Global Scans · South Africa · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Local elections in South Africa this year could see the ruling African National Congress lose control of key cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria for the first time. South Africa's economy is at risk of falling into recession and public confidence in the ANC is falling.

• [New] The strategic availability of ports and renewable energy-rich regions like the Northern Cape will enhance South Africa's competitiveness in both local and export markets. Precedence Research
• [New] A new pre-export verification programme will require certain goods to meet South African safety and quality standards before shipment, with wider rollout expected to other countries. EWC
• [New] South African farmers pinched by mounting costs from the Iran war now face the added risk of an El Nino-induced drought, with implications for lower agricultural output and higher food prices. ADM Investor Services
• [New] Aggregate annual spending across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa is projected to increase from $54 billion in 2024 to $96 billion in 2050, a 77% gain. PwC
• [New] Areas with the highest vulnerability to saltwater intrusion include large parts of the United States, South Africa, Australia, eastern India, and the western Mediterranean. Circle of Blue
• [New] Unlike Europe where a tour bus can zip through multiple countries in a week, an African tour might require flying the entire production from Ghana to Kenya to South Africa, with significant downtime in between. Ticket Fairy
• [New] Certain measures that are common in other countries could still be retained in the interest of supporting South Africa's economy. SAnews
• [New] While South Africa's agricultural sector has shown resilience and export growth, future success will depend on how effectively technology is harnessed and localised. SA Grain -
• [New] Clearly, the South African farming sector and agribusiness will have to contend with higher fuel prices during the harvesting of the 2025-26 summer grains and citrus, which will start in most areas next month. AgriView
• [New] Future company disclosures will show whether offtake arrangements, power and water agreements, and South African or Saudi processing options progress enough to support a formal construction decision. SEC EDGAR
• [New] AI, automation, remote operations, and renewable energy and storage technologies could transform South Africa's mining in the next 12 months to 36 months, which will improve operational efficiency, safety and cost management. Mining Weekly
• [New] Across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, the mobile industry is going through one of its biggest upgrades yet, the gradual shutdown of 3G networks to make space for faster, more powerful 4G LTE and 5G connectivity. 3G Mobile
• [New] There is an opportunity to redefine the rules that have thus far governed the world, including the rules of finance, development, and multilateralism-building off South Africa's Group of Twenty presidency. Atlantic Council
• [New] In South Africa, local elections are expected by November, while in neighboring Gambia, President Adama Barrow will seek a third term in December. Atlantic Council
• [New] In South Africa, industry experts consider discriminatory outcomes in the banking sector as a significant risk associated with AI technologies. OECD
• [New] Security risks and infrastructure constraints in South Africa continue adding cost and operational complexity. The Chain
• [New] Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Indonesia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE have shown their willingness to provide ideas that could support eventual negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. CEBRI Revista
• [New] The Budget 2026 could act as a risk-premium test for the rand, with Mining Indaba sharpening investor focus on whether South Africa can fund and deliver mining-linked growth in a higher-rate world. African Mining Market
• [New] South Africa poses no direct political or military threat to any party in the current conflict, and that matters. The Citizen
• [New] Risk balance: Investec has meaningful exposure to South Africa, which adds political and currency risk, but also gives it access to higher-growth markets and differentiated deal flow. Investec plc: The Quiet Finance Stock Gen Z Traders Are
• [New] Over time, the greater risk may lie in political and financial exposure if South Africa is viewed as an outlier in its ties to Tehran while the United States appears willing to apply punitive measures. IOL
• [New] The growth of mining activities in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and West African states introduces the need for EHS that deal with occupational health risks such as dust concentrations, equipment security, and the effects of mining on the local community. Custom Market Insights

Last updated: 12 May 2026