Fourteen people died in a Rustenburg mine-dump collapse, exposing how poverty, criminal networks and abandoned shafts sustain illegal mining in South Africa.
South African Markets—Factors to Watch
Absa Group’s half-year headline earnings rose 8% to 12.8 billion rand, supported by stronger revenue, lower impairments and an increased interim dividend.
Cocoa exporters in West Africa face EU deforestation compliance costs and traceability gaps that could disrupt supply and raise prices for European buyers.
SPAR chairman Mike Bosman and deputy chair Shirley Zinn resign from the retailer’s board as the group faces governance, debt and operational pressures.
African markets open the week with higher oil prices, geopolitical risks, rate uncertainty and key political and financing developments across the continent.
DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak becomes the deadliest in the country’s history, with 2,325 deaths and 4,945 confirmed cases recorded by August 16, 2026.
South African markets open cautiously as investors track Treasury bills, foreign flows, oil, gold and changing expectations for U.S. interest rates.
Fitch upgraded the Republic of Congo’s local-currency rating to CCC+ as refinancing risks ease, debt falls and oil-linked growth prospects improve.
Kenya plans an $815 million Eurobond in the second quarter of 2026/27 and a $500 million Samurai bond later as it diversifies government financing sources.
West African crude differentials held steady as Asian refiners sought alternatives to Middle Eastern supplies amid disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.