The VCA Retail Spend Monitor analyses retail sales activity over a seven-week period beginning on 1 November 2025. South African consumers significantly increased their online shopping during the 2025/26 holiday season, with e-commerce spending jumping 49.9% year on year, according to Visa’s latest Retail Spend Monitor. The annual report compiled by Visa Consulting and Analytics…
South Africa’s shift towards online retail accelerated over the Black Friday weekend, with consumers directing a greater share of their spending to e-commerce platforms than ever before. Standard Bank said online sales by its customers rose 75% year on year, contributing 23% to total retail sales over Black Friday weekend, including Cyber Monday, with value…
Some online payment platforms and local banks reported double- and triple-digit growth in spending on Black Friday. South African consumers shopped their way to another strong performance over Black Friday 2025, with online spending surging past the 2024 bargain-hunting weekend period. Online payment platforms and local banks reported double- and triple-digit growth on some platforms,…
Eskom’s Kendal coal-fired power station. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters Eskom on Friday reported profit after tax of R24.3-billion for the six months to the end of September, roughly 37% higher than the same period last year. In September Eskom reported its first full-year profit in eight years after a sudden turnaround in the performance of its coal-fired…
Israeli settlers have attacked several Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank, as a wave of violence targeting residents harvesting their olive trees intensifies. At least three Palestinians were injured on Saturday after settlers attacked farmers in the village of Deir Nidham, northwest of Ramallah, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Recommended Stories list of…
The shift by South African gamblers from physical casinos to online platforms continues to accelerate – with all the deleterious effects one might expect. According to the National Gambling Board, around 60% of gross gambling revenues – all the money staked minus winnings paid to customers – for the year ended 31 March 2025 was…
Common infections are becoming harder – and sometimes impossible – to treat, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday, as new data show that one in six bacterial infections globally are resistant to standard antibiotics, endangering millions and straining health systems worldwide. According to the agency’s latest surveillance report, antibiotic resistance rose in…
Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value, hit a record high on Sunday and was up nearly 2.7% at US$125 245.57 at 7.12am SAST. Bitcoin’s previous record was $124 480 in mid-August, buoyed by friendlier regulations from US President Donald Trump’s administration and strong demand from institutional investors. The cryptocurrency had risen on Friday for an…
Energy generation from South Africa’s renewable energy programme has grown by 280% since 2015. However, generation from the programme remains unchanged at about 8.3 TWh in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. That’s according to a new report from the CSIR. The roll-out of renewable energy has been slow…
Nvidia said it will invest $5 billion in Intel as part of a deal to co-develop data center and PC chips with the troubled chipmaker, which took on the U.S. government as an investor last month. Nvidia is investing its stake at a price of $23.28 a share, a release from the company said. Intel…
