Financial News Update (4 December 2025)
- phophi5
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read

General Headlines
US plans to banish South Africa
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revealed that the United States intends to remove South Africa from the G20 and replace it with Poland during the US presidency of the group in 2026. He shared these details on the State Department’s Substack channel. (Daily Investor)
Storm brewing over new solar rules
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says it may pursue legal action against municipalities that require home solar installations to be approved by engineers registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). Outa previously successfully pressured Eskom to drop this requirement for its direct customers, arguing that it is unnecessary for safety or technical reasons and contradicts existing regulations. The organisation notes that mandating an ECSA engineer significantly increases costs compared to using a qualified electrician. (Business Day)
Reality check for anyone who earns a salary in South Africa
South African salaries are increasingly under strain because annual pay increases are tied to the CPI basket, which doesn’t reflect the actual inflation experienced across different income groups. Chris Blair, Group Director at remuneration and HR analytics firm 21st Century, says many South Africans are watching their earnings lose ground against rising living expenses. While wages are going up, the increases fall far short of the rapidly growing costs of essentials such as electricity, food, and transport. (Business Tech)
Investments
End of an era for the rand
A key measure of anticipated rand volatility against the US dollar has dropped to its lowest point since the early 2000s, indicating that traders foresee minimal turbulence for the currency heading into year-end. One-month implied volatility declined to 7.9%, the lowest since February 2000. Recent data also showed stronger-than-expected GDP growth for the year through September, supporting government efforts to rein in the fiscal deficit. Rising gold and platinum prices have further boosted South Africa’s terms of trade. (Daily Investor)
Property
One province in South Africa beating the Western Cape in a property price boom
Limpopo’s high-end residential property sector has become one of the strongest performers in the country, recording the highest property price inflation nationwide. Lightstone data shows that Limpopo achieved property price inflation of 6.82% in November 2025—nearly double this year’s average inflation rate of 3.5%. With prices rising rapidly, properties previously selling for R800,000 to R1 million are now regularly fetching over R1.5 million. (Business Tech)
