Category: Southern Africa
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Zambia GDP growth seen rising to 6.1% by 2020
Zambia’s economy will grow by 5.0 percent in 2018, 5.1 percent in 2019 and 6.1 percent in 2020, up from 4.3 percent in 2017, the ministry of finance said in a statement on Sunday. The country’s fiscal deficit is expected to be 7.0 percent in 2017, 6.3 percent in 2018 and 4.3 percent in 2019,…
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Zim retailers raise alarm on food shortages
Retailers in Zimbabwe want the central bank to put a speedy end to foreign payment bottlenecks for suppliers of goods and commodities to shops in the country. This comes as shortages have started to emerge, owing to a foreign currency crunch. Pick n Pay, in partnership with Zimbabwe’s TM Supermarkets and OK Zimbabwe, are the…
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BLSA wants details on Hawks investigation against Gordhan
Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) aired its concern on Wednesday about former finance minister Pravin Gordhan’s alleged victimisation by the Hawks. It called on the Hawks to confirm whether they are indeed investigating Gordhan. “The business community has lost confidence that the SA Revenue Service (SARS), the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) are…
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South Africa aims to pass delayed mining law by December: minister
Amendments to South Africa’s mineral resources law are expected to be passed by December and provide greater investor certainty, Mines Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said on Thursday. Changes to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act were initially passed by parliament three years ago but were then sent back to lawmakers by President Jacob Zuma in…
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South Africa’s business confidence at lowest in over 30 years
South Africa’s business confidence index fell to its lowest in more than three decades in August as merchandise import and export volumes fell, a survey showed on Wednesday. The business group said South Africa’s economic performance was sub-optimal despite an positive global outlook, and improved business confidence was needed to revitalise domestic growth. The South…
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South Africa’s Shoprite fined for “reckless lending” – regulator
South African retailer Shoprite has been fined 1 million rand ($77,500) for failing to assess properly whether consumers could afford its loans, the National Consumer Tribunal said on Wednesday. The company, which had turnover in its last financial year of 141 billion rand ($11 billion), was also ordered to appoint a debt counselor at its…
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Farming helps grow South African economy out of recession
South Africa emerged from a recession in the second quarter as agriculture helped the economy expand more than expected, official figures showed on Tuesday, strengthening the rand and bonds. Africa’s most industrialised economy grew 2.5 percent in the three months to the end of June, after contracting by 0.6 percent in the first quarter and…
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Vodafone sells down stake in South Africa’s Vodacom
Vodafone has sold down its stake in South African subsidiary Vodacom by 5.2 percentage points, it announced on Wednesday, sending the African mobile firm’s share price down by more than 6 percent. The sale of 90 million shares for 14.85 billion rand ($1.15 billion) in a private placement reduces Vodafone’s stake in Vodacom to 64.5…
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Africa’s two biggest economies likely out of recession
Africa’s two biggest economies likely emerged from recession in the second quarter but strong growth won’t show up until business confidence is restored, a Reuters poll suggested on Friday. Nigeria and South Africa have both benefited from a recovery in commodity prices since early 2016, though not as much as their main trading partners –…
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Bodies of last missing miners recovered from Harmony mine in South Africa
The bodies of the last two miners unaccounted for at a mine operated by South Africa’s Harmony Gold were recovered on Thursday, the company said, bringing the death toll to five after a tremor shook the shafts last week. Friday’s seismic event that rocked the Kusasalethu mine, one of the world’s deepest, with gold extracted…