The Government Employee Pension Fund has announced that it has reached a market value of just over R2 Trillion since the start of the current 10 year cycle. The fund says last year alone its investments increased by R451 Billion amidst the economic turmoil caused by Covid. The fund has in the past been engulfed by reports of corruption due to poor oversight and monitoring.

Newly crowned Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane will represent South Africa in the Miss Universe pageant in Israel despite backlash from civil society groups. Calls are mounting for the beauty to pull out of the event because it is occurring in a country that has been accused of apartheid-like human rights crimes against the Palestinian people.

A number of countries in the continent are opting to reserve certain jobs and businesses for the locals. One of the most protectionist countries in the region used to be Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe had a 51% local ownership for all businesses. However, many Zimbabweans feels that the poor perfoming economy of their country is because of the protectionist policies. Meanwhile, South Africa is following suite to pursue protectionist policies like Botswana and Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry highlighted some of the businesses that must be protected, include wholesale retail and filling stations. The protected list has 21 business crafts, ranging from bread and confectionery to furniture.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to the last apartheid era President, F.W De Klerk - hailing him for his contribution to South Africa's transition into a democratic state. De Klerk died of cancer at his Fresnaye home, in Cape Town yesterday morning. He was 85. Ramaphosa was speaking outside Parliament after Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana's mid term budget speech. He has sent condolences to the De Klerk family and says Government is willing to assist the family.

You have to have long-term and quick and short-term solutions at the same time". That was one of the key takeaways in a discussion with an international energy policy advisor on the current power crisis gripping the country. Ignacio Fernandez is a senior advisor at the primary electricity supply company in south California - the most populous state in the United States and by itself, the world's fifth largest economy. The state last year experienced rolling blackouts while Fernandez also worked in Chile's Ministry of Energy during that country's energy crisis in 2008. In conversation with the SABC's Sherwin Bryce-Pease, he makes a number of recommendations that includes a dramatic shift from coal over the longer-term.

Electricity blackouts not only lead to frustration due to the unavailability of power, but many are forced to spend thousands to repair damaged electrical appliances or buy new ones.  And if the appliances are not insured this could mean being without a flat-screen TV, computer, microwave, or fridge while trying to save some money.  Johannesburg's City Power says last year's stage 6 loadshedding set the company back about 58-million rand in losses.  They estimate the losses could be three times more this year.

City of Johannesburg's City Power has threatened legal action if Eskom did not heed its call to exempt Joburg residents from the lower stages of loadshedding. The City had written a letter to Eskom to notify it of the added capacity and thus requesting exemption from loadshedding. The municipality had recently secured additional power supply capacity of 220MW from the privately-owned Kelvin power station

Eswatini's main political opposition has generally welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with King Mswati in the small Kingdom this week, in which they agreed on arrangements for a national dialogue to negotiate a way out of the country's political impasse. Ramaphosa met with King Mswati in his capacity as the chair of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) organ on politics, defence and security. The meeting of the two heads of state follows a visit by a special envoy last month

Political Parties have started negotiations to form coalition partnerships. Some parties will likely be forced to swallow their pride and work with their opponents. But others have made it clear that they will not compromise their principles to form a marriage of convenience to govern in local government.

One South Africa Movement Leader Mmusi Maimane has rejected Parliament's claims that OSA accused the national legislature of being in contempt of court. This comes after the Constitutional Court  gave Parliament 24 months to correct the defect in the Electoral Act. The "New Nation Movement NPC" and others who support Independent Candidates, -  successfully challenged the constitutionality of the electoral legislation. Existing legislation does not  make provision for Independent Candidates to contest the national and provincial elections