Rand breaks through R16/$ – and may have further to run

Rand breaks through R16/$ – and may have further to run

The commodity-linked rand strengthened on Monday morning, touching R15.99/US$ thanks to record gold prices, while traders awaited the central bank’s first rate-setting meeting this year. The rand briefly moved stronger than the R16 mark at 10.40am SAST. It then retreated slightly and was last quoted at 11.24am at R16.03/$. These are the currency’s strongest levels…

Read More
Africa: Young People Must Be ‘Truly Involved’ in Transforming Education

Africa: Global Demand for Shea Butter Is Growing – but It’s Not All Good News for the Women Who Collect the Nuts

Shea butter has become a highly sought-after ingredient in cosmetics and food manufacturing worldwide. Since the early 2000s its use as a substitute for cocoa butter has driven a dramatic rise in international demand. The shea butter industry has grown by more than 600% over the last 20 years. The shea tree is semi-domesticated across…

Read More
Starlink hype vs reality in South Africa

Starlink hype vs reality in South Africa

South African media has been saturated with Starlink coverage for months. Every ministerial statement, every regulatory development, every parliamentary objection becomes headline news. Yet amid this relentless coverage, a curious question emerges: why Starlink specifically? The regulatory challenges facing Elon Musk’s satellite service aren’t unique. Major global technology companies have long navigated South Africa’s broad-based…

Read More