Moneyweb@Midday

[TOP STORY] The rise of padel in SA – Will it expand from the leafy suburbs?

‘If it breaks out of the wealthy suburbs, the places where you can turn tennis courts into padel courts, or you can turn the old bowling greens into padel courts, I think it's got a super good chance,’ says Brandon de Kock, director of storytelling at BrandMapp.

21 Feb 7AM 7 min

Sars launches dedicated crypto tax unit

There’s no hiding from the tax man as Sars launches a dedicated crypto tax unit …. A new report shows 60% of South Africans prefer card payments over cash transactions, and it’s a sport that’s taken the country by storm — but is Padel really living up to the hype for investors?

21 Feb 5AM 32 min

[TOP STORY] The Vat hike that never was: What it means for the SA economy

‘If you bear in mind that a big chunk of the goods in the inflation basket, and services, are subject to Vat, it naturally would have raised inflation, not by 2% but by some percent,’ says Professor Andre Roux, economist at the Stellenbosch Business School.

20 Feb 8AM 7 min

‘The ANC loves to weaponise time’ - DA

What will be the economic repercussions should the proposed 2% Vat increase pass? What the postponement of the budget speech means for party relations within the government of national unity. And why South Africans are opting for shorter, cheaper and more frequent holidays.

20 Feb 5AM 31 min

[TOP STORY] SA extreme weather and insurance: What policyholders must know

‘We've seen a new type of risk evolving, and very quickly, and that is the acts of nature type of events taking place. So we see building premiums already increasing across the board in South Africa,’ says Oswald Kuyler, head of short-term insurance at Consult by Momentum.

19 Feb 9AM 8 min

Mining limping at pre-Covid production levels

Mining productions remain worryingly low, threatening growth and job creation. We look at the factors hampering this critical economic sector. Government of National Unity member parties say they will not support any new taxes. And how changes to payment methods are making SA’s tollgates safer.

19 Feb 5AM 31 min

[TOP STORY] Eskom’s new solar rules – Here’s what you need to know

‘I think they do have a point, how inverters are installed, which types of inverters and the sizes of batteries that are installed could have a massive impact on grid stability,’ says Carel Ballack, president of the Association for Renewable Energy Practitioners.

18 Feb 8AM 7 min

Budget 2025: Serious, fast-tracked reforms needed for growth

The Democratic Alliance says the finance minister’s budget speech should draw on the best ideas from within the GNU to unlock infrastructure investment and serious policy reforms. And an industry expert says businesses must guard against getting swept up in the technology hype at the cost of real return on investment.

18 Feb 5AM 31 min

[TOP STORY] Can private sector partnerships solve SA’s student housing shortfall?

‘There are so many unused buildings that government owns that can maybe be revamped into student accommodation. I think we need to really come together and collaborate more in trying to get these solutions going,’ says Benedict Johnson, executive head: EBS and new initiatives at Fundi.

17 Feb 8AM 7 min

‘Don't increase taxes, prune government wastage’ - Mmusi Maimane

Why hiking taxes will not solve South Africa’s fiscal woes. A look at whether the Land Expropriation Act furore has an impact on personal finances and why companies mustn’t get swept up in the tech hype at the expense of true return on investment.

17 Feb 6AM 29 min

Are roses still the go-to for Valentine’s Day?

‘This year we're expecting to deliver 20 000 gifts, which means that there are 50 000 people across South Africa feeling the love and feeling the connection that that gift brings,’ says Savannah Plaskitt, head of marketing at NetFlorist.

14 Feb 7AM 6 min

Port and rail reform: Less talk more action please

The Citrus Growers’ Association asks for tangible remedies to port and rail infrastructure problems to boost exports. While CEOs and economists remain optimistic about SA’s growth, budget 2025 must lift business sentiment. And the life and legacy of late Namibian president Sam Nujoma.

14 Feb 5AM 33 min

[TOP STORY] SAHRC welcomes publishing of sex offenders register

‘How we think that it is going to ensure that there's protection of the vulnerable individuals, it is so because there's going to now be a register from which any employer can refer from,’ says Nomahlubi Khwinana, commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission.

13 Feb 8AM 7 min

Ethical, qualified, skilled board appointments critical

The SA Human Rights Commission welcomes the publishing of a national sex offenders register, but will this help curb sexual violence? How private capital can unlock growth and jobs. Why appointing the right, qualified and experienced people to public office is critical for growth.

13 Feb 5AM 32 min

[[TOP STORY] Zille: Expropriation Act 'putting stress' on GNU

‘This new 12.4 in the Expropriation Act just opens a door on the never-never and creates massive insecurity of property, and we don't believe that a government should have that power again,’ says DA Federal Council chair, Helen Zille.

12 Feb 8AM 10 min

NHI is fiscally and institutionally unimplementable

The DA heads to court over the Land Expropriation Act. Why the Universal Healthcare Access Coalition believes that the NHI is fiscally and institutionally unimplementable and their proposal of an alternative. And despite government’s best-laid plans, an expert says South Africa is not ready to produce green hydrogen energy.

12 Feb 5AM 32 min

[TOP STORY] Kuseni Dlamini's hopes for US-SA relations

‘There are many people who want South Africa to succeed, both within the Republicans and the Democratic Party in the US, and across the business community in the US, and across civil society as well,’ says the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa.

11 Feb 8AM 8 min

Why no word on defence Mr President?

The South African Aerospace Maritime and Defence Industries Association wonders why the President kept mum on defence spending during his State of the Nation address. Tax implications if you’ve made use of the two-pot system. And why South Africa could be a haven for those wanting to flee ‘Apartheid America’.

11 Feb 5AM 31 min

[TOP STORY] Is green hydrogen a threat to Northern Cape livelihoods?

‘When you’re talking about doing it green, they want to put up a solar plant and that solar plant is now earmarked for a very specific place where the emerging farmers of the area have got grazing land, and that land will be taken from them,’ says Neville van Rooy,…

10 Feb 8AM 6 min

Farmers relocating to US: ‘Most of [them] going nowhere’

Today, an expert says harsh new anti-immigration laws in rich countries won’t last. A look at trends affecting the local automotive industry and the Southern African Agri Initiative asks President Trump to consult with ‘those on the ground’ before making rash decisions about SA’s farmers.

10 Feb 5AM 34 min