Global Scans · South Africa · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Local elections in South Africa this year could see the ruling African National Congress lose control of key cities like Johannesburg and Pretoria for the first time. South Africa's economy is at risk of falling into recession and public confidence in the ANC is falling.

• [New] The AfCFTA's 40% African content threshold will disproportionately benefit countries with mature automotive ecosystems, with South Africa and Morocco positioned as the primary near-term winners. Fitch Solutions
• [New] By 2040, additional countries such as Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, and Vietnam are expected to wield greater global influence, either independently or as part of regional blocs. GOV.UK
• [New] Moroccan fruit already fetches more, and South Africa is expected to lift its own exports by nearly 16% in 2026. Kilimo Kwanza
• [New] One of the most important food-industry stories in Africa during the week came from South African food manufacturer Tiger Brands, which reported that geopolitical disruptions and rising logistics costs could force targeted price increases across parts of its product portfolio. flavorist.com
• [New] Foreign corn ending stocks for 2026/2027 are higher reflecting increases for India, Argentina, and South Africa that are partly offset by a reduction for Brazil. Successful Farming
• [New] Major global trade changes for 2026/2027 include larger corn exports for India and South Africa. Successful Farming
• [New] Governance requirements risk deterring the infrastructure investment South Africa urgently needs: compute capacity, reliable energy, venture capital, and talent retention. IEEE Spectrum
• [New] Ghana's government has written to the African Union (AU) asking the continental body to discuss the issue, which it says is a serious risk to the safety and wellbeing of Africans in South Africa. BBC News
• [New] South Africa has more than 111 million square meters of commercial and industrial rooftop space, which could generate enough power to supply 6 million homes. Barchart.com
• [New] Risks remain for food prices, particularly as cereal products account for 4% of South Africa's inflation basket. Gulf Africa Review
• [New] Other states - above all, India and South Africa - hope that multipolarity will provide them with greater foreign-policy room for manoeuver. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
• South Africa's choices will establish a regional precedent for what is commercially negotiable in AI infrastructure. IEEE Spectrum
• Heightened tensions, threats of violence, and perceived risks to physical safety prompted several countries to issue warnings to their nationals in South Africa, including Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. On Call International Blog
• In South Africa, women were particularly affected by the constant fear of water shortages. PubMed Central (PMC)
• While higher prices could benefit exporters such as Algeria, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa - and possibly gold producers - the resulting inflation, currency depreciation and rising trade and debt-servicing costs would outweigh any gains. European Union Institute for Security Studies
• In South Africa and Morocco, growth to 9.8 GW and 6.6GW is forecast, while the MEA's others should be host to just under 11 GW between them by end of the outlook period. Windpower Monthly
• South Africa leads sub-Saharan Africa in using enterprise analytics in industries such as finance, telecommunications, and mining, focusing on credit risk, customer churn, and predictive maintenance. Precedence Research

Last updated: 23 June 2026