Tuesday, 8 September 2026

South Africa’s GDP contracted 0.2% in the second quarter, ending six consecutive quarters of growth; manufacturing and trade each contributed 0.2 percentage points to the decline.

FNB Wealth analyst Pritu Makan urged investors not to panic-sell, instead favouring diversified portfolios, defensive sectors and a long investment horizon through market volatility.

Old Mutual’s adjusted headline earnings fell 30% to about R2.95 billion, but operating earnings rose 11%, sales and gross flows increased 21%, and the group announced a R1 billion share buyback.

Reserve Bank-led payment-system reform will not immediately change consumers’ payment experience, but aims to modernise governance, support instant payments, strengthen fraud prevention and improve business efficiency.

Fashion entrepreneur Tula Sindhi said South African creatives’ biggest barriers are access to funding and markets; his Africa Rise store supports 77 African designers, while his Shanghai expansion targets larger markets.