Trouble brewing at SA’s borders, and big step forward for rail in Cape Town

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Illegal border crossing spike: The Border Management Authority (BMA) has reported a 25% spike in attempted illegal border crossings between South Africa and Mozambique amid ongoing political unrest. According to the Department of Home Affairs, 194 individuals were intercepted between 10 October to 22 November 2024 while trying to cross the border illegally, compared to 116 during the same period in 2023. [The Citizen]

• PRASA signs deal with Cape Town: The City of Cape Town and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) have signed a Service Level Plan (SLP) following court action, threats of an intergovernmental dispute, and more than a year of negotiations. The SLP could lay the foundation for the City to take over the management of passenger rail in Cape Town from PRASA. [GroundUp]

• G20 development bank focus: One of the focus areas for the G20 finance track will be a big push to boost multilateral development banks’ ability to provide cheap finance to developing countries will be as it works to put practical measures in place to tackle the debt trap faced by many low-income countries, finance minister Enoch Godongwana said at G20 preparatory meetings in Sandton.[Business Day]

• Spaza registration deadline looms: Friday marks the final day for spaza shop owners to apply for business registration; they will have to wait longer to learn the outcome of their application. Owners have been lining up, hoping to complete the registration process within the 21-day deadline. In November, President Cyril Ramaphosa instructed all spaza shops to apply for registration following the recent spike in food-borne illnesses and related deaths allegedly linked to products sold at these stores. [EWN]

• Markets: The rand strengthened on Wednesday after a domestic inflation reading was better than expected, and U.S. price data reinforced bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week. On Thursday (12 December), the rand was trading at R17.67 to the dollar, R22.55 to the pound, and R18.56 to the euro. Oil is trading at $73.62 a barrel. [Reuters]