RC 261029Power FMKea Ncube
Thursday, 29 October 2026
Thursday's Power Up leaned into economics, from a construction-contractor blacklisting crackdown and shrinking maize plantings to fuel relief and rising child poverty figures.
- 03:24
Public Works has added 13 more construction firms to its contractor register after they misrepresented information to upgrade their registration grades, on top of 17 blacklisted earlier.
- 03:46
Farmers intend to plant about 2.3 million hectares of maize, down 12.3% and the smallest area in eight years, while sunflower planting is set to rise almost 45% as they prepare for El Niño.
- 03:08
Fuel levy relief applies from 4 November to 1 December, then continues at a lower amount until 5 January 2027, giving motorists a temporary cut on petrol and diesel.
- 03:13
Stats SA reports a 2023 child poverty rate of 49.1%, meaning nearly half of South African children live below the national upper-bound poverty line, a situation linked to lasting financial stress.