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operation vulindlelalatest news & developments
Long reach: Unemployment is no longer a standalone crisis. It is increasingly tied to weak growth, declining living standards and persistent poverty. Photo: March to March

SA recovery remains mainly jobless

The country lost 345 000 jobs in the first quarter of 2026 as unemployment climbed to 32.7%, exposing the gap between economic stabilisation and meaningful employment growth

The unemployment rate has climbed again, reaching 32.7%, while youth unemployment has surged to 45.8%.

Joblessness remains a bugbear

This is what makes youth unemployment especially dangerous. A country in which nearly half of young work-seekers cannot find employment is not merely experiencing a cyclical…

At the South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC), President Cyril Ramaphosa formally launched the second Presidential investment mobilisation drive. The initiative aims to secure R2 trillion in new investment between 2026 and 2030. Photo SA Investment Conference

South Africa’s investment drive is rebuilding the economy

In an era when cynicism too often dominates public discourse and doubt easily overshadows progress, the facts speak volumes. South Africa is attracting capital, rebuilding…

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the keynote address at the sixth South Africa Investment Conference at the Sandton International Convention Centre. Photo: Dirco

Ramaphosa launches R2 trillion investment drive

After securing R1.5 trillion in investment commitments, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the new target is to attract an additional R2 trillion in investment

Travel: Visitor numbers are rising again and airports like OR Tambo are getting busier. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Tourism must be SA’s defining story

Although global instability may temporarily redirect travel flows, the real opportunity lies not in benefiting from conflict elsewhere but in ensuring that South Africa becomes a…

Finance posse: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on his way to deliver the 2026 Budget, is seen in this traditional walk with, among others, Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago
and SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter. Photo GCIS

End austerity to stimulate the economy

The 2026 Budget blue-ticked the jobs crisis, since the Treasury only cares about debt and pleasing financial markets

Set for presentation: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana arriving at Parliament to deliver the budget. He is
flanked by South African Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago, left, and South African Revenue Service
commissioner Edward Kieswetter. Photo: GCIS

Budget: debt peaks but growth lags

The projected economic growth trajectory remains insufficient to address structural unemployment

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. Photo: Supplied by the  Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)

Economists split on whether 2026 budget marks a real turning point

The growth outlook is insufficient to alter unemployment dynamics, some argued

DA leader John Steenhuisen.

‘GNU responsible for country’s success’, MPs say in response to Ramaphosa’s Sona

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said much of the progress made ‘bears the unmistakable imprint of the DA’s principled participation’ in the government of national unity

Nostalgia: President Cyril Ramaphosa, pictured here at Nelson Mandela’s prison house on the premises of the Drakenstein Correctional Centre on
Wednesday, had a lot to look back on in his 2026 State of the Nation address on Thursday evening.

From transformation to sustained delivery

Perhaps the most tangible area of progress since SONA 2025 has been energy stabilisation. The marked reduction in the frequency and severity of load-shedding, including extended…

Up, up and away: Under President Cyril Ramaphosa South Africa has done very well since his 2018 State of the
Nation Address and is on an upward trajectory, the writer argues.

Tide turns on SA’s age of hope

The new dawn that the President spoke about in 2018 is no longer an elusive mirage

Mixed bag: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Operation Vulindlela is
stronger on policy than implementation. Photo: GCIS

Operation Vulindlela: Big on policy but low on results

Only 3% of reform work under phase two of the economic readjustment initiative has been completed, about 27% is delayed or off track, and 53% is under way

Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero. (Lubabalo Lesolle/Gallo Images)

Joburg Crisis Alliance questions ‘quick wins’ focus of presidential working group

Civil society says officials should break the cycle of grand promises and weak follow-through if Johannesburg is to be rebuilt into a world-class city

Grave concern: President Cyril Ramaphosa (above) regards allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu as requiring ‘the highest-priority attention’.

Faster reforms will spur faster growth: Ramaphosa

The president and the national treasury launched phase two of Operation Vulindlela on Wednesday, expanding its focus areas

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the state of the nation address. (GCIS)

Ramaphosa sticks to structural reform path, stands up to Washington

The president warned about nationalism and protectionism and said South Africa would not change its values or policies

Luvuyo Masinda, CEO of Standard Bank Corporate & Investment Banking

Working together, we can transform the South African railway  network for the better

Many railway lines are underutilised or abandoned, with over 30% of Africa’s rail infrastructure inoperable.

Economy 2025: A GNU hope, but ports, rail and water crisis likely to hinder growth

The country’s ports and rail systems are shambolic, but GNU and a pause in load-shedding have elicited some optimism

Finest political hour: President Cyril Ramaphosa has skillfully stitched together a broad coalition to hold the
political centre. Photo: Buda Mendes/Global Citizen/Getty Images

Ramaphosa found resolve after losing the ANC’s majority

Negotiating a broad coalition to hold the political centre was perhaps the president’s finest political hour

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa defends increased centralisation of power in his office

The president said he carried final responsibility for ensuring the executive functioned efficiently and his office had a proven track record of reform This content is restricted…

Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber. (Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Home Affairs Minister Schreiber to revive Immigration Advisory Board

The board will provide input on the future of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit, the new minister said in his budget speech