Renewables Push: Ramaphosa says South Africa’s clean-energy shift is accelerating after the first phase of Seriti Green’s Ummbila Emoyeni wind farm entered commercial operation in Mpumalanga, with 155MW now feeding Eskom and a 900MW hybrid cluster planned. Grid Reform: Business Leadership SA backs Ramaphosa’s endorsement of the Eskom restructuring Phase 1 report, arguing an independent transmission system operator is key to a competitive power market and lower prices. Energy Costs: Fuel price forecasts point to diesel jumping by about R1.76–R1.91/l from Wednesday, while petrol 93 may drop slightly and petrol 95 is expected to hold. Trade Watch: South Africa’s trade surplus widened to nearly R18bn in June as exports rose to R193.6bn and imports eased to R175.8bn, though economists warn the improvement may not last. Manufacturing Mood: Absa’s PMI fell to 46.8 in July, with sentiment hit by Middle East-driven oil volatility, even as domestic demand supported some sales and production. Finance Leadership: Nedbank COO Mfundo Nkuhlu will retire at end-2026 and the bank will discontinue the COO role rather than replace him. Rail Industry: The SARA Rail Conference & Exhibition returns to Johannesburg in October, bringing operators, policymakers, investors and tech providers together around freight, passenger rail, digital transformation and sustainability. Mining Tech: Weir highlights “non-traditional” comminution approaches to cut energy and water use as miners face tighter sustainability pressure. ICT Expansion: Dubai Chamber backs Techies Infotech’s South Africa rollout, setting up a Johannesburg head office and a Cape Town delivery centre focused on AI and digital transformation. Local Elections: Government will officially proclaim 4 November as the 2026 local government election date, with the voters’ roll closing at midnight that day.