Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-08-13 i Mercury

The Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) has refuted all allegations of mismanagement of funds, irregular procurement, and subvertion of governance processes. This comes after weekend reports that the GPAA paid R270 million to contractors for refurbishing a building it allegedly has no legal access to, linked to a 10-year office lease agreement estimated at R1 billion. The GPAA is a government agency that administers funds for the Government Employees Pension Fund, serving 1.7 million employees and pensioners. GPAA spokesperson, Mack Lewele, on Tuesday said the allegations were the subject of an ongoing audit process. Lekwele told Business Report that due to this process, the GPAA was not in a position to make pre-emptive statements as they may jeopardise the audit outcome. “As stated previously, we reiterate that our process to…

The official unemployment rate in South Africa rose to its highest in one year as the jobless population surged by 140 000 in the three months to June, resulting in a total of 8.4 million individuals seeking work. The increase in unemployment has raised concerns, with the official unemployment rate jumping by 0.3 percentage points from 32.9% in the first quarter to 33.2% in the second quarter. This is the highest jobless rate since the second quarter of 2024. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) results for the second quarter of 2025, the labour market showed a modest increase in employment numbers but this was coupled with a worrying rise in the unemployment rate. Statistics South Africa said there was an increase of 19 000 employed persons, bringing…

South Africa’s productive sectors are poised to make a significant impact on the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second quarter of 2025, as new data reveals a positive uptick in both mining and manufacturing output. Data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Tuesday showed that mining production rose by 2.4% in June compared to the same month a year ago, up from an upwardly revised 0.3% increase in May. This June mining report marked the second consecutive month of growth, exceeding market estimates of 1.4% growth. Stats SA’s principal service statistician, Jean-Pierre Terblanche, said platinum group metals (PGM), coal and chromium ore were the main drivers of growth, as they rose 3.0%, 3.7%, and 9.0%, respectively. Production of PGM picked up following disruptive rains in…

Sirius Real Estate, JSE-listed owner of industrial parks in Germany and the UK, has announced a third acquisition in a week - it will buy Hartlebury Trading Estate in the UK for £101.1 million (R2.41 billion). “The acquisition is transformational for Sirius' UK business, which operates as BizSpace, where it will increase the size of the portfolio by 18% to 8.3 million square feet, while growing the gross UK asset value by about 20% and immediately boosting revenues by 10%,” said Sirius’s CEO Andrew Coombs. This transaction follows the announcement last week of acquisitions in Dresden and Bedford and it is the ninth business park the group has bought in 2025, with a total investment value of €289.9m that has added €20m of net operating income. The Hartlebury estate currently…

When you picture water shoes, high fashion isn’t usually the first thing that springs to mind. For years, they’ve been the unsung heroes of watersports enthusiasts and parents wrangling toddlers near slippery surfaces. Function over fashion was their mantra. However, the fast-changing nature of fashion, much like the tides, has brought these utilitarian foot coverings into the style conversation. According to recent articles in fashion publications like Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, designers have been subtly incorporating elements of practicality and comfort into their footwear collections. Think chunky soles, breathable materials, and a move away from stilettos that threaten to sink into every patch of soft sand. In this context, the humble water shoe, with its inherent grip and protective qualities, doesn’t seem quite so… out there. Here in South Africa,…

Some opposition parties prefer to remain on the opposition benches as they flatly rejected the ANC’s suggestion to invite them into the Government of National Unity (GNU). The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) was unwilling to be part of the Cabinet that involved the DA and President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, the MKP said it was willing to hold discussions with the EFF and the ANC, without Ramaphosa’s involvement, for the formation of the pro-black government. MKP national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said this in reaction to the ANC’s suggestion of adding more parties to the GNU. The ANC, whose spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri is yet to respond to a request for comment, announced in a statement released on August 6, that the party’s National Executive Committee’s ordinary meeting held between August 1 and…

Minister of Higher Education, Buti Manamela, yesterday acknowledged that the country's Post-School Education and Training system remains challenged and fragmented, and he has committed himself to stabilising the embattled National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) within the next three months. Manamela’s promise comes just days after reports indicated that the scheme's student accommodation management processes and the involvement of third-party partners are currently under a comprehensive legal review. The announcement of the review came after the South African Students Congress (Sasco) reported last week that students had been evicted from a residence for EThekwini TVET college students because of challenges with NSFAS payments because of a delay in the submission of academic results. NSFAS has said it is awaiting the outcome of this review, and once completed, it will implement the…

The decision to allocate a large portion of a death benefit to the financially independent son of a deceased man, while his unemployed life partner and her children only received a fraction of the benefit, was set aside by the Pension Funds Adjudicator. The adjudicator, Muvhango Lukhaimane, recently ordered the pension fund to consider the financial dependency of the complainant (the life partner) and her children. The complainant claimed she was the life partner of the deceased, who was a member of the Private Security Sector Provident Fund. Following the deceased's passing, a death benefit of R254,609.51 became payable to his beneficiaries. The fund allocated 10% to his unemployed partner, 23% to the deceased’s son, who is employed, 25% to his daughter, who is a scholar, 14% to a stepson…

The announcement of 270 new posts to be advertised by KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has been welcomed by the South African Medical Association (SAMA), the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA), and the DA in KwaZulu-Natal. Following an Executive Council meeting last week, Simelane announced that 150 doctor positions (100 medical officers and 50 medical specialists) and 120 nursing positions (40 specialised nurses and 80 entry-level nurses) would be created. The announcement came after dozens of unemployed doctors held a three-week protest outside the provincial legislature in Pietermaritzburg in July. Simelane said this is to strengthen the public health system and provide essential human capital where it is needed. The new posts are expected to be advertised this week. SAMA chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said the announcement is…

THE 1956 Women’s March comprised 20 000 women fighting for free movement in South Africa. The protest was directed at dismantling the dompas system created by the apartheid regime to control the movement of ‘non-whites’. The regime utilised the dompas as one of its systematic mechanisms of racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination. The direct translation of dompas in English is ‘stupid pass’; however, the apartheid regime referred to it as ‘domestic pass’. This illustrates the derogatory and aggressive nature of this law towards black South Africans, as well as the lack of recognition and acknowledgement of their humanity. The dompas was imposed on people of colour, and failure to adhere to this law resulted in detention and incarceration. People of colour were banned from entering suburban white residential areas…

EVER since Dewald Brevis first stole the spotlight when he topped the run-scorers charts at the ICC Under-19 World Cup he’s had to live with the moniker “Baby AB” in reference to Proteas legend and his childhood hero AB de Villiers. But three years later on a balmy night in Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, Brevis lifted the immense weight of expectation off his shoulders to become his own man through an innings for the ages. Brevis eclipsed everything De Villiers achieved in a Proteas T20I shirt – and in fact anyone that’s ever worn it – by booming an undefeated 125 not out off 56 balls (12x4, 8x6) to power the Proteas to series-levelling 53-run victory over Australia. “I’ve always believed that this is where I need…

Platinum metals group will dispose SA mining operations, to focus on Zambian copper business Jubilee Metals Group plans to dispose of its chrome and platinum group mining operations in South Africa - it is one of the five top chrome producers worldwide - for up to $90 million (R15.8 billion), so that it can focus on its copper business in Zambia. This appears similar, albeit at a smaller scale, to the strategy being adopted by former South African mining goliath, Anglo American, which has already divested of its South African platinum and coal assets and will also soon sell its diamond assets, to focus on its new core assets: copper, premium iron ore, and crop nutrients. Jubilee Metals, which owns and operates several chrome and PGM processing plants across the…

We know how to save, stretch a budget, cover school fees, and find the best deals. But ask us about investing or long-term financial planning, and many smart, capable women still feel like we’re getting it wrong. A survey shared by financial journalist Maya Fisher-French in partnership with Satrix revealed something striking: while women are highly competent money managers, only 15% rate themselves as very knowledgeable about investing, compared to 42% of men. That’s not a knowledge gap; it’s a confidence gap. And it’s costing us. The cost of playing it safe The 10X Retirement Reality Report (2023) found that nearly half of South African women (49%) don’t have a retirement plan, compared to 43% of men. More women see themselves as “savers,” while fewer identify as “investors.” It’s a…

Recent investigative reporting by Pieter-Louis Myburgh in the Daily Maverick into alleged bribery involving the suspended CEO of the Independent Development Trust and her spokesperson underscores how deeply embedded corruption has become in South Africa. Such incidents occur with alarming frequency, and rarely with consequence. For ordinary South Africans, the constant stream of revelations about bribery, fraud, and political patronage has produced a sense of fatigue. The scale and normalisation of such conduct should no longer surprise us. During his tenure as CEO of Eskom, André de Ruyter, exposed organised criminal networks operating inside the utility. In his book Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom, he described syndicates that extended into the highest political circles. These included the so-called “coal mafia” that supplied substandard material while diverting coal…

Weaver Fintech has declared a remarkable first half, a pre-tax profit surge of 48% to R370 million, attributed to a robust revenue growth of 29% that reached R2.6 billion. This was according to the company's half year results to June 30 that were released on Tuesday, and which followed the rebranding last month from the former name, Homechoice International. CEO Sean Wibberley expressed his enthusiasm for the firm’s performance, remarking on the company’s evolving 40 year relationship with both customers and merchants. “Our results show how deeply our ecosystem resonates with customers and merchants. We had a very good first half, off the back of a strong second half of last year. We are not just scaling – we’re transforming how financial services are accessed and experienced across South Africa,”…

Taxpayers have paid R779 million over the past five years to provide private security at state-owned properties across the country. This was disclosed by Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson when he was responding to parliamentary questions posed by DA MP Edwin Bath. Macpherson said the expenditure on private security contracts was R140.9m in 2020/21, R124.6m the following year, R144.8m in 2022/23, R161.7m two years ago, and R199.9 in 2024/25. He also said the department has a total of 318 properties that are currently protected by private security companies. “This is a constantly changing number due to properties that get vacated by tenants and thus require security services to prevent and respond to threats of illegal occupation. This number includes occupied and unoccupied properties located in various regions.” Macpherson…

Jennifer Reddy, chief executive officer of Morar Incorporated, recently was awarded the Private Sector CEO of the Year 2025 at the African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA) of South Africa’s Women of Substance Awards. This prestigious recognition honours women who demonstrate outstanding leadership, influence, and impact in the financial and corporate sectors across the continent. Appointed as CEO of Morar Incorporated in 2022, Reddy leads the firm’s national operations across ten offices. Speaking after receiving the award, Reddy said she did not anticipate receiving it so soon in her career. “I am deeply honoured. My focus has always been on leading with integrity, driving growth, and empowering others.” The award is a humbling affirmation that those efforts are making a meaningful impact, she said. “Winning this award is incredibly motivating. It…

A FORMER policeman will serve 36 years behind bars for shooting his colleague, who later died, during the arrest of an armed robbery suspect at a tavern. The Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane convicted and sentenced the former warrant officer, Olson Mnisi, 63, to 20 years for murder and 16 years for two counts of attempted murder. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, said Mnisi was also declared unfit to possess firearms in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) welcomed the conviction and sentencing. Mnisi pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. During court proceedings, the court heard evidence that on September 16, 2018, at Mashishimale Village in Namakgale, Mnisi was part of a South African…

All Transitional Emergency Accommodations (TEA) will be closed by January 2027, the KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements Department (DHS) said yesterday. In a report to the KZN Legislature Human Settlements Portfolio Committee, the department recorded that it had spent R185 million on TEA rental for flood victims from December 2022 to December 2024 and an additional R128 million for every 12 months thereafter. The DHS is projecting that 837 houses will be completed by December 2026 and that 375 flood victims will be housed at Montclair Lodge and Cornubia Temporary Residential Units (TRUs) during the building of their permanent houses, which is targeted for completion by June 2027. According to the DHS flood victim status report, there are 1 195 families in TEU facilities as of June 2025. In an updated report…

Standing at 2.03m and 145kg, and wearing size 19 boots (it doesn’t matter if it’s US or UK 19, does it?), Will Skelton is built like a brick outhouse. Over the years, there have been many urban legends about the big Wallaby lock. Many of them probably originated in Australian bars and were greatly exaggerated as the evening edged closer to bad-decisions-o’clock. One such tale involves Skelton going through airport security and being unable to fit through the full-body scanner. Before bringing out the metal detector, legend has it the security officer asked Skelton if he had any guns, to which he replied: “I only have these biceps and a half-eaten protein bar…” However, on a rugby field, the legend of Will Skelton is very, very real. A big, intimidating…

The South African poultry industry has voiced concerns about the government’s decision to facilitate the import of 72 000 metric tons of poultry from the United States as part of measures to boost trade and reduce the tariffs. The local poultry industry on Tuesday said it has been sacrificed to benefit the automotive sector and others focusing on profitable exports to the US. The South African Poultry Association (SAPA) told Business Report that the decision was a surprise. SAPA CEO Izaak Breitenbach said the industry had instead been hard at negotiations with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) to suspend the US imports prior to the tariff negotiations. Breitenbach said that the US, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act agreements, along with Brazil, were amongst the…

The Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber on Tuesday announced Capitec Bank and First National Bank (FNB) as the first banks that have elected to sign up to the Department’s new digital partnership model that will expand access to Smart ID and Passport services. This is from the existing 30 to hundreds more bank branches in both urban and rural areas across South Africa, as well as to digital banking applications. Schreiber said a third bank would be announced soon that joined the partnership. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) said it marks the beginning of the end for long travelling distances to reach Home Affairs services, for long queues, as well as for the Green ID book with its unacceptable vulnerability to fraud and identity theft, and the…

Since 1994, South Africa has made substantive progress in advancing the rights of women, strengthening their representation in decision-making positions and developing gender-responsive policies and legislation. However there remains critical gaps to be addressed through public policy, institutional frameworks and implementation. Last week we marked our National Women’s Day as a stark reminder that the struggle for gender equality and women’s emancipation is yet to be won. In this context, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) is expected to deliver bold, intersectional leadership. The link between climate change and gender equality is undeniable, impacting essentials such as food, shelter, and livelihoods. It’s crucial that national climate policies, such as the nationally determined contributions (NDCs), incorporate gender-responsive actions to advance gender equality in this era of…

Vodacom Group and Airtel Africa on Tuesday announced a strategic infrastructure sharing agreement in key markets including Mozambique, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, subject to regulatory approvals in the various countries. Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services in 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement marks a transformative milestone in promoting digital inclusion and expanding access to reliable connectivity across Africa. The initial partnership focuses on sharing fibre networks and tower infrastructure, to accelerate the roll-out of digital services in these markets, increasing connectivity for customers while reducing operators’ infrastructure costs and improving speed to market. By leveraging existing infrastructure, the collaboration aims to deliver improved connectivity, faster internet speeds, and more reliable services. This will not only enhance customer experience but…

The appeal of the convicted kidnappers in the Joshlin Smith case has seen the defence question the State's handling of the matter, accusing the prosecution of trampling on constitutional rights, hiding crucial evidence, and relying on coerced confessions. Joshlin vanished from her Middelpos home in Saldanha Bay on February 19, 2024. The Western Cape High Court is hearing the appeal against the conviction and sentences handed down to Racquel “Kelly” Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and Steveno Van Rhyn. They were found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking in connection with Joshlin's disappearance and received life sentences. Advocate Nobahle Mkabayi, who represents Van Rhyn, said the “case was compromised from the start”. She said her client was unlawfully detained for more than 48 hours before his first court appearance on March 7,…

Liverpool begin their bid for a record 21st English title on Friday, with Arne Slot’s revamped side installed as favourites to retain the Premier League crown. Arsenal and Manchester City are the main contenders to end Liverpool’s reign, while Chelsea and Manchester United have questions to answer. Here we look at five talking points ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season: n Champs Liverpool in pole position When Liverpool host Bournemouth in the opening match of the top-flight season, the Reds will put on display an expensively overhauled team carrying great expectations. Liverpool haven’t been crowned champions in successive campaigns since 1982-83 and 1983-84. Emulating the feat of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and company would take the Anfield club past Manchester United into sole possession of the most English…

Kaizer Chiefs are riding high after a positive start to the 2025/26 season, and they’ll be aiming to improve their record against Polokwane City when the two sides meet at FNB Stadium tonight (7.30pm kick-off). Amakhosi have worked tirelessly in the off-season to bounce back from a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, which ended with a ninth-place finish – a season that never quite found momentum. The Soweto giants had a number of new signings brought in, and their first real test came this past weekend against a formidable Stellenbosch FC side. With head coach Nasreddine Nabi absent for that clash due to a family emergency back home in Tunisia, assistant coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef led the team to a convincing 2–0 win – their fourth straight victory under…

Golden Arrows and Richards Bay will be desperate to get their Betway Premiership campaigns on track when they collide in a KwaZulu-Natal derby at the King Zwelithini Stadium this evening. Both sides lost their league openers, leaving them already under pressure to put early points on the board. Arrows were beaten by newly promoted Siwelele FC, while Richards Bay fell to Marumo Gallants. The urgency is shared – neither camp wants to risk an extended winless run this early in the season. For Arrows, the 2025/26 has begun as a season of transition. Head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has assembled a squad brimming with fresh-faced youngsters signed in the off-season. While the energy and enthusiasm are clear, the chemistry is still developing, particularly in attack where their youthful frontline has…