Morning all, hope you’ve got the fire going because it’s a proper Saturday out there.
Saturday, 15 August 2026
Right, let’s get into it. Lots happening this week that actually matters for our pockets and our future, so grab your coffee.
The US just gave us a massive break on AGOA
The US Senate quietly approved an extension to AGOA this week, and it’s expected to sail through the House and get signed into law. If you’re not familiar, AGOA is the trade deal that lets us export things like cars and citrus to the States without getting hammered by tariffs, and there’s been so much uncertainty around it that exporters have been holding their breath for months. This is genuinely good news for jobs in the Eastern Cape auto sector especially, so I’ll take a win where I can get one.
Sasol’s Secunda refinery trouble could hit us all
This one’s a bit scarier if you ask me. There’s talk that a sudden end to Sasol’s Secunda operations could strip R10 billion out of our economy and put nearly 25,000 jobs on the line. Secunda is the only refinery of its kind in the country, so this isn’t some small regional issue, it ripples out into fuel supply, into Mpumalanga’s whole local economy, and into the broader energy picture. I really hope government and Sasol get their act together on this because we can’t afford another Eskom style crisis on the energy side.
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Inflation looking like it might finally ease up
Stats SA reports on headline inflation next week and the early signs are that it’s going to come down, largely thanks to that decent petrol price drop we’ve all been enjoying at the pumps. Honestly, after the last few years of watching our grocery bills climb every single month, I’ll believe it when I see it, but if it does ease off, that’s less pressure on interest rates too. Fingers crossed for once.
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Gayton draws a line in the sand over Joburg
The battle for Joburg after the 4 November local elections is already getting spicy, with Gayton McKenzie coming out early with a firm stance on what happens with Helen Zille’s bid for the city. Joburg’s governance has been an absolute mess for years now, potholes, water outages, the lot, so whoever ends up running it needs to actually get things working again rather than scoring political points. I’m just tired of watching my mates in Joburg deal with a city that can’t keep the lights and water on.
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So what do you reckon, are you actually optimistic about inflation coming down, or have we heard this song before? Drop your thoughts below, let’s chat.
Have a good one, Pretoria and beyond.
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