South Africa’s Afrikaans ‘university’ wants to make it official, and Julius Malema served with summonses to appear in court
The rand came under slight pressure over the last week, as rising global oil prices and weaker precious metal prices weighed on sentiment.
These weaknesses were offset by a positive Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), which reinforced South Africa’s fiscal sustainability.
Next week, investors will have their eyes on several key economic indicators, including the money supply, private sector credit extension, the producer price index, and trade data.
Nedbank economists forecast that South Africa’s Producer Price Index (PPI) will accelerate to 5.3% in September 2026, from 5% in July.
South Africa’s trade surplus likely narrowed in September, according to Nedbank’s expectations, after global oil prices remained elevated in the last month.
“Global oil prices rose sharply during the month, surpassing the $100 per barrel mark and averaging around 30% higher than in August, and thus placing significant upward pressure on the import bill,” Nedbank said.
“At the same time, prices of some of South Africa’s key export commodities softened, limiting the price gains that typically support export earnings.”
With this economic backdrop, the group forecast South Africa’s trade surplus to narrow to R13.1 billion in September from R20.5 billion in August. [Nedbank]
On Sunday, 25 October 2026, the rand was trading at R16.57 to the dollar, R22.19 to the pound, and R18.58 to the euro. Gold is trading at $3,995.88, while oil prices were at $116.70 a barrel.
5 important things
South Africa’s biggest private Afrikaans ‘university’ wants to make it official: Akademia plans to apply for university status once a new government policy is finalised. [DailyInvestor]
Julius Malema and Fikile Mbalula served with summonses to appear in court: Julius Malema and Fikile Mbalula were served with summonses to appear in court, but the summonses are now held in abeyance. [Newsday]
Amazon making Temu and Shein sweat in South Africa: Amazon.co.za has surpassed Temu and Shein in monthly website visitors in South Africa and is quickly closing the gap on Takealot.com, according to Similarweb and Google Trends data. [MyBroadband]
Godongwana flags regulatory hurdles to SA gas exploration: South Africa’s Finance Minister has cited gas exploration regulations as an example of how the country’s constitutional framework can weigh on investors. [BusinessDay]
Trouble for anyone who owns a Chinese car in South Africa: South African motorists who bought Chinese vehicles a few years ago are facing steep depreciation when wanting to trade them in, which has left some owners owing banks more than their cars are worth. [BusinessTech]
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