Food Inflation At A High Compared to Recent Years By Wandile Sihlobo The damaging effects of persistent dryness and heatwave in South Africa’s summer crop growing regions have raised concerns about a possible rise in consumer food inflation in the coming months. With South Africa’s food price inflation averaging 11% in 2023 (from 9.5% in 2022, 6.5% in 2021, and 4.8% in 2020), which was relatively high compared with recent periods, talk of further upside pressure in inflation comes as an unwelcome development. However, the underlying drivers of the increase in food inflation in the past two ye ..read more

Sustainable Entrepreneurship: South African Start-Ups and The Irish Tech Challenge Connection By Raine St.Claire The Irish Tech Challenge, now in its second year, is a premier startup competition focusing on innovative solutions aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Launched in 2022, it has swiftly become a catalyst for innovation in the South African tech community, showcasing effective collaborations between governments and the private sector. The initiative, led by the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), and the Technolo ..read more

Prof. Godfrey, Principal Scientist: Waste and Circular Economy Manager – CSIR By Raine St.Claire On October 30, 2023, UNEP announced CSIR as a 2023 Champion of the Earth, specifically in the Science and Innovation category. It is an acknowledgment of groundbreaking work pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and technology for positive impacts on the environment. This recognition, awarded following a public nomination process and global jury evaluation, signifies the CSIR’s standout performance among over 2500 nominations. CSIR’s pivotal role in advancing plastic research is evident throug ..read more

No Relief for Personal Income By Raine St.Claire There won’t be any relief for personal income-taxpayers In the upcoming 2024/25 tax year. The Personal Income Tax (PIT) table and tax rebates remain unchanged, ignoring inflation. This lack of adjustment means that salary increases will be a push up into a higher tax bracket with increased tax rates. Medical tax credits will also remain unchanged, with no mention of phasing them out or introducing new taxes for National Health Insurance (NHI). Some Relief The good news is that the three fuel levies: the general fuel levy (GFL), the Road Accide ..read more

Women in Leadership – Guiding BPESA and The Transformation of South Africa’s Business Services By Raine St. Claire March is important in South Africa as it honours Human Rights. For Reshni Singh, a fervent supporter of women’s opportunities in the Global Business Services Incentive (GBS) sector, it is also her one-year anniversary as BPESA’s CEO. With 21 years of experience in roles supporting South Africa’s economic growth, especially at the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (dtic), she managed the highly praised GBS incentives programme. In an interview, Reshni reflected on the ..read more

Letter From The President – Commemorating Human Rights Month By Fiona Wakelin In his Letter to the Nation from the Presidency, penned on March 18, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa focused on Human Rights – recalling that on 21 March, South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day. The purpose of this public holiday is to remind all South Africans of the Sharpeville Massacre that took place in 1960, when police shot dead 69 unarmed protesters who were taking a stand against unjust and inhumane pass laws; this led to the United Nations (UN) Security Council adopting its first resolution condemning violence perpe ..read more

How MerSETA Empowers South Africans Through Skills Developmeny By Fiona Wakelin & Naledi Mokoena  During her tenure at The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), Ncedisa Mpande has ensured that the organisation formed strong partnerships with various provincial offices across the country, one of which has resulted in the training of 6000 young people as solar technicians. It is also through her leadership that the merSETA forged partnerships with various higher education institutions in the country, resulting in the clearing ..read more

Letter From The President – Adapting To The Ever-Changing Global Economy By Fiona Wakelin In his letter to the nation, written on 12 February, President Ramaphosa focused on attracting skills that will enable growth and reflected that, to succeed in the fast-paced, ever-changing global economy, South Africa needs people with the appropriate skills “As a country, we have invested much in producing these skills, from significantly expanding access to higher education, introducing digital programmes in TVET colleges and a shift to a new pay-for-performance approach to skills development. “Howeve ..read more

Beneficial Ownership Registry – CIPC Aims To Boost Transparency By Koketso Mamabolo & Jessie Taylor South Africa’s greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in 2022 sparked a wave of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing policies and mechanisms. One of these is an amendment of the Companies Act 71 of 2008, which came into effect in April last year with far-reaching implications. To bring more transparency and accountability, organisations whether they be profit-making, NPOs or even non-exempt SOEs – are now o ..read more

Agricultural Exports in SA are Flourishing and Growing The Economy By Fiona Wakelin & Jessie Taylor  South Africa’s agricultural sector has proven to be a robust industry, contributing significantly to the country’s economic performance and employment for a large number of South Africans. But the sector’s value is more than just employment and GDP figures, as it supports a number of other sectors, such as manufacturing. This means that the success of the agricultural sector is far-reaching: it can increase productivity and employment in several neighbouring industries. Supporting Ind ..read more