Day: November 6, 2026

South Africa’s industrial economy is exposed The shortage is not simply an energy-sector problem. Natural gas is an important input for the production of chemicals, steel, glass, food and beverages, fertiliser and other industrial products. Sasol’s Secunda complex is particularly exposed because of its dependence on gas as a feedstock.

What the exit changes and what it does not Automotive was the heart of South Africa’s AGOA trade. In 2024 vehicles and components made up 64 percent of it, worth R28.6 billion, including 24,681 vehicles. Yet the preference had already been hollowed out. A 25 percent Section 232 tariff hit

The recent rise in the cost of shipping goods from China to the United States offers a lesson for manufacturers: the cost of making a product is only one part of getting it to market. Freight, inventory decisions, port congestion and uncertainty over demand can determine whether production remains profitable.

Volkswagen’s luxury brand Audi is planning a $4 billion assembly plant in Georgia, with a possible further $3 billion expansion. The project matters not simply because it could create thousands of jobs, but because it shows how tariffs, state incentives and pressure to manufacture closer to major markets are reshaping

The re-election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva marks an important moment in Brazil’s political history. At a time when much of Latin America has witnessed a resurgence of conservative and right-wing political movements, Brazil has chosen continuity with a leader whose political identity is rooted in social transformation, economic