Category: Economy
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Slim pickings: What Joburg’s bin pickers earn and how long they’ve worked
Known variously as bin pickers, trolley pushers or dumpsite reclaimers, South Africa’s informal waste collectors play a surprisingly outsized role in the economy. Back in 2011 the Department of Environmental Affairs conservatively estimated that there could be as many as 62,000 waste pickers in the country, with about 40% of them working as trolley pushers.…
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SA stock market listings halve over past 30 years
The number of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange today is just half of the number of companies listed 30 years ago. Listings peaked at 669 listings in 1998, but the dot-com crash led to 128 companies delisting within 2 years. There was a brief resurgence between 2003 and 2008 with the introduction of…
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Democracy in South Africa: 30 years in 8 charts
As South Africa marks 30 years of democracy, the legacy of the African National Congress is under scrutiny. On one hand, nearly half the population receives some form of grant funding, but unemployment rates are alarmingly high and business confidence has waned significantly. These economic challenges cast a dark shadow over the milestone that is 3 decades…
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SA inflation down for second consecutive month
The consumer price index (CPI) recorded an annual increase of 5,2% in April, down from 5,3% in March and 5,6% in February. Housing & utilities, miscellaneous goods & services, food & non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) and transport were the main drivers behind the headline rate in April.
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Durban harbour delays 2-4x longer than other major ports
Ships avoiding attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea are sailing past the Cape of Good Hope. Neither Cape Town nor Durban have seen an uptick in ships docking to refuel. One reason why ships bypass Durban is because of how congested it is. In mid-April, the average wait time was 4 days, according to Portcast, which tracks global…
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Shell’s divestment from SA follows global energy trends
Although Shell plans to sell off its service stations and refinery, it will retain its explorative and extractive activities in the Karoo and off the Wild Coast.
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Electric vehicle sales in SA lack spark
South Africa is way behind countries such as the UK when it comes to sales of electric vehicles. Although the countries have similar-sized populations – 60-million for South Africa and 67-million for the UK – the latter sold hundreds of thousands more EVs last year. South Africa only sold 1,080 electric vehicles in 2023, according…
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South Africa’s ports miss the boat as ships reroute via the Cape
Attacks to commercial ships in the Red Sea have led to companies rerouting their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal.
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One-third of SA’s credit holders are battling to repay debt
Although at least 10-million South Africans are at least three months behind on their repayments, the appetite for credit remains high.
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How Shoprite is outpacing Pick n Pay in almost every race
Two decades ago, two of South Africa’s biggest retailers were almost on a par. We take a look at the metrics to see what has changed since then.