Kaya Biz

ITS MY HOUSE: SA’s residential ‘squatter’ numbers have risen in the last decade.

The number of residential tenants classified as ‘squatting’ has progressively increased in South Africa in the past decade. Tenants classified as squatting are defined as having not paid three consecutive months of rent and continuing to occupy the property in the fourth month. TPN Credit Bureau said although this trend…

26 Jul 2022 1AM 16 min

ALLAN GRAY FEATURE: How not to be a ‘financial nihilist.’

Millennials around the world are increasingly throwing financial caution to the wind, opting to prioritise ‘living in the moment’ and pursuing passion projects over actively saving and investing for the long term. This growing phenomenon is known as “financial nihilism”. As we commemorate Savings Month this July, Nomi Bodlani, head…

26 Jul 2022 1AM 16 min

What businesses still need from Ramaphosa’s new energy plan.

Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) says that the government must be held accountable for the new energy plan and deliver on hard deadlines and execution targets. President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Monday (25 July), announced that regulations will be changed to allow for fast-tracking new energy generation projects. South Africa has…

26 Jul 2022 1AM 8 min

Energy Dept. begins formal process of deregulating petrol price in SA.

The formal process of deregulating the price of petrol in South Africa has started. On Friday, energy minister Gwede Mantashe published a brief notice on page 106 of the weekly Government Gazette, asking for comment on his "intention to introduce a price cap" for 93 octane. That starts a 30-day…

25 Jul 2022 1AM 10 min

SA’s investment portfolio expanding in Ivory Coast.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s investment portfolio in Ivory Coast is expanding. He was addressing the South Africa and Ivory Coast Business Forum in Pretoria on Friday. President Ramaphosa says there are opportunities for the export of machinery, consumer goods, vehicles and paper. In 2021, South Africa’s exports to…

25 Jul 2022 1AM 7 min

WEALTH CREATION: More South Africans dabble in risky investments to get by.

South Africans looking for greater financial returns are now buying into riskier investments – some even going as far as gambling – to deal with mounting financial pressures, according to the Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor (OMSIM) released on Wednesday. The report, which has come out during National Savings…

25 Jul 2022 1AM 10 min

CAREERS FEATURE: Why soft skills matter in the work place.

They’re called soft skills – but as anyone who’s tried to master them will tell you, they’re quite hard to get right. There are many reasons why so-called soft skills are tough to get a handle on, including the fact that they’re so difficult to describe, identify and measure, and…

25 Jul 2022 1AM 17 min

Managing debt today to improve your financial wellbeing.

Most people in South Africa and the world have some sort of debt. According to analysts, the household debt-to-income ratio in South Africa is expected to reach 75% by the end of 2022. This means that for every R100 a South African has, R75 rands goes towards paying off debt…

25 Jul 2022 1AM 13 min

Yakh’iFuture, an interactive career experience platform.

Yakh’iFuture, which means ‘Build your future’, an interactive career experience platform that has been designed to prepare engineering students for work in the automotive components manufacturing industry. Friday 22 July saw the official launch of an interactive career experience platform that has been designed to prepare engineering students for work…

25 Jul 2022 1AM 8 min

Interest rates increased by 75bps - biggest hike since 2002.

The repo rate has been hiked by another 75 basis points on Thursday. This brings the repo to 5.5% and the prime rate to 9%. Three members of the monetary policy committee supported the hike, while one wanted 100 basis points and another preferred a 50 basis point hike. This…

21 Jul 2022 4AM 11 min

More financial pain for consumers as Reserve Bank hikes interest by 75bps.

The SA Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee on Thursday hiked interest rates by 75 basis points, adding three quarters of a percentage point to what just about everyone pays on their debt. The big-jump increase in rates – the biggest single increase in interest rates since 2002 – comes just…

21 Jul 2022 4AM 10 min

Triple blow hits businesses in South Africa – Impact on small businesses.

As interest rates increase to curb rising inflation, coupled with fuel and load shedding, among other challenges – is putting pressure on the profit margins of small businesses in South Africa, says Andiswa Bata, co-head of SME at FNB. Bata said SMEs have shown resilience by absorbing costs in the…

21 Jul 2022 4AM 10 min

Pivot Point – In conversation with Prof Lerothodi Lapula Leeuw.

Prof Lerothodi Lapula Leeuw, hails from the Kalahari. He is the first black South African to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA and one of only three black students from anywhere in the world to major in Physics there. He…

21 Jul 2022 4AM 19 min

Flight prices in South Africa might surge by as much as 400%.

South Africans planning a long-distance getaway during the 2022 December holidays might want to consider booking their flights soon. A quick analysis of flights in the country during this period shows that prices are substantially higher than during 2020 and 2021.

21 Jul 2022 4AM 13 min

Gordhan accepts Solidarity’s offer to help bring back engineers to fix Eskom.

Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has written to Solidarity asking the labour union to provide a list of engineers and other workers that can assist with Eskom’s skills shortage. Gordhan’s plea comes after Solidarity chief executive Dirk Hermann sent a letter to the minister on 25 May 2022 in which…

21 Jul 2022 4AM 12 min

Unions push back against MTN’s planned takeover of Telkom.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says the planned buyout of telecommunications group Telkom by MTN should be rejected, warning that the privatisation of the partially State-owned enterprise (SOE) will be detrimental to the working class and the economy. Earlier in July, Telkom and MTN announced that…

20 Jul 2022 1AM 7 min

Inflation surges to 7.4% - highest in 13 years.

Statistics South Africa has published its latest consumer price index, showing that annual consumer price inflation has broken through the upper limit of the Reserve Bank’s target range for the second consecutive month. Inflation was recorded at 7.4% in June 2022, up from 6.5% in May 2022. The June rate…

20 Jul 2022 1AM 9 min

Telkom FutureMakers and how the Township Innovation Incubator Programme.

The Telkom Future Makers Township Innovation Incubator Program, launched in 2021, seeks to assist township-based ICT Social entrepreneurs with digital innovative ideas to solve social issues in their communities and broader market an opportunity to turn their ideas into viable, commercially ready, scalable and investable solutions. Seize your future with…

20 Jul 2022 1AM 12 min

LEGALLY SPEAKING: Taxpayer confidentiality - different courts, different rules.

Recent cases relating to taxpayer confidentiality, notably the tax affairs of public figures like former president Jacob Zuma, raise questions around the jurisdiction of the Tax Court and whether it could be broadened. This may not only address the question of confidentiality but also lighten the burden of the high…

20 Jul 2022 1AM 14 min

EKASINOMICS: Young entrepreneurs now global designers.

Starting with a basic stitch on an old sewing machine passed down to her by her mother, a young woman and her business partner, both from Joe Slovo Township in Nelson Mandela Bay, have managed to grow their business to such an extent that they now supply several fashion items…

20 Jul 2022 1AM 13 min