Africa-Press – South-Africa. The rand dipped against the dollar on Thursday following the release of local data, which included reports on formal sector employment, mining, manufacturing, and a business confidence index.
The rand was trading at 16.9375 against the dollar, which is about 0.2% lower than the previous session’s close.
Statistics South Africa reported that mining output rose by 5.8% year-on-year in October.
Manufacturing production also saw an increase of 0.2% year-on-year in October, surprising economists surveyed by Reuters, who had anticipated a decline of 1.7%.
Additionally, the statistics agency revealed that formal sector employment, excluding agriculture, increased by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter of 2025.
According to Investec economist Lara Hodes, “A breakdown of the data indicates that part-time employees made up the majority of the hires during the quarter, while only a few full-time jobs were added.”
For insights on private sector sentiment, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry published its Business Confidence Index, which rose to 132.3 in November, up from 123.8 in October.
This increase was primarily driven by a surge in overseas tourist numbers. On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Top40 index was last reported up by 0.5%.
On Friday, 12 December, the rand was trading at R16.87 to the dollar, R22.59 to the pound and R19.79 to the euro. Oil was trading slightly lower at $61.69 a barrel.
5 important things happening in South Africa today
Isabel Fick
New electricity SOE coming to South Africa: The Minister of Electricity has approved Eskom’s new unbundling plan, which recommends the creation of a new state-owned enterprise separate from Eskom. Eskom has drafted an unbundling strategy that would end its monopoly on electricity in South Africa by breaking the company down into smaller, independent divisions. [Newsday]
Woman who stopped total grid collapse is leaving Eskom: Eskom veteran Isabel Fick, a key figure in the power utility’s enormous efforts to avert a total grid collapse amid severe generation challenges, is resigning to join a private power company. She will join Africa GreenCo as its group head of trading and operations in 2026, after completing her duties at the NTCSA. [MyBroadband]
Good news for South Africa: A US House committee approved a bill to renew Washington’s preferential trade program for Africa for another three years, with no immediate mention of excluding South Africa, as previously suggested by the US trade envoy. [News24]
Trouble for R7.2 billion Curro buyout: The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is investigating a complaint of potential insider trading in Curro shares ahead of the Jannie Mouton Foundation’s R7.2 billion acquisition offer. The regulator confirmed that suspicious trades were reported to them prior to the announcement, and the complaint is currently under assessment. [Moneyweb]
New international flight for South Africa: South African Airways (SAA) has launched a new direct service between South Africa and Mauritius. The airline held its inaugural flight this week on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, marking an important milestone for its continued growth and financial recovery. [TopAuto]
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
