“The broad resilience of emerging market currencies may well be due to weakening global trust in the US dollar and the need of investors to diversify portfolios,” he told an audience in the Eastern Cape on Monday evening.

“It is not that they are abandoning the dollar, but nowadays no one wants to be all-in on the dollar either.”

The rand, which had strengthened considerably before the conflict began on 28 February, has backed off to around the levels of late last year, even as oil-importing South Africa faces surging fuel prices.

“The rand exchange rate has been surprisingly resilient so far,” Kganyago said.

“It depreciated in March but then recovered to roughly pre-crisis levels. Many of our peers have had similar experiences.”

The JPMorgan Emerging Market Currency Index has recovered since late March and is now almost back to pre-war levels.

Investors have warmed to rand assets in recent months, reassured by growing confidence in the nation’s fiscal discipline, economic reforms and the central bank’s adoption of a 3% inflation target.

Analysts at Moody’s Ratings, in a note published Tuesday, also point more broadly to durable improvements in public finances to explain how some large emerging-market economies have been able to absorb external shocks.

Not that the dollar’s dominance is under threat.

International Monetary Fund data showed it accounting for around 57% of the world’s official foreign exchange reserves in the final quarter of 2025 versus under 2% for China’s yuan.

Still, Kganyago’s remarks touch on an undercurrent of criticism that US President Donald Trump’s actions since re-entering the White House will have lasting consequences for the dollar’s appeal.

These include his trade tariffs, attacks on traditional allies and Washington’s use of financial sanctions against adversaries, which his predecessors also deployed.

South Africa is a member of the Brics group of influential emerging-market nations who’ve previously discussed reducing their dependence on the greenback – a suggestion that drew a Trump threat of punitive tariffs if they failed to commit to the US currency.

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Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has projected that spending on Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines from two international suppliers will increase to more than R644.5 million as government moves to secure the national herd, protect farmers’ livelihoods and safeguard the country’s food security.

“With our first batches of vaccine procurement from Biogénesis Bagó and Dollvet, we have already invested R238.2 million in this War. As we move into the next critical phase, our projected expenditure on vaccines from our two international suppliers will increase to over R644.5 million,” Steenhuisen said on Tuesday.

“This excludes the R72 million spent last year on BVI vaccines from Botswana for 900 000 doses – of which the MPO bought 50 000 doses, RMIS 600 000 doses and the Limpopo, the Free State and Mpumalanga took the initiative to buy and use their own vaccine stocks to protect their local farmers.”

Steenhuisen was addressing the media on the outcomes of his working visits to Brazil and Argentina, the publication of the Section 10 Routine Vaccination Scheme, and other FMD-related matters.

He said South Africa had moved aggressively to secure a vaccine pipeline as part of its campaign to vaccinate 80% of the national herd by the end of 2026.

Steenhuisen returned on Sunday from high-level working visits to Brazil and Argentina, where he said South Africa secured strategic partnerships aimed at moving the country from a defensive response to a more decisive offensive against FMD.

In Brazil, South Africa signed a Memorandum of Intent and an Action Plan to accelerate FMD eradication efforts.

Steenhuisen said Brazil’s 64-year journey to being recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health as an FMD-free country without vaccination offered South Africa a roadmap for its own 10-year strategy.

In Argentina, the focus was on ensuring a steady vaccine supply. Onderstepoort Biological Products and Biogénesis Bagó signed a distribution agreement, while the Agricultural Research Council renewed its partnership with Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute.

The minister said the government had received 6 million FMD vaccine doses to date, including 2.5 million doses from Argentina’s Biogénesis Bagó and 3.5 million doses from Turkey’s Dollvet.

The Dollvet supply included an initial batch of 1.5 million doses and a further 2 million doses delivered in April 2026. An additional 4 million doses from Dollvet are in transit and expected to arrive in South Africa by mid-May, while the import process for a further 5 million doses from Biogénesis Bagó is underway.

“This constant flow of vaccines is what allows our provincial teams and our private sector partners to maintain their momentum as we work toward our goal of vaccinating 80% of the national herd by the end of the year,” Steenhuisen added.

The department has distributed 5,229,966 doses from the 6 million procured so far. As of 23 April 2026, 2,590,016 animals had been vaccinated across South Africa in the three months since the start of the large-scale vaccine acquisition programme.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of vaccinated animals at 766,508, followed by the Free State at 446,527, Eastern Cape at 376,122, Mpumalanga at 233,510, North West at 188,073, Gauteng at 184,036, Limpopo at 183,770, Western Cape at 164,474 and Northern Cape at 46,996.

“When you add all these efforts together, the numbers tell a powerful story – to date, more than 4.5 million cattle have been part of our vaccination programme. This is a significant investment of public funds, and it reflects the gravity with which we treat the health of our livestock,” Steenhuisen said.

He also announced the formal lifting of FMD restrictions within the KwaZulu-Natal Disease Management Area, which was first declared in 2021.

He said the decision was based on a shift in the epidemiological picture in the province, with FMD outbreaks spreading to all districts across KwaZulu-Natal and fewer outbreaks recorded inside the Disease Management Area (DMA) than in other parts of the province.

“We must also consider the human and economic cost of these measures,” said Steenhuisen.

“Our farmers within the DMA have been economically burdened by these movement restrictions, facing challenges that their neighbours in other districts, and indeed other provinces with equally unstable infections, have not had to face.”

Steenhuisen said lifting the DMA did not mean government was dropping its guard. He said the department was developing a countrywide movement control protocol for all cloven-hoofed animals to ensure every province adheres to the same standards.

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Absa Group Ltd.’s Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by the Bureau for Economic Research, advanced to 52.6 from 49 in March, the Johannesburg-based lender said in an emailed statement on Monday.

It was the first reading above 50 — the threshold separating an expansion from contraction — since September 2025.

The business activity index rose for a second consecutive month to 52.8, from 46.1, while orders for new sales increased to 52.9, from 44.5.

The reading suggests that production picked up meaningfully, the lender said.

“The increase appears to have been driven primarily by stronger domestic demand, while export sales declined,” Absa said, suggesting that the recovery was not broad-based and remains vulnerable to external headwinds.

“Moreover, some respondents indicated that orders may have been brought forward in anticipation of further cost increases, potentially resulting in weaker demand in the months ahead,” it said.

Factories in April contended with rising cost pressures, mainly reflecting higher oil-linked input costs, which have soared since the US-Israel war with Iran started on 28 February 2026.

South Africa has announced a fuel levy reduction to cushion businesses and households from the surge in gasoline and diesel prices.

Persistent input-cost inflation could contribute to broader price pressures in the economy, although the fuel levy relief extension does soften the blow, Absa said.

“Elevated input costs are likely to squeeze profit margins and could limit the sustainability of the recent improvement in activity,” the bank said.

“In addition, continued cost pressures at the factory level may contribute to broader inflationary pressures in the economy.”

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The following year, his son Jay Y. Lee was jailed after being convicted of bribing South Korea’s former President Park Geun-hye to win support for his succession.

At the time, some observers speculated that the sheer scale of one of the world’s largest death levies could threaten the family’s control over the conglomerate.

Instead, more than five years later, an AI-driven upswing in semiconductor valuations has helped the family cement its grip and grow richer than ever. The Lees’ combined wealth climbed to about $45.5 billion as of March, from roughly $20.1 billion a year earlier, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

They are now Asia’s third-richest family, up from 10th last year. The heirs are set to complete the final installment of their 12 trillion won ($8.1 billion) inheritance tax due this month, wrapping up about five years of payments. A spokesperson for the National Tax Service declined to comment. Samsung is the biggest of South Korea’s family-run conglomerates known as chaebol, alongside SK Group and Hyundai Motor Group.

Jay Y Lee, who once shunned the limelight as his sentencing drama roiled South Korea, is back.

Last week, he appeared in a selfie with the nation’s President Lee Jae Myung and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to New Delhi.

Over the past year, he joined presidential trips to India, Vietnam, China, the United Arab Emirates and the US.

In October, photos of him having beer and fried chicken with another of the world’s richest tech barons, Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang, went viral.

The family’s financial comeback highlights a broader disconnect in South Korea’s market rally. President Lee has made narrowing the “Korea Discount” and improving transparency among chaebol part of his election campaign. Expectations of reform to help minority investors have helped Seoul’s stock market become the world’s best performing over the past year. Still, critics say deeper changes are needed close the gap to global peers.

Samsung is seen as “behind the curve” versus other large local large groups when it comes to bringing value-up plans to investors, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a March 17 report.

“At least for the near future, I don’t believe the controlling family, the Lee family, has any incentive,” to do more about improving corporate governance, said Sangin Park, a professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration.

“The stock price went up so much and the shareholders are so happy,” Park said. In the long run, that means Korea may lose a good opportunity for substantial changes in corporate governance, according to the academic.

Samsung Electronics is unable to comment on matters related to personal wealth of family members, a company spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to questions. The company is committed to enhancing shareholder value based on mid-to-long-term return policies, the spokesperson added. Samsung also plans to invest over 110 trillion won in facilities, research and development this year to build on its position in the AI semiconductor era, according to the e-mail.

Corporate reach

Samsung’s economic influence has continued to grow alongside the powerful market rally. The combined revenue of seven key Samsung affiliates — including Samsung Electronics — was equivalent to 19.3% of South Korea’s gross domestic product in 2025, up from 15.1% a decade earlier, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Samsung Electronics — which accounts for roughly a quarter of the nation’s benchmark Kospi Index — surged 126% last year, its best annual performance in more than two decades.

Investment in AI infrastructure is driving an unprecedented semiconductor supercycle and demand for AI memory chips is expected to keep rising in 2026, Samsung Electronics co-Chief Executive Officer Jun Young-hyun said at last month’s annual general meeting.

The company will report earnings for the March quarter on Thursday, after pointing to record preliminary operating profit as customers led by cloud service providers ramp up orders for high-bandwidth memory and other chips used in data centers.

Construction site at the Samsung Electronics Co. P3 semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in January. Image: Bloomberg

All of this has helped the Lee family to avoid selling even more shares to pay back inheritance taxes. Jay Y.’s personal wealth has risen sharply to $26.9 billion over the past year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He eclipsed finance tycoon Cho Jung-ho to become South Korea’s richest person, a title he lost last year. In 2022, the Samsung heir secured a presidential pardon from the graft charges, allowing him to formally take the helm of the conglomerate that his grandfather created in 1938.

The disconnect

At the heart of President Lee’s reform is a fundamental shift from controlling family interests to shareholder-centric governance. The parliament approved the final changes to the Commercial Act in February, which require companies to cancel treasury shares that have long been used by chaebol to entrench control.

Many chaebol are yet to deliver change, said Lee Chang Hwan, chief executive officer of activist investor Align Partners Capital Management in Seoul.

“What really needs to happen is that management and the board of these companies proactively work towards improving or optimizing for shareholder value,” he added.

To be sure, Samsung units have been taking steps in that direction. In 2018, the company decided to separate the roles of the chairman of the board and CEO, and in 2020 it appointed an independent board director as chairman for the first time, according to a spokesperson for the company. And, the board now consists of a majority of independent directors.

In response to demands for greater transparency and to curb over-expansion, Samsung Group has streamlined its corporate structure, reducing its total number of affiliates to 63, less than some rivals, according to Korea’s Fair Trade Commission.

The chips-to-smartphones maker handed a 1.3 trillion won special payout to shareholders last year on top of regular dividends. The firm also cancelled shares worth more than 14 trillion won in April, according to a spokesperson.

Family control

Within the Lee family, approaches have varied to paying back the death levy. Jay’s sister Lee Boo-jin and Lee Seo-hyun, along with their mother Hong Ra-hee, have sold shares through block sales over recent years. Jay Y. Lee, by contrast, relied on loans secured by shares and other assets.

Many controlling shareholders in Asia prefer to keep voting power over short-term liquidity, said Jung In Yun, chief executive officer at Fibonacci Asset Management Global.

“A key long-term question is whether the next generation will be able to maintain control of Samsung under Korea’s high inheritance tax regime,” Yun said.

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The China deal covers Africa’s 20 largest economies, including South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Kenya. China had already dropped tariffs on 33 poorer African countries, meaning 53 of the continent’s 54 nations are now eligible for “tariff-free treatment” for their goods, according to China.

The country not eligible is the small nation of Eswatini because it is the only one in Africa that maintains formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

China says it’ll help mutual development

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council in China said the agreement would promote the common development of China and Africa.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said a shipment of 24 metric tons of apples from South Africa that cleared customs in Shenzhen in the early hours of Friday was the first batch of goods to enter under the new zero-tariff policy.

According to Xinhua, China’s Commerce Ministry said it would especially benefit African products like cocoa from Ivory Coast and Ghana, coffee and avocados from Kenya, and citrus fruits and wine from South Africa, which used to face tariffs of between 8% and 30%.

Ivory Coast is by far the world’s biggest cocoa producer and it and Ghana account for more than 50% of the global supply. South Africa is a major citrus fruit exporter.

African nations looking away from the US

Several of Africa’s top economies said they would look for new markets for some of their U.S.-bound products after the Trump administration imposed reciprocal tariffs a year ago — at one point with rates of 30% for Africa’s leading economy, South Africa, and higher than 40% for some other African countries.

“South Africa looks forward to working with China in a friendly, pragmatic and flexible manner,” South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said in February during bilateral talks in China.

While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs as unconstitutional in February, the Republican president said his administration had “very powerful alternatives” and promptly rolled out temporary import taxes to replace them.

China is already the biggest trade partner for Africa, a continent of 1.5 billion people that’s expected to nearly double to 2.5 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations, when it would have more than a quarter of the world’s people.

China dominates a large trade imbalance with Africa

China hailed its tariff-free deal as promoting common development, but there is a large trade imbalance between it and Africa, while African nations owe Beijing billions in debt repayments.

China-Africa trade reached a record $348 billion in 2025, though China’s exports to Africa increased by around 25% to $225 billion, while its imports from Africa increased by only around 5% to $123 billion, widening the trade deficit for Africa.

China has long imported raw materials from Africa and sent back manufactured goods.

Thierry Pairault, a China-Africa expert at France’s National Center for Scientific Research, said that while the new policy might have some benefits for agricultural products, most African raw material exports like oil and minerals already had tariff-free access to China.

“(Chinese leader) Xi Jinping is positioning China as the antithesis of Western protectionism. This gesture is intended to appeal to both African public opinion and global markets,” Pairault wrote in an assessment published by the China Global South Project, which analyzes China’s relationship with poor countries.

But the policy “only applies where it costs (China) almost nothing,” Pairault wrote.

AP

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The monetary policy committee lifted the key rate to 5.5% from 3.5% Governor Lesego Moseki told reporters at a briefing in the capital, Gaborone, on Thursday.

“The MPC expects inflation to increase significantly in the short term and breach the upper band of the objective range of 3% to 6% in the second quarter due to the recent increases in fuel prices, public transport fares and medical aid premiums,” he said.

“Inflation is expected to average 8.7% in 2026, then decline to 5.6% in 2027.”

There’s a risk inflation may exceed forecasts as second-round effects from fuel and administered prices, including electricity and transport fares, feed through, he added.

The US-Israel war on Iran that began Feb. 28 has led to a surge in food, fertiliser, and energy costs because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a transit point for at least a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and liquefied gas and a significant share of key crop nutrients.

Governments across the world have responded by reversing course on monetary policy, capping energy prices and cutting fuel taxes.

Higher fuel prices will “substantially” impact Botswana’s inflation this year because of the large weight of transport in the gauge used to calculate the consumer price index – one of the highest on the continent – Oxford Economics said in a research note on April 15.

The central bank expects inflation to shoot up to 8.9% this month because of the war in Iran from 4.2% in March, Innocent Molalapata, an official at the central bank, said. That level would be the highest in three years.

For countries like Botswana – where the economy is already under strain from one of the worst downturns in the diamond industry, which accounts for about 80% of exports and a third of government revenue – the war is bringing further pressure to bear.

The southern African nation is also grappling with a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Beef exports to the European Union – a key market – have been restricted following the outbreak.

The outbreak “with associated livestock movement and slaughter restrictions may lead to higher food inflation,” the governor said.

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Atlanta-based Coca-Cola reported organic revenue growth of 10%, topping the average of analyst estimates, and notching the company’s best organic growth in five quarters. Adjusted earnings per share also outpaced expectations.

Shares of Coca-Cola rose as much as 3.5% in premarket trading.

The stock had gained about 8% this year, compared with a roughly 5% increase in the S&P 500 Index.

The results show that Coca-Cola’s efforts to win over consumers looking for beverages at different price points are paying off at a time when spending between lower income and more affluent households is diverging.

The beverage company has been offering more single serve and smaller sizes to lower the price points for the most stressed consumers, while also selling premium items to those who can afford it.

Coca-Cola said that in North America sales volume of mini cans grew at a high-single-digit percentage after it started selling single-serve mini cans in convenience stores.

Many consumers are spending more carefully amid rising energy prices from from the war with Iran.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Coca-Cola got a sales boost after debuting a new premium “Superfan” can that’s a much bigger serving and features the English Premier League.

The company reported growth in soda, particularly in its alternatives to full-sugar soda. Sales of Coca-Cola soda grew 2% in the quarter, including a 13% climb in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and a 6% boost in Diet Coke.

The maker of brands such as Sprite and Fresca also raised its full-year 2026 forecast for comparable earnings per share growth to 8% to 9%, up from 7% to 8%. Coca-Cola maintained its outlook for organic revenue to gain 4% to 5%.

Coca-Cola is undergoing a leadership change, too.

Henrique Braun became chief executive officer in late March after nearly three decades at the firm, replacing James Quincey, who had been at the helm for nine years.

Braun is seen as well-versed in the company’s complex bottling and distribution system.

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Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has extended the R3 per litre fuel levy relief to the end of June as conflict in the Middle East continues to put pressure on local fuel prices.

The minister has gone further, cutting the fuel levy on diesel to zero as diesel prices face steeper increases.

“At the end of March, I announced a temporary reduction of the general fuel levy of R3 per litre to help households with rising fuel prices caused by conflict in the Middle East,” Godongwana said when unveiling the latest measures.

“The continuation of the conflict has sustained pressure on global oil prices and led to increases in domestic fuel prices.”

To counter the expected hikes, Godongwana will retain the R3 per litre reduction in the general fuel levy for petrol until Tuesday, 2 June 2026.

“Given the large expected increases in the price of diesel, the Minister of Finance proposes that the temporary relief for diesel is increased by 93 cents to R3.93 per litre, effectively reducing the levy to zero,” National Treasury said in an accompanying statement.

This means that from next Wednesday to Tuesday, 2 June, the general fuel levy for petrol will remain at R1.10 per litre, while the levy for diesel will drop from R0.93 per litre to R0.00.

Treasury said that for June 2026, the relief will be halved to phase it out ahead of July.

“As a result, the amount of relief from the general fuel levy will be reduced to R1.50 per litre for petrol and R1.96 per litre for diesel, effective from Wednesday, 3 June to Tuesday, 30 June 2026.”

This will increase the general fuel levy for petrol from R1.10 per litre to R2.60, and for diesel from R0.00 to R1.97 per litre.

From July, the levy will return to its normal levels of R4.10 per litre for petrol and R3.93 per litre for diesel.

The minister said there is currently no relief planned beyond June.

The measures will cost the fiscus R17.2 billion in foregone taxes to the end of June.

Godongwana said this would be offset by higher-than-expected tax revenue and lower spending, and would not alter the fiscal stance adopted in the Budget tabled in February.

The price of Brent crude oil has remained above $100 a barrel since the escalation of the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel at the end of February.

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Education inflation quickens in 2026

The education component in the CPI is updated once a year in March. Tuition fees increased by 5,4% in 2026, higher than the 4,5% rise recorded in 2025.

Primary and secondary education rose by 6,2% (from 5,0% in 2025), while tertiary education increased by 4,2% (from 3,7% in 2025). Private secondary schools recorded the sharpest rise in 2026, climbing by 7,5%.

Transport inflation moves higher, but remains in deflationary territory

The annual rate for the transport category increased from -2,1% in February to -1,6% in March.

The negative values represent deflation, meaning that transport prices were, in general, 1,6% cheaper in March 2026 compared with March 2025. The deflation is a result of fuel prices declining by 8,7% over the 12-month period, supported by a marginal increase of 0,4% in vehicle prices.

Passenger transport fares recorded an annual rise of 0,7%. The monthly rate was 1,6%, driven by a 20,0% jump in long-distance bus fares and a 14,3% increase in airfares.

The CPI release for March covers data collected before the sharp fuel price increases that were introduced on 1 April. The impact of these higher prices on inflation will be included in the next CPI release that will be published on 20 May.

Food inflation eases for a second consecutive month

The annual rate for food & non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) slowed further to 3,6% in March from 3,7% in February and 4,4% in January. Four of the 11 food & NAB categories are in deflationary territory, including fruits & nuts; vegetables; cereal products; and milk, other dairy products & eggs.

The milk, other dairy products & eggs category recorded its 10th successive month of deflation at -0,5% in March, slightly higher than February’s -0,7%. Three products are cheaper than a year ago, namely fresh full-cream milk (currently in its 13th month of deflation at -0,4%), powdered milk (-5,5%), and eggs (-6,3%).

Prices for cereal products declined by 1,0% on average. White rice, porridge, maize meal, basmati rice, instant noodles, brown bread, and bread flour are cheaper than in March 2025. The average price for a kilogram of white rice, for example, declined from R29,01 to R27,82 over the 12-month period.

Meat recorded its second monthly decrease, with beef prices moderating between February 2026 and March 2026. Declines were recorded for stewing beef (-4,2%), steak (-2,0%), mince (-1,9%) and offal (-1,5%). Biltong fans can also breathe a sigh of relief, with prices edging lower by 0,2%.

The annual rate for meat also slowed, easing to 11,6% from 12,2% in February. Beef products registered lower rates. Most notably, steak retreated from 28,6% in February to 24,1% in March and stewing beef from 26,9% to 22,6%. Pork bucked the trend, increasing from 17,3% to 19,5%. Bacon inflation was also up, from 2,2% to 4,2%.

Other notable price changes

The March CPI figures include results for the latest quarterly survey of housing rents.

Actual rents increased by 4,0% in the first quarter of 2026, up from the 3,7% rise recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. In the first quarter, rents for houses increased by 3,7%, townhouses by 5,1% and flats by 4,2%.

Domestic worker wages increased by 3,7% in the first quarter of 2026. This followed an increase of 3,8% in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Accommodation services recorded a large 5,4% monthly rise to reach an annual rate of 12,2%. University boarding fees climbed by 7,2% and hotels by 6,0% between February and March.

Similar articles are available on the Stats SA website and can be accessed here.

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The North West Media Sustainability and Collaboration Summit concluded at the North West University Mahikeng Campus with a strong message from Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, who urged stakeholders to unite around sustainable models to secure the future of community media.

Morolong highlighted the sector’s critical role in democracy and development.

“The role of media in any society is vital, and since 1994, we have strived to ensure a free, independent, and thriving media sector. Of course, the landscape today is very different from what confronted us in 1994.”

Reflecting on the decline of traditional print and the rise of digital platforms, Morolong said community media had to adapt.

“Digital transformation has moved the dial, and the power that once resided in the hands of a select few is now accessible to everyone. A content creator armed with only a smartphone can break a story that once required a newsroom.”

He acknowledged the challenges highlighted in the Media Development and Diversity Agency’s (MDDA) 2024–2025 Annual Report, noting that only 7% of community media organisations consider themselves sustainable.

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“The survival of the community media sector has been at the forefront of various administrations since 1994. GCIS and the MDDA continue to support this noble cause, funding hundreds of projects and prioritising advertising spend on community media,” he said.

Morolong also addressed the growing influence of social media on news consumption, citing research showing that 77% of South Africans access news on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

“The battle is now for attention and trust. Community media, if armed with the proper tools, can become the vanguard of credible news in communities and households,” he added.

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In closing, he stressed the importance of collaboration.

“The tendency to go it alone or to gatekeep is something that we must guard against. By working together, community media can harness collective strengths and networks. For the first time in history, the playing field is wide open; I therefore urge you to look to the future and grasp the moment.”

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