Happy Sunday everyone, hope you’ve had a good weekend and managed to sleep in a little.
Sunday, 31 May 2026
Sappi is in serious trouble
Look, Sappi has been around for 90 years and it’s genuinely sad to watch this unfold. Analysts are warning that the company could spiral into a $2 billion debt crisis as losses keep mounting, and that’s not a small number by any stretch. For a business that’s been part of the South African industrial fabric for nearly a century, this is a real wake-up call about how brutal global markets can be right now.
Most of us simply can’t afford a new car anymore
Honestly, is anyone surprised? Over 90% of South Africans are holding onto their vehicles longer because buying new just isn’t an option financially. I see it every day here in Pretoria, people are patching up their old bakkies and sedans and making it work, because what else can you do when interest rates and prices are what they are.
Cradock is somehow the most expensive place to buy food in SA
This one genuinely caught me off guard. A relatively small Eastern Cape town where the average salary sits around R25,000 a month is now more expensive for groceries than Joburg, Durban, and Cape Town. That’s a wild situation, because lower competition, fewer big retailers, and poor supply chains in smaller towns always push prices up, and the people living there often have no choice but to pay it.
The Lions got absolutely dismantled by Leinster
Ag, it hurts to say it but the Lions were completely out of their depth in that URC playoff match. Leinster were ruthless and now the Stormers have a semifinal to look forward to, which at least keeps some South African pride alive in the competition. The Lions will learn from this, but that was a tough way to experience your first ever playoff appearance.
So here’s what I want to know from you all today, if you had to pick one, which story worries you more for the long term, Sappi’s debt crisis or the fact that ordinary South Africans genuinely can’t afford basic transport anymore? Drop your thoughts below, let’s get into it.
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