Category: Economy
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SA is embracing hybrids, but all-electric and plug-in sales lag
South Africans are slowly warming to hybrid vehicles but not to fully electric or plug-in hybrids. More than 6,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in 2023, 10 times the number sold in 2021. That is still just a fraction of the approximately 350,000 traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) passenger vehicles sold every year. FULL STORY +…
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As Venetia mine transitions underground, SA’s diamond production drops to 6m carats
Diamond mining production in South Africa has hit a 10-year low. The country was producing an average of 8.5-million carats a year, but by 2023 this had dropped to 6.1-million carats. The reason for this is that De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine reached the end of its open-pit operations in December 2022. The mine, which…
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Municipalities owe Eskom R78bn – and energy minister is pessimistic about recovery
South African electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa’s municipalities owe power utility Eskom R78-billion. At a recent media conference, the minister expressed doubt that Eskom would be able to recover these funds. Municipal debt has increased almost six times since 2018. Just 28 municipalities collectively accounted for R26.7-billion in March last year.…
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SA steps up to meet growing global demand for avos
The world can’t get enough avocados, and South African farmers are capitalising on the soaring demand for this popular superfruit. Exports have increased by 63% over the past decade, according to the SA Avocado Growers’ Association. About 74,4000 tonnes of avocados were exported last year, just 9,500 shy of 2018’s record. ITC figures show the…
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100 days of keeping the lights on signals improved power stability for SA
With just 83 days of loadshedding in South Africa so far this year, 2024 is on track to be one of the best years for reduced power cuts. Fuelling the optimism is the announcement last week that Kusile’s unit 5 was now in operation, adding 800MW to the grid.
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Petrol price to drop by R1 a litre for second consecutive month
Relief on the horizon for South Africa’s drivers after the Department of Energy announced that the price of petrol is set to drop. From Thursday 3 July, the price of 95 octane fuel will decrease by 99c, bringing it down to R23.26 a litre (inland prices). This is the first time petrol has been at…