Merel van der Lei | 13 July 2026 On a packaging line outside Pietermaritzburg, an operator slightly adjusts a machine because the packaging film is running tacky, preventing a batch from jamming. Two bays down, a setter finishes a die changeover in a third of the manual's estimated time because she knows the most efficient sequence by memory. Neither holds a formal certificate for what they just did. Yet, both made the difference between a shift hitting its production targets

Malcolm Libera | 9 July 2026 A legal battle is brewing over the government’s plan to grant special protected status to the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry 2026 Tour. The tour will see South Africa’s Springboks take on New Zealand’s All Blacks between August and September this year. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) recently published a notice proposing that the tour be declared a protected event under Section 15A of the Merchandise Marks Act of 1941.

SA News | 9 July 2026 Fifty years after the class of 1976 relied strictly on courage and dreams to confront the apartheid regime, government is challenging today’s youth to adopt a new generational mission to leverage State-backed digital platforms and funding networks to achieve financial liberation. Speaking during a Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) webinar on government opportunities for youth, Deputy Government Spokesperson William Baloyi emphasised

Myles Illidge } 29 June 2026 Through the Telkom Foundation’s RT15 ICT Skills Learnership Programme, Telkom has invested over R85 million to train more than 1,100 learners. The telecoms giant announced that over 150 learners have graduated from the programme and have secured accredited qualifications and practical experience that opened doors in the working world. Moreover, 22 learners from the latest cohort have secured permanent or temporary employment, while two have pursue

SA News | 1 July 2026 The South African labour market continues to reflect pronounced racial, gender and disability disparities, according to the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) in its 26th Annual Report. The Commission for Employment Equity said the upper two decision-making occupational levels, namely top management and senior management, remain racialised and gendered, with the white and Indian population groups, and males, being dominant at these levels. Released u

Michael Taylor | 21 June 2026 The business group Sakeliga has warned that the South African National Roads Agency’s (SANRAL’s) new draft proposals will impose new broad black economic empowerment (BEE) requirements for petrol stations and other roadside businesses. These concerns relate to SANRAL’s Draft Policy for Rest and Service Facilities along National Roads, which Sakeliga says could unlawfully expand the agency’s powers over private businesses. The policy aims to regul

SA News | 11 June 2026 Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has announced a series of transitional arrangements aimed at modernising South Africa's qualifications system, while ensuring continuity for learners, training providers and employers. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Manamela said the implementation of the Directive on Transitional Arrangements for Pre-2009 Qualifications forms part of government's broader efforts to strengthen a

Malcolm Libera | 19 June 2026 President Cyril Ramaphosa has thrown his support behind the proposed R100 billion Transformation Fund in South Africa. He said it will help address longstanding inequalities in South Africa’s economy by expanding opportunities for black-owned businesses and broadening participation in key industries. The proposed fund, which would be capitalised over five years, is expected to channel around R20 billion annually into majority black-owned and cont

Nkateko Joseph Mabasa | 17 June 2026 While the affirmative action policy was broadened in 2011, from targeted share transfer ownership to wider socio-economic transformation, including women and youth, slow economic growth has resulted in growing scepticism over its effectiveness Compliance fatigue and unclear outcomes under the broad-based black economic Empowerment policy have been highlighted by business leaders at the Nedbank Top Empowerment Conference. They emphasised th

Boitumelo Kgobotlo | 7th June 2026 Black shareholders of brewing firm SAB are up in arms, alleging they have not seen financial returns on their broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) investment scheme for five years. Those holding shares in SAB’s Zenzele Kabili empowerment scheme – a special purpose vehicle that holds shares in the local arm of global brewing giant AB InBev – which was set up to enable black South African investors to participate in the ownership of

BizCommunity | 5 June 2026 The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has launched Phase V of the National Youth Service (NYS) Programme, which will unlock 100,000 paid service opportunities for unemployed young people across South Africa's nine provinces. Unveiled on Thursday in partnership with the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), the programme aims to provide young people with meaningful opportunities through community service, work experience, skills d

Zingiswa Losi | 8 June 2026 Two recent important legislative developments have taken place in South Africa that will play important roles in raising workers’ wages, putting money in their pockets and helping to reduce our shameful levels of poverty and inequality. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has been heartened to see our efforts begin to shift the needle in this struggle. It is important to remember the damage done to South Africa by centuries of insti

Kate Philip | 31 May 2026 If there was ever any doubt, it is now clear. Public employment makes a measurable difference to our national job statistics. In the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), the single biggest contributor to the rise in unemployment was the loss of jobs from the termination of Phase 5 of South Africa’s biggest youth employment programme: the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), which is part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus. In th

Zelda Venter | 31 May 2026 South Africa’s National Employers’ Association of South Africa (Neasa) and business group Sakeliga lost their Constitutional Court fight to halt the government’s new employment equity (EE) quotas, but they vowed to continue the fight. The Constitutional Court declined Sakeliga and Neasa's application for leave to appeal in their urgent application for an interdict against the Employment Equity quotas enacted in 2025. But they will now pursue the mat

SA News | 17 May 2026 Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli has called on young South Africans to take an active role in shaping government and the country’s future, declaring them “not just leaders of tomorrow, but changemakers today”. Speaking at the Seventh-day Adventist Community Day held in Maragon Mooikloof, Pretoria, Mhlauli said young people play a very important role in shaping government, society, and the future of the nation. She emphasised that South A

Staff Writer | 22 May 2026 The Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) and the Chemical Industries SETA (CHIETA) have renewed their memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at cross-sectoral skills development. Built on a partnership first established in November 2021, the renewed agreement will transform CHIETA's existing smart skills centres into external integrated summative assessment (EISA) exam centres. Under

SA News | 13 May 2026 The South African government has outlined an ambitious programme of action for the 2026/27 financial year, placing women, youth and persons with disabilities at the centre of national development efforts. Presenting her department Budget Vote in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, said the department’s priorities are aimed at driving inclusive growth, tackling inequality

Nkosinathi Mahlangu | 13 May 2026 As the country recently commemorated Workers’ Day, millions of young people questioned the true significance of celebrating work in a nation where the majority of its youth remain unemployed. The latest unemployment statistics paint an even more worrying picture. South Africa’s overall unemployment rate has increased to 32.7%, while youth unemployment continues to rise sharply, now sitting at nearly 46% - and this is still excluding the expa

Stock Markets | 11 May 2026 SANDTON - Old Mutual Limited (JSE:OMU) announced Sunday that it has maintained its Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment contributor status for the seventh consecutive year, according to a press release statement. The South African financial services group disclosed that its B-BBEE certificate and annual compliance report are available on the company’s website. The announcement was made in accordance with paragraph 12.7(g) of the JSE Listi

Boitumelo Kgobotlo | 3rd May 2026 Black Management Forum insists that the withdrawal by Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa of a job advertisement stipulating that the candidate must be black does not resolve transformation issues within the company. The company was forced to withdraw the advert after trade union Solidarity threatened legal action over the job adverts for intern positions. Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa had put out an ad for a number of fleet internships in th