4 August 2025: ‘Welcome to Hell' - Inside the brutal US megaprison for deported migrants and other world headlines
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Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
How exports can transform South Africa's agricultural landscape
We do not emphasise enough the critical role of exports in driving South Africa's agricultural growth. If one looks at the past three decades, this sector has more than doubled in value and volume. Indeed, the improvements in genetics and cultivars, among other interventions, are the primary catalysts that delivered this growth. But another critical catalyst is exports. I illustrated this point at length in my book, A Country of Two Agricultures. We now export roughly half of what we produce in South Africa's agriculture, which was nearly $14-billion in 2024. We are not even at capacity in terms of agricultural production, since we have roughly 2.5 million hectares of government-owned land that was previously commercially farmed but now suboptimally used. We also have capacity in the former homelands to increase agricultural output. When this land in the underused government farms and the former homelands is finally released to deserving black farmers, with title deeds, paired with affordable finance and partnerships from commodity associations, we will be able to drive the agricultural output to new heights. But we won't be in a position to absorb that output in the domestic market. We will need to look at export markets. These exports are also key in ensuring that the farming businesses remain financially viable and can sustain jobs and provide economic value to various communities. And yes, we don't just export without first taking care of the domestic food needs. The exports are primarily a surplus. (The poverty issues we all are aware of in South Africa are mainly an income poverty issue, not necessarily an agricultural question). It is this reality I have explained above that has always compelled me to speak more about the need to expand our export diversification efforts. I was encouraged yesterday (4 August 2025) when I heard the key policymakers in the trade and international relations space pushing this message strongly. In a joint media briefing by South Africa's ministers of international relations and cooperation and trade, industry and competition, the intent to rigorously pursue export diversification was made clear, with the ministers stating: 'We have been strengthening trade and investment partnerships with various trade partners. These efforts are bearing fruit, targeting markets across Africa, as well as in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.' The ministers further stated: 'We are making significant inroads into new, high-growth markets across Asia and the Middle East, including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. These efforts are not only opening doors to new opportunities but also reinforcing our commitment to retaining the vital markets we already have.' With this clarity on the importance of export diversification, the South African agricultural community must rally behind this message. The first step must be to support the government with insights that further help them in engaging with the new markets and their prioritisation. This may not be something that people have on their minds, especially in the fast-evolving world of global trade. Thus, supporting research efforts on trade to provide up-to-date key insights that guide us in decision-making is vital. Another aspect we will have to assess is capacity readiness in the various government departments that are directly engaged in trade matters, specifically the departments of International Relations and Cooperation and Trade, Industry and Competition. This also means that South Africa will have to adjust its approach on trade matters and be more open to free trade agreements, understanding that there are trade-offs they bring. You cannot win in all industries. There will be tough choices in trade-offs that policymakers will have to make. The countries we want to diversify to may also want to sell something from South Africa. This is particularly true today, where all countries are under pressure to expand their export markets given the disruption caused by the US trade policy. The senior officials in the trade department will also need to align with this new approach, which may be a slight shift in orientation from the established way of approaching trade policy matters.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Rob Hersov's inflammatory remarks reignite race relations debate in South Africa
Businessman Rob Hersov Image: Supplied South African businessman Rob Hersov ignited controversy when he fired a series of inflammatory remarks about the country's black population and the historical figure Zulu king Shaka during a recent episode of the American podcast "Thought Leaders." His comments drew widespread condemnation but have also reignited discussions about the delicate fabric of race relations in South Africa. Speaking on a platform associated with the conservative Epoch Times, Hersov referred to black South Africans as "barbaric." He also labelled Shaka a "rapist" known for throwing people off cliffs. Such statements were seen as promulgating deeply entrenched stereotypes and alarmist narratives regarding violence in South Africa. Hersov did not shy away from insisting that the country was plagued by two farm attacks each day and two murders of farmers each week. He asserted that farmers were three times more likely to be murdered than police officers, a statement that lacked reliable data or credible sources to back it up. His utterances aligned with the rhetoric associated with organisations like AfriForum, which faced accusations of misrepresenting the realities of farm violence, even though official statistics for the 2022/23 period told a different story. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading While Hersov claimed farm murders were rampant, reports indicate that 111 police officers were killed during that period. This was in contrast to AfriForum's figure of 49 alleged farm murders. Furthermore, a recent assessment by suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that, out of 12 farm murders in the last quarter of 2024, only one victim was white. Similar sentiments have been echoed by US President Donald Trump, who recently alleged that a "white genocide" was happening in South Africa. He proposed measures such as cutting US aid to the country and granting expedited citizenship to Afrikaners. Those assertions were rejected by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who, during a meeting with Trump, stated that the narrative of a white genocide does not reflect the realities of the nation. Ramaphosa underscored the South African government's dedication to democratic principles and freedom of expression while also stressing that extreme views do not represent state policy. "What you saw in the speeches made is not government policy. We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves," he stated previously. Political analyst Siphamandla Zondi denounced Hersov's claims as mere election-style rhetoric lacking substantive evidence. He noted that the narrative of "white genocide" serves to amplify fears and alarm without addressing the broader context of violence that affects all demographic groups.
eNCA
3 hours ago
- eNCA
How Trump's Tariffs Will Affect South Africa
America will start placing tariffs on South African goods by the end of the week.
