunday, with Markram’s former team, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, claiming their third title in four seasons, the time for serious business has arrived. The Proteas face the West Indies in the first of three T20Is in Paarl today followed by a second in Centurion on Thursday before wrapping up their ICC T20 World Cup preparations with the inaugural “Pink T20I” at the Wanderers on Saturday. “Yeah, it’s exciting, the boys are still coming in drips and drabs at the moment, so I think it’ll be good once we’re all…

Stellenbosch FC coach Gavin Hunt believes his side will emerge stronger from their Caf Confederation Cup setback against CR Belouizdad as they prepare for a decisive return leg, with squad reinforcements also set to boost their campaign. Stellies suffered their first defeat of the group stages on Sunday evening after going down 2–0 to the Algerian outfit, a result that leaves the Cape Winelands side second in the group standings, two points adrift of Belouizdad at the halfway mark. The Cape Winelands side were originally scheduled to face Golden Arrows tomorrow, but with their continental commitments, the clash has been postponed. This has afforded Hunt valuable time to refocus his squad ahead of a crucial return leg that could play a major role in determining their chances of progressing to…

Germany has offered South Africa loans at significantly below-market rates, with longer tenures and grace periods, German Special Envoy for the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), Rainer Baake, has said. Briefing the media on the current state of the JETP, Baake said the National Treasury had also confirmed the highly concessional nature of the financing, which he said was lower than listed debt market rates. Baake steered clear of directly addressing comments by Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, made on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. Ramokgopa had said Eskom would need to turn to other, more affordable funding options—such as banks, private investors, and the bond market—after a pledge of more than R213 billion by major Western powers was rejected due…

Boards are rarely judged on the quality of their frameworks. Policies, charters and codes create structure, but they do not decide. Governance is tested in moments where rules are silent, information is incomplete and timing matters more than certainty. Boards are ultimately judged on the quality of their judgement when it matters most. Most boards operate within well defined governance architectures. Delegations are clear. Reporting cycles are established. Assurance mechanisms are in place. Yet governance failures continue to occur, often in organisations that appear compliant, stable and well governed on paper. The explanation is rarely the absence of rules. It is the quality of judgement exercised when those rules do not offer clear direction. Judgement is tested when risk is credible but not provable. When ethical discomfort exists without a…

The AI disruptions of the past few years have only been the prologue to what's coming in 2026: AI’s full integration into data centre processes and builds. It’s a moment we’ve been building up to ever since OpenAI’s ChatGPT brought Artificial Intelligence into the mainstream in late 2022, sending shockwaves through everything from academia and mental health care to every type and size of business. A truly profound transformation will begin to take hold in 2026 as AI becomes ever more ingrained in every aspect of life and the focus shifts from Large Language Models (LLMs) to AI inferencing. In some ways, 2026 will be the year the rubber truly hits the road when it comes to AI. AI rewires functions and industries According to McKinsey’s latest State of AI…

Cashbuild said revenue declined by 2% for its 309 existing building materials stores in the three months to December 28, 2025. The share price fell by a sharp 5.3% to R149.51 on the JSE on Monday in early trade - a year ago the share price was trading at R197.84. Cashbuild South Africa, the division that made up 83% of revenue and which managed to increase revenue 7% in its first quarter, saw only 1% growth in the second quarter, the listed Southern Africa retailer said in an operational update. The builder's holiday was between December 12 and December 31, 2025. The Cashbuild Common Monetary Areas division reported 10% growth in the first quarter, and growth was flat in the second quarter. The addition of 15 new stores compared with…

Pan African Resources share price shot up over 5% Monday morning after it announced gold production was up by more than half in a market where the yellow metal price is hitting new highs. The mid-tier JSE and London mining group said Monday in an operational update for the half-year to end-December 2025 that it also wished to initiate the payment of a half-year dividend - a 12 cents per interim dividend was proposed. "Pan African's safety, operational and financial performance in the first half, together with the boon of record gold prices, has positioned us to deliver outstanding results for the full year. During the first half the group de-geared its balance sheet, and is also boosting cash returns to shareholders," said CEO Kobus Loots. The high gold price…

Mrs SA 2025 Erin Jane Miller is currently in the US to proudly fly the SA flag high at the prestigious and globally acclaimed 2026 Mrs World beauty pageant. In 2024, Miller was crowned Mrs SA at the Theatre of Marcellus in Emperors Palace on November 15. The beauty queen departed for the US on January 21, and Independent Media Lifestyle spoke to her about how she feels as she will be joining women from around the world in celebration of beauty, leadership and advocacy. She shared that it is an honour for her to be entrusted with this responsibility. “It is truly one of the greatest honours of my life to be entrusted with this responsibility. It is not one I take lightly, but I feel I am the…

ANOTHER delay has hit the testimony of National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) at Nkabinde Inquiry, Shamila Batohi after it emerged that there were still challenges in securing her legal representation. The inquiry resumed yesterday after it was adjourned in December, when Batohi, while under cross-examination by Advocate Andrew Chauke’s legal team, walked out of the commission. It was recommended that she make use of the NPA legal team at the inquiry, headed by Advocate Garth Hulley SC. But another problem arose, as the inquiry was told that there may be a potential conflict of interests between herself and the NPA’s legal team, which bars her from consulting with them while she is still under cross-examination. Batohi insists that she wants her own legal team, at State expense, to assist…

FOR many parents, placing their children in the school transport and waving goodbye is part of their normal morning routine, but what happens when the child never comes home? The Vanderbijlpark accident last week, which claimed the lives of 14 young children has evoked strong emotions from parents still battling the loss of a child in the same manner and those who are learning to ask the right questions when it comes to placing their children’s lives in the hands of the scholar transport system. This year will mark the 16th anniversary of the devastating Blackheath train-crossing tragedy, which claimed the lives of 10 school children on August 25, 2010. The learners died when their taxi to school jumped a queue of cars waiting at a rail crossing at Buttskop…

Firefighting efforts continued for a tenth day in the mountains above Franschhoek. The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s (CWDM) Fire Services, together with CapeNature and the Winelands Fire Protection Association (FPA), yesterday said while the majority of fire lines in the area have been successfully addressed, a fire line at the top of the Banghoek Valley remained active. The fire was originally reported on January 17, 2026. In an update yesterday afternoon, the CWDM said firefighting efforts were ongoing; however, not as much progress as was expected has been made during this operational period. "Extremely challenging terrain is severely limiting the effectiveness of operations. The area consists of steep, rocky slopes with very narrow ledges, leaving crews with limited and often unsafe positions from which to work. "Despite these difficult and…

Arsenal’s charge towards a first English Premier League title in 22 years was halted by Manchester United’s stunning 3-2 victory at the Emirates on Sunday, pulling Manchester City and Aston Villa back into the title race. City and Villa, who beat Wolves and Newcastle 2-0 respectively this past weekend, are now just four points behind the Gunners. United’s victory also lifted them into the Top 4 at Liverpool’s expense after the defending champions’ long unbeaten run came undone at Bournemouth. Here, we look at three talking points from the weekend: Carrick magic transforms Red Devils Michael Carrick looked to have been handed a baptism of fire with Manchester City and Arsenal dished up in the first two games of his reign. The former Red Devils midfielder returned to Old Trafford…

In the past, South African football was tainted by fan hooliganism, particularly among supporters of the leading clubs, when coaches became highly unpopular because of poor results. This situation frequently resulted in financial penalties for clubs due to inadequate crowd management. Simultaneously, it prompted many coaches to resign voluntarily as the environment became untenable. Typically, before a coach would formally resign, the club would issue a statement indicating they could no longer ensure the coach’s safety, which served as an implicit signal for the coach to step down. Last season, indications emerged that supporters were expressing dissatisfaction with coach Miguel Cardoso. A notable portion of the fan base felt that, given the squad’s strength, the club should have captured all available trophies. True, Sundowns won the Betway Premiership but lost…

For the past month Shai Hope has enjoyed one of the best seats in the house watching Dewald Brevis go about his work in Betway SA20. But now the Pretoria Capitals teammates will be on opposite sides when the West Indies face the Proteas in a three-match T20I series, starting in Paarl on Tuesday. Brevis, fresh off a scintillating century in the Betway SA20 Final at Newlands last Sunday will no doubt be eager to transfer that form to the international arean against the Windies. Hope was certainly impressed with the 22-year-old Rising Star, and is fully aware of the threat Brevis poses. “He oozes confidence. He's one of those characters that feels he can get the job done in any situation at any time,” said Hope, who was named…