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Economics

South Africa's Absa PMI Edges to 49.0 in March but Expected Conditions Collapse by Record 23 Points on Tariff Shock

JOHANNESBURG, 1 April 2026. South Africa's seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index rose 1.6 points to 49.0 in March, narrowly short of the neutral 50-point mark that separates expansion from contraction and marking a sixth consecutive month of sub-50 readings, while the...

South Africa Secures Record R889.8 Billion Investment Pledges at 2026 SAIC, Launching Second R2 Trillion Drive

JOHANNESBURG, 31 March 2026. South Africa secured R889.8 billion in investment pledges at the 2026 South Africa Investment Conference, held at the Sandton International Convention Centre on Tuesday, the highest single-year total and the largest number of projects since the conference series was...

SARB Holds Repo Rate Unanimously at 6.75% as Iran War Drives Oil Above $100, Raises 2026 Inflation Forecast to 3.7%

PRETORIA, 26 March 2026. The South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to hold the repo rate at 6.75% on Thursday, citing surging global oil prices driven by the Iran war as the dominant upside risk to the inflation outlook, while raising its 2026 inflation...

South Africa's February Inflation Hits Exactly 3%, SARB's New Target, as Fuel Prices Decline Sharply

PRETORIA, 18 March 2026. South Africa's consumer price inflation fell to exactly 3.0% year on year in February 2026, the South African Reserve Bank's new headline inflation target, down from 3.5% in January, as fuel prices dropped sharply and transport costs moderated, Statistics South Africa...

South Africa's Economy Grows 0.4% in Q4 2025, Marking Fifth Consecutive Quarter of Expansion; Full-Year GDP Hits 1.1%

PRETORIA, 10 March 2026. South Africa's economy expanded by 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, its fifth consecutive quarter of positive growth, pushing full-year GDP growth to 1.1%, the strongest annual performance since 2022 and above the South African Reserve Bank's forecast of approximately...

South Africa's Absa PMI Slips Back to 47.4 in February as Factory Activity Returns to Contraction

JOHANNESBURG, 3 March 2026. South Africa's manufacturing sector returned to contraction in February, with the seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index falling to 47.4 from January's 48.7, marking a fifth consecutive monthly reading below the neutral 50-point threshold and dashing...

Godongwana's 2026 Budget Declares Debt Stabilised, Cancels Planned Tax Hike, Commits R1 Trillion to Infrastructure

CAPE TOWN, 25 February 2026. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana presented South Africa's 2026 national budget to Parliament on Wednesday, declaring that gross government debt had stabilised for the first time in 17 years and cancelling a previously planned R20 billion personal income tax increase...