New traffic fine and driving system hits another major roadblock, and big changes for debit orders in South Africa
A tumultuous week lies ahead as markets will open to renewed tariff chaos coming from the United States.
US President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he will increase the global 10% tariff he announced one day earlier to 15%, stirring up more economic turbulence.
The president is lashing out at the US Supreme Court over its ruling that his preferred mechanism for applying tariffs was illegal.
“I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been ‘ripping’ the US off for decades, without retribution until I came along, to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” Trump said in a social-media post on Saturday.
Trump is rushing to preserve his trade agenda following the court’s ruling against his use of an emergency-powers law to impose his so-called reciprocal tariffs around the world and to use levies as a cudgel to bend foreign governments to his will.
Enraged by the decision, Trump initially imposed a 10% global tariff on foreign goods on Friday, hours after the high court ruling, as he seeks to maintain the duties he insists are key to his economic and national security power.
But his post on Saturday made clear he had decided that 10% was not enough, even though he said on Friday, “Every single thing I said today is guaranteed certainty.”
The president’s efforts to restore and maintain the tariffs underscored the economic volatility ahead. The tools he is left with are less nimble than the sweeping authority he had claimed under emergency powers and will be subjected to fresh legal challenges.
Additional details were not immediately forthcoming on how soon the 15% tariff would go into effect. The initial 10% tariffs Trump announced on Friday were scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday, 24 February at 00h01 Washington time, according to a White House fact sheet.
If the same still applies, the push to 15% could be coming this week at about 07h01 South African time.
Locally, the news could still be seen as positive on balance, considering South Africa was hit with a 30% reciprocal tariff, which has now been deemed illegal. A 15% global tariff would be a significant discount on that rate.
5 important things happening in South Africa today
Traffic fine changes for South Africa: The RTIA, in charge of rolling out South Africa’s new AARTO system, says it will have to outsource the project to private companies because it lacks the funding needed to do it itself. [TimesLive]
Debit order dispute window: The South African Reserve Bank and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority have confirmed that, effective 13 April 2026, the dispute windows for all debit order instruments will be standardised at 60 days. [MyBroadband]
Airport to be rebuilt: The Pilanesberg Airport in the North West Province, which serves Sun City and other tourist attractions, is being rebuilt after a 2023 fire devastated it. The airport opened in 1981, specifically built to provide direct access to the then-new Sun City Resort and the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. [Daily Investor]
FMD devastation: The impact of the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in South Africa stretches far beyond economic and operational devastation, with many farmers also suffering mental and emotional anguish as their cattle perish due to the disease. [News24]
Ramaphosa’s billions: Political analyst Prince Mashele said white businesses in South Africa funded Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2017 ANC presidency campaign, known as CR17. Mashele said Ramaphosa’s first source of power is white business. [Newsday]
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