The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
South Africa has expanded its marine protection areas (MPAs) to provide protection to 90 percent of marine habitat types, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) said on Tuesday. The move, which is in line with South Africa's international commitments, strives to support multiple objectives for biodiversity in alignment with ocean …
The Final Report of the Presidential Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture, which was released to the public on 28 July, is already causing uncertainty and concern over the future of agriculture and property rights in South Africa. Two of the Panel’s 10 members, Dan Kriek, the President of …
About 200 waste pickers marched from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown to the offices of Pikitup and the City of Johannesburg on Thursday morning, GroundUp eported. The march was organised by African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) - a group formed in 2017 to represent Johannesburg's street and landfill waste pickers. The …
Sibanye Gold was ordered to shut down the shaft at its Rustenburg platinum mine where 1 800 workers were trapped for as long as 10 hours on Tuesday due to an accident with an underground transport system. The Department of Mineral Resources issued a so-called Section 54 notice, barring the …
African Swine Fever (ASF) has broken out among pigs in Delmas, Mpumalanga, according to national Department of Health animal health director Mpho Maja. The outbreak was detected over the weekend when farmers noticed that some of their animals showed signs of the disease. Signs of the disease are, among others, …
In a setback for coal-fired power generation and a victory for the renewable energy lobby, Standard Bank will not provide funding for two new independent coal-fired power stations. This follows similar announcements by Nedbank and FirstRand and is in line with new protocols announced by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation …
The farming community of Sutherland in the Karoo is begging for help as they watch the lives of farmworkers, farmers and shopkeepers fall apart because of a prolonged six-year drought. "Our situation is grim," said Hester Obermeyer, a member of the region's drought-relief committee. "Farmers plan for one, two years …
The high-resolution wind resource map for South Africa was launched on Wednesday at the final Wind Atlas for South Africa (WASA) Seminar. In the keynote address, delivered by Ompi Aphane on behalf of the Department Of Energy's Director General, he noted that wind energy remains an integral part of South …
"The blasting happens every day and you can feel the houses shaking" Last week Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe visited Phola, in Mpumalanga, to hear complaints that blasting from nearby coal mines was causing cracks in houses and broken windows. The visit concluded with an undertaking to determine whether the …
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has advised farmers and community members to take precautionary control measures to ensure early detection and effective control of Fall Armyworm (FAW) outbreak. This follows the detection of larvae of the Fall Armyworm (FAW) in the Western Cape, near the Clanwilliam area. The …
Violent protests related to land are increasing in Cape Town ahead of the elections in May. The metro disclosed on Thursday that it had recorded 21 incidents of protest action in the first few days of April. This follows 76 recorded incidents in March, which is an increase from 24 …
Zeerust in the North West has reportedly been hit by an African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. It was reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on Wednesday, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. "The virus is endemic in wildlife in the ASF-controlled area (shown in …
South Africa has detected an outbreak of African swine fever on a farm in North West province, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday, citing a report from the South African agriculture ministry. The outbreak killed 32 out of a herd of 36 pigs on a …
Rural communities in South Africa, which make up 40% of the population, face immense difficulties in accessing adequate healthcare, according to a report titled Protecting Rural Healthcare in Times of Economic Crisis. The report was launched on Tuesday by the Rural Healthcare Advocacy Project (RHAP) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. "We have …
The Department of Environmental Affairs has given the go-ahead to a wind farm project that the Watson family wants to build in the Eastern Cape, before assessing strong differences of opinion from scientists worried about the threat to bird life. The topic came up at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry …
Protea Heights Academy in Cape Town will be the first school in the Western Cape to have solar power installed, with no upfront or ongoing operational costs, the Western Cape Education Department announced on Wednesday. The project is being conducted in conjunction with global solar micro-leasing marketplace, The Sun Exchange, …
On the outskirts of Durban Deep, an abandoned mining town with a labyrinth of underground tunnels long since abandoned by the big gold companies, Elizabeth goes rhythmically about her work. Grinding piles of rough stones into white, gold-flecked silt on a large concrete slab, the 40-year-old is one of the …
The South African Department of Water and Sanitation has set aside R341 million for the resuscitation of all wastewater treatment infrastructures in the Vaal Triangle. Untreated sewerage from three water treatment plants has continued to flow into the Vaal River, causing blocked drains and flowing into the local community's homes …
A 38-year-old mineworker died on Monday at Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited in Doornkop, outside Johannesburg. She was certified dead on the scene. This, after a "fall of ground incident" at the mine, the company said in a statement. It is investigating the incident. The company's management sent condolences to …
South Africa's power utility Eskom on Monday said it is working with major players in the electric vehicle (EV) market in the country to unlock the EV potential locally. Eskom said that the drive to reduce fuel-powered cars is growing exponentially globally. It is estimated that 30 percent of all …
