<p>In June 2025, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and Lesotho&rsquo;s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation. The MoU established a formal platform for cooperation aimed at promoting mutually beneficial trade and investment relations, facilitating the exchange of experiences, and supporting collaboration in areas such as standards, cross-border value chains, and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.</p>

Implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho to Strengthen Trade and Investment

Reduce the high cost of investment and cross-border trade and address the structural decline in global competitiveness, including addressing constraints in logistics, energy, and other network industries and regulatory barriers

<p>The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and the Lesotho&rsquo;s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development have agreed to enhance trade and investment, to advance shared interests.</p>

Trade Investment enhanced

<p>Between 2024 and 2025, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) revived 35 of 40 priority passenger rail corridors and introduced more than 300 locally manufactured train sets as part of efforts to restore and modernise the country&rsquo;s passenger rail network. The recovery programme aimed to improve commuter access between outlying areas and city centres and strengthen the reliability and capacity of public rail transport services.</p>

Revival of Priority Rail Corridors and Introduction of New Train Sets

Complete the recovery of the passenger rail network across the country to enable people to travel from outlying areas to city centres

<p>The Department of Home Affairs gazetted the Remote Work Visitor Visa (Digital Nomad Visa) and introduced a new Points-Based System for Work Visas in 2024. These reforms form part of government efforts to overhaul the visa regime in order to attract skills, support investment, and contribute to the growth of the tourism sector.&nbsp;</p>

Gazetting of Remote Work Visa and Points-Based Work Visa System (2024)

Continue with the visa reforms to attract skills and investment and grow the tourism sector

<p>Cabinet approved the Tourism Route Development Marketing Plan in December 2024, aimed at improving air connectivity to South Africa through coordinated route development and marketing initiatives.&nbsp;</p>

Approval of Tourism Route Development Marketing Plan (2024)

Improve airlift through new airline routes to South African airports

<p>The Department of Employment and Labour gazetted an increase in the national minimum wage, setting it at R30.23 per ordinary hour worked, effective 1 March 2026. The revised wage applies across sectors, including domestic and farm workers, with adjusted rates also provided for Expanded Public Works Programme workers and learnership agreements.&nbsp;</p>

Gazetting of Increased National Minimum Wage (2026)

The Department of Employment and Labour, in consultation with the National Treasury, will ensure that the national minimum wage is regularly increased, in line with inflation

<p>The Department of Employment and Labour published the Labour Laws Amendment Bill, 2025 and the Labour Relations Amendment Bill, 2025, together with related notices, aimed at strengthening workers&rsquo; rights and protections, including measures to improve job security, fairness, and the enforcement of labour standards.&nbsp;</p>

Publication of Labour Law Amendment Bills and Worker Protection Notices (2025)

Improve and uphold workers' rights

<p><span style="color: #242424; font-family: 'Aptos Narrow', Calibri, 'sans-serif', 'Mongolian Baiti', 'Microsoft Yi Baiti', 'Javanese Text', 'Yu Gothic'; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Government has welcomed the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) results released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), which show that the economy grew by 0.5% in the third quarter of 2025. </span></p>

Government welcomes 0.5% GDP growth

Achieve 2.7% GDP growth by  2027 and above 3% GDP growth by 2029

<div class="ewa-rteLine" style="height: auto; line-height: inherit; cursor: text; overflow: hidden; white-space: pre-wrap; padding-right: 10px; color: #242424; font-family: 'Aptos Narrow', Calibri, 'sans-serif', 'Mongolian Baiti', 'Microsoft Yi Baiti', 'Javanese Text', 'Yu Gothic'; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The National Treasury has successfully raised R11.795 billion under South Africa&rsquo;s first Infrastructure and Development Finance Bond. According to the National Treasury, the auction attracted strong market interest, with bids exceeding R26 billion and achieving a 2.2-times subscription rate.</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine" style="height: auto; line-height: inherit; cursor: text; overflow: hidden; white-space: pre-wrap; padding-right: 10px; color: #242424; font-family: 'Aptos Narrow', Calibri, 'sans-serif', 'Mongolian Baiti', 'Microsoft Yi Baiti', 'Javanese Text', 'Yu Gothic'; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The proceeds from the Infrastructure and Development Finance Bond will be used exclusively to finance projects under the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) programme.</div>

Government raises R11.795 billion to fund infrastructure projects

Increase the scale of investment in infrastructure

Launch One Stop Shops across all provinces for small and medium enterprises

Create an enabling environment for MSMEs, township and village enterprises, formal start-ups, and informal enterprises, targeting 1.055 million small businesses

<p>The cabinet has approved the submission of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade to Parliament for ratification.&nbsp;The protocol aims to enhance the participation of women and youth in trade under the AfCFTA, and it outlines specific objectives such as helping women and youth traders to participate in the markets effectively</p>

The cabinet has approved the submission of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade to Parliament for ratification.

Prioritise the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area to increase our exports to the rest of the continent

Increase employment and work opportunities, targeting 6 million jobs and reduce unemployment to below 28% by 2029

Accelerate growth of strategic industrial and labour-intensive sectors

Create an enabling environment for investment and improved competitiveness through structural reforms

Increase infrastructure investment, access, and efficiency

Improve the export environment through a review of industrial policy, localisation initiatives and sector-specific policies

Increase trade and investment by leveraging on existing partnerships such as BRICS+, Agoa and SA-UK

Establish a comprehensive and targeted export promotion strategy and export finance framework to address information asymmetries and ensure appropriate financial products and services are available

Implement practical partnerships between the state and sector-focused private sector bodies to promote investment, exports, and job creation in future-facing sectors

Create a dynamic science, technology, and innovation ecosystem for growth

Accelerate interventions for redress, economic empowerment, and spatial transformation in favour of previously marginalised groups

Create active support and access to finance, markets and public procurement opportunities for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities

Create an enabling environment for private sector investment and reduce the complexity of the PPP regulatory framework

Expand and strengthen the transmission network to enable new generation capacity in areas with strong wind and solar resources

<div class="ewa-rteLine" style="height: auto; line-height: inherit; cursor: text; overflow: hidden; white-space: pre-wrap; padding-right: 10px; color: #242424; font-family: 'Aptos Narrow', Calibri, 'sans-serif', 'Mongolian Baiti', 'Microsoft Yi Baiti', 'Javanese Text', 'Yu Gothic'; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced an ambitious Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025 aimed at resolving the country&rsquo;s long-standing electricity crisis and jump-starting economic growth. Government plans to invest R2.2 trillion, which is about 30% of the nation&rsquo;s gross domestic product (GDP), in a comprehensive energy transformation strategy.</div>

Minister of electricity unveils massive R2.2 trillion electricity plan to revive economy

Build over 14,400 km of new high-voltage transmission lines under the Transmission Development Plan (TDP)

Develop an Independent Transmission Projects Policy Framework

<div class="ewa-rteLine">Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has named five companies</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">as preferred bidders for the development of liquid bulk and green fuel terminals in the South Dunes</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">Precinct of the Port of Richards Bay for a 25-year concession period. The development, worth</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">approximately R17 billion, is an integral part of expanding the port&rsquo;s liquid bulk handling capacity</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">while advancing South Africa&rsquo;s energy transition.</div>

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) ANNOUNCES PREFERRED BIDDERS FOR MULTI-BILLION RAND LIQUID BULK AND GREEN FUEL TERMINALS AT RICHARDS BAY PORT

Implement the Freight Logistics Roadmap to enable private sector investment in ports and rail

Upgrade the e-Visa system to an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system

Increase destination marketing and improve security at key tourist sites

Strengthen the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to maximise resource mobilisation

Simplify and speed up planning and regulatory processes to make it easier for businesses to invest and operate in a municipality, thus creating more jobs

<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Expropriation Bill, which sets out how organs of State may expropriate land in the public interest for various reasons.&nbsp;</p>

President Ramaphosa signs Expropriation Bill into Law

Increase funding to land reform, prioritise the transfer of state land and improve post-settlement support by strengthening the institutional capacity of responsible structures.

<div class="ewa-rteLine">The Taxation Laws Amendment Bill has been passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the NCOP for concurrence.</div>
<div class="ewa-rteLine">&nbsp;</div>

Taxation Laws Amendment Bill passed

Reduce the undue regulatory burdens that hold back businesses from creating jobs.

Expand the basket of essential food items exempt from VAT and undertake a comprehensive review of administered prices, including the fuel price formula

Manage public finances with a view to stabilising debt

<p>The government of South Africa has allocated more than R219.2 billion to South Africa's green energy revolution, with the majority of the funds going towards strengthening the sector's infrastructure.</p>

Treasury aims to give R219.2 billion boost to power a greener future

Invest more than R1.5 trillion in a just transition, including support for workers and communities in Mpumalanga and other coal-producing regions.

Create a green manufacturing sector centred on the export of green hydrogen and associated products, electric vehicles and renewable energy components.

<p>The Department of Small Business Development has so far disbursed R6 million from the R500 million Spaza Shop Support Fund (SSSF). This initiative aims to support South African-owned spaza shops and food-handling outlets in townships and rural areas.</p>

R6million disbursed to the Spaza Shop Support Fund (SSSF)

Support small- and medium-sized enterprises in townships and rural areas

<p>Government has worked with the China-African Precious Metals Company as means of increasing investment and to create jobs. This company has opened a newly refurbished gold processing plant that is guaranteed to create about 4 000 work opportunities in Orkney in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality, North West.</p>

Government has supported and facillitated the expansion of China-African Precious Metals in North West

Work with stakeholders to develop and implement Master Plans to grow important industries, increase investment, create jobs and foster transformation

Pursue a smart industrial policy that focuses on the competitiveness of our economy, and that incentivises businesses to expand our exports and create jobs

<p>The Minerals Council South Africa has welcomed the launch of both the Mineral Resources Development Bill and the Critical Minerals Strategy by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). Both documents come at a pivotal time to realise the potential for South Africa&rsquo;s mining industry and its contribution to economic growth and energy transition.</p>

Citizens Watch

Promise

Promise History

Implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho to Strengthen Trade and Investment

Trade Investment enhanced

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