Government

5 important things happening in South Africa today

Staff Writer

 ·13 Nov 2023

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

• A less attractive destination: The Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, has put forward a series of actions aimed at decreasing South Africa’s attractiveness as a destination for migrants. The proposed changes include revoking socio-economic rights for refugees and enforcing stricter requirements for foreign nationals who wish to obtain citizenship. These measures are expected to make it more difficult for people from other countries to settle in South Africa, including skilled professionals. [Business Day]

• BEE gut punch to farmers: South African farms deemed “too white” will no longer be able to export their produce to the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), according to postings in the Government Gazette, the Johannesburg-based City Press newspaper reported. Under the rules, farmers must meet specific Black economic empowerment targets to continue obtaining export permits. [BusinessTech]

•  JHB’s expensive water problem: Johannesburg needs R25 billion to fix its water infrastructure, and the country needs R140 billion to replace its outdated infrastructure. Johannesburg and its surrounds have been hit by severe water cuts so far in 2023, and while water interruptions have been happening for years, they have been scaled up dramatically in recent months – with the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, announcing a new initiative called “water-shifting” to deal with the shortages. [Daily Investor]

• Mediclinic in hot water: Another former Mediclinic employee has accused the hospital group of manipulating patient bills for financial benefit. This comes after Mediclinic launched an independent probe following explosive claims of billing manipulation. However, a second whistleblower has made similar claims, sharing correspondence that reflects that billing changes were made to patients’ records. [News24]

• Markets: The South African rand fell on Friday, capping off a week of losses after hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell helped the dollar rally and decreased risk appetite. On Thursday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that further interest rate hikes may be needed to bring inflation within the U.S. central bank’s target range. On Monday (10 November), the rand was trading at R18.75 to the dollar, R22.93 to the pound and R20.03 to the euro. Oil is trading at $80.62 a barrel. [Reuters]