RC 261008702Africa Melane
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Coalition uncertainty ahead of local government elections dominated, alongside warnings that US trade tensions are costing Western Cape jobs and scrutiny of a new SOE commission.
- 04:07
Polling suggests no Gauteng metro will produce an outright majority; Johannesburg’s DA and ANC could collectively reach 51%, potentially enabling a more stable two-party coalition.
- 04:15
Western Cape exports to the United States fell from R17.3 billion in 2024 to R14.5 billion in 2025, with tariffs already linked to factory closures and thousands of jobs at risk.
- 05:22
Exporters Western Cape chair Terry Gale warned that losing AGOA access could worsen the damage, after businesses built a decade of trade around zero-tariff access and direct shipping services.
- 05:54
COSATU’s Matthew Parks said a presidential SOE commission could provide independent, high-level oversight, but warned against folding Eskom, Transnet, Metrorail and SAA into one unwieldy holding company.
- 05:29
The Competition Commission is asking the Tribunal to reverse Premier Foods’ R6 billion RFG merger after plans emerged to close the fruit-canning facility in Tulbagh.