Here are five important things happening in and affecting South Africa on Saturday, 29 August 2026.
The rand strengthened slightly in early trading on Friday, as investors awaited remarks from U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh.
The rand was trading at 15.97 against the dollar on Friday, up 0.2% from its previous close.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the currency against several others, such as the euro and yen, was slightly higher at 99.18.
Market participants were awaiting Warsh’s speech in Jackson Hole for clues on how he would approach monetary policy, inflation, and recent volatility in the bond market.
During the speech, Warsh explicitly opposed providing forward guidance on U.S. policy, thereby tempering expectations.
“Although the USD-ZAR downside bias remains intact, there are enough developments to make investors think twice about how much stronger they think the rand might go,” ETM Analytics said in a note.
Like other risk-sensitive currencies, the rand tends to take its cues from global developments, including U.S. economic data and policy signals.
South Africa’s 2035 benchmark government bond was steady in early deals, with the yield holding at 8.455%.
On Saturday, 29 August, 2026, the rand was trading at R16.17 to the dollar, R21.88 to the pound, and R18.73 to the euro. Gold is trading at $4,455.43 an ounce, while oil prices were at $88.10 a barrel. [Reuters]
DStv in a high-tech battle against Internet pirates: DStv owner Canal+ has detailed the technology it is using in its fight against streaming piracy in South Africa. [MyBroadband]
Murder cases fall by 5.9% in first quarter: South Africa’s crime statistics for the first quarter of 2026 show a slight drop in the country’s murder rate. [BusinessDay]
Zimbabwe owes South African Airways R942 million: The South African government is looking to reclaim over R942 million owed to South African Airways by Zimbabwe. [DailyInvestor]
MK Party names Bongani Baloyi as Johannesburg mayoral candidate: Baloyi was unveiled as the latest candidate in Johannesburg’s mayoral race, alongside MK candidates for five other areas. [EWN]
The company educating more South Africans than UCT, Wits, and Stellenbosch: Private education group STADIO now has more students than the individual student populations of the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch University. [BusinessTech]
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