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South Africa drops to 87 in global economic freedom ranking South Africa has ranked eighty-seventh out of 165 countries and territories in the 'Economic Freedom of the World: 2026 Annual Report' (EFW), published by the Free Market Foundation (FMF) in conjunction with Canada's Fraser Institute. The latest ranking reflects a further decline for South Africa, which previously hovered at eighty-third place, signalling an ongoing erosion of economic liberty. With an overall absolute score of 6.63 out of ten, the data confirms that South Africa's economic freedom has been on a slow, downward trend since its peak in the year 2000, leaving the country less free today than it was at the turn of the century, FMF states. "South Africa's drop to eighty-seventh place is a clear warning sign," says FMF senior associate and Cumberland University finance and economics professor Richard Grant. "Historical data show unambiguously that countries with greater economic freedom are also more prosperous, with higher average incomes and lower poverty rates. Without widespread liberalisation, secure property rights and a reduction in government overreach, South Africa will continue to suffer from anaemic growth," he warns. Economic freedom – the degree to which individuals are permitted to make their own decisions regarding commerce, employment and personal exchange – is fundamentally tied to national prosperity and personal freedom. The EFW index measures these levels across five key areas: size of government; legal system and property rights; sound money; freedom to trade internationally; and regulation. Out of all five categories, only sound money has avoided dropping below its level of 25 years ago. However, ongoing inflation pressures and currency depreciation continue to exacerbate broader economic challenges. The report highlights several major structural weaknesses holding South Africa back, including excessive general government spending, which exceeds one-third of GDP and consistently exceeds tax revenues, as well as heavy regulation, particularly of the labour market. "Governments cannot create lasting prosperity, but they can create the conditions within which people's lives and property are respected. Where people are free to pursue their own opportunities and make their own economic choices, they build prosperous, harmonious and resilient communities," says Grant. The FMF continues to advocate for policy reforms under its Liberty First initiative, identifying key structural changes necessary to reverse South Africa's economic decline, restore investor confidence and foster growth.

Parties, union demand fuel price relief ahead of Budget The unprecedented hikes in fuel prices have triggered widespread outrage, prompting political parties, civil society organisations, and trade unions to launch a unified call for immediate government intervention. According to official data released by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, 93 octane petrol will surge by R3.12 a litre at midnight on Wednesday, while 95 octane will spike by R3.33 a litre. Wholesale diesel prices are set to climb by between R2.84 and R3.24 a litre, illuminating paraffin will jump by R3.58 a litre, and LPGas will rise by 42c a kilogramme. Organisations across the political and social spectrum have warned that these are not ordinary price adjustments, predicting a severe inflationary ripple effect that will hit agriculture, transport networks, small businesses, and already strained household budgets. Accusing Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana of ignoring a September request for an official review, the civil rights organisation AfriForum has instructed its own research department to conduct a comprehensive audit of the country's fuel price composition. The investigation will target the calculation, transparency, and efficiency of the General Fuel Levy, Carbon Fuel Levy, and the Road Accident Fund (RAF) Levy, the usage of collected funds and their economic impact on consumers and businesses and long-term structural policy reforms. "The government is responding like a deer in the headlights of the energy crisis: paralysed with indecision. Someone must expose the root cause of the cost-of-living crisis and push for desperately needed reforms," stated AfriForum head of public relations Ernst van Zyl. The DA identified the RAF levy as the primary driver of artificially inflated fuel costs. However, DA spokesperson on Transport Dr Chris Hunsinger, noted that the RAF recently informed Parliament it faces a staggering R450-billion backlog in outstanding claims. With a yearly revenue of just R47-billion, Hunsinger believes it would take over a decade just to clear the existing backlog, without factoring in new claims or operational costs. The DA is demanding urgent legislative reform to replace the "bankrupt" entity and permanently remove its corresponding levy from the fuel price equation. ActionSA has called on the National Treasury to use strong tax collection revenues to buffer citizens against the incoming shock. ActionSA MP Alan Beesley pointed out that the South African Revenue Service collected R2.010-trillion in net revenue for the 2025/26 financial year –beating initial estimates by R24.7-billion. ActionSA argued that this structural growth creates immediate fiscal space for a temporary reduction in the fuel levy. The party announced plans to robustly challenge the upcoming Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement later this month, to ensure the Government of National Unity addresses waste and provides citizen relief. Trade union UASA echoed the call for emergency relief measures, highlighting that low- and middle-income workers bear the brunt of rising transport costs. UASA spokesperson Abigail Moyo acknowledged that while international oil volatility and global geopolitical tensions drive market rates, the domestic tax framework remains entirely within State control. The union urged the State to act decisively before the socio-economic damage becomes permanently entrenched in the local economy.

Voters urged to 'rescue' Joburg from 'corrupt crime-council ecosystem' Voters must use the upcoming local government elections to rescue Johannesburg from a "devastating crime-council ecosystem" that thrives on the city's decay, Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) executive director Ann Bernstein urged on Tuesday. Launching the CDE's latest report, 'Time for Action – Corruption in Joburg', Bernstein warned that the dangers of "more of the same" over the next five years are immense. The report is the fifth instalment in the CDE's 'Johannesburg Matters: Fixing South Africa' series. According to the CDE, Johannesburg's decline is not only a result of weak administration or municipal incompetence. Instead, it notes an entrenched network of political, business, and criminal interests has intersected local government, actively profiting from dysfunction. "Infrastructure theft creates contracts for repairs. Water failures create demand for tankers. Dysfunction creates opportunities for emergency procurement. Those who benefit from failure therefore have an interest in perpetuating it," Bernstein said. The report draws on simultaneous research commissioned from the Global Initiative Against Organised Crime. This research exposes overlapping networks manipulating municipal procurement, senior appointments, and critical services such as electricity, water, and property. Corrupt insiders allegedly collude with syndicates involved in infrastructure theft, sabotage, and building hijacking, using violence and intimidation to silence whistleblowers and investigators. The CDE noted that this system has flourished owing to persistent political instability and weakened accountability structures. ADVISED SOLUTIONS To dismantle it, the think tank proposed a comprehensive, systems-driven action plan focused on making corruption difficult, visible, and dangerous, noting the publication of information across the full lifecycle of major contracts—from bid scoring and beneficial ownership to invoices and proof of delivery—while using data to flag suspicious procurement patterns. The CDE wants the introduction of open, merit-based processes for senior positions and municipal boards, featuring published criteria and professional assessments. It said opportunities to profit from chaos must be reduced by installing infrastructure that is theft-proof, tightening controls on emergency contracts, and enforcing stricter supplier rules, while also mandating financial disclosures for high-risk positions and concentrating lifestyle audits where corruption risks are highest. The CDE called for protecting the Group Forensic and Investigation Service from political interference, triggering automatic external referrals for sensitive probes, and tracking completed findings so they cannot be buried. The CDE suggested that investigative resources must be concentrated on repeat suppliers and politically connected intermediaries. The CDE explained that the city must use disciplinary action, civil asset recovery, and contractual remedies alongside criminal prosecution to recover losses. The think tank urged the establishment of secure reporting channels, protection for whistleblowers from retaliation, the creation of rapid-response safety mechanisms, and the consideration of financial rewards for information leading to successful recoveries. Bernstein emphasised that the city's salvation lies in robust institutional design rather than vague ethical reforms. "There is no shortage of ethical codes, procurement rules, financial regulations or declarations of principle... The problem is the gap between rules and outcomes," Bernstein said. "Johannesburg needs institutions capable of functioning even when powerful people have an interest in defeating them." Read the report here.

NGO critiques local govt failures ahead of elections, launches voter tool As South Africa approaches its local government elections, non-governmental organisation My Vote Counts (MVC) has launched a scathing critique of municipal service delivery, warning that decades of documented failures have allowed "local government rot" to fester despite a robust legislative framework. In response to these persistent challenges, the civil society group has released its Municipal People's Analysis of Manifestos (M-PAM), a citizen-centred tool designed to empower voters to evaluate political promises against actual community needs and constitutional mandates. The organisation emphasised that South Africa does not lack the legal infrastructure for good governance, as it possesses a solid legislative foundation designed to foster community-led governance, noting Section 152 of the Constitution which mandates that local government facilitate community participation in municipal affairs. The 1998 White Paper on Local Government envisions citizens participating simultaneously as voters, consumers, and collaborative partners, while the Municipal Systems Act of 2000 legally obligates municipalities to receive petitions, provide notice of meetings, and report back to communities. Despite these laws, MVC noted that maladministration, corruption, and inadequate participatory channels continue to lock citizens out of the decisions shaping their daily lives. A key point of failure highlighted by MVC is the breakdown of ward committees. Intended as a vital communications link between residents and local government, these structures have largely become invisible, the organisation said. "In practice, ward councillors and committees tend to be inaccessible and only visible during elections," the organisation stated, demanding that committee members be known to their constituents, host accessible meetings, and actively represent marginalised groups, including those in informal settlements and people living with disabilities. While major political parties such as the ANC, DA, and EFF have outlined manifesto priorities such as water, electricity, housing, safety, and fighting corruption, MVC argued that actual delivery remains a deep concern. M-PAM aims to disrupt this cycle by shifting the focus away from party rhetoric. "Too often, election debates begin with what political parties are promising, rather than with what people are experiencing in their communities," explained MVC campaigns intern Thinam Mali. "M-PAM starts from the other direction. It asks citizens to look at the services they receive, the challenges they face... and then use that knowledge to interrogate the promises being made to them." MVC emphasised that marking a ballot paper is only the first step, adding that "true accountability" requires ongoing civic participation, including tracking local budgets and participating in consultations on municipal Integrated Development Plans. Project lead Keamogetswe Seipato explained that local government elections dictate the precise conditions in which people live every day. "Citizens therefore need more than promises. They need the information and tools to question those promises, assess performance and hold elected representatives accountable," Seipato said. Click here to read the full report.

DA launches relentless final campaign push following surge in latest polls The DA has announced it will work relentlessly over the next month to secure outright majorities in the City of Tshwane, City of Johannesburg, and the City of Cape Town municipalities, in its aim to "rescue" these key metros from what it terms the "chaos of unstable coalitions". This aggressive campaign strategy comes in response to the latest News24/SABI poll, which the DA said confirms a significant, tangible shift in South African politics. DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis noted that the poll indicates that his party is now within five percentage points of the ANC nationally. Furthermore, the data reveals that the DA is the most favourably viewed party among polled voters and holds the leading position across almost all surveyed metros, except for eThekwini. Hill-Lewis stated that the poll awards the DA the best net favourability score among all the political parties tested. He said in the City of Tshwane the DA leads the ANC by eight points, in the City of Johannesburg Helen Zille is currently leading the mayoral race and, in the City of Cape Town, voters expressed a markedly more positive outlook regarding the direction of their city compared with their views on the direction of South Africa as a whole. The DA's message targets the recent history of hung councils. Hill-Lewis pointed out that South Africans have witnessed local councils collapse into instability and endless political bargaining. He argued that these coalition governments spend more time fighting over political positions than fixing roads, collecting refuse, or keeping communities safe. "We cannot afford another five years of that. That is why every DA supporter must turn out on election day. A clear DA majority means a stable government that can get straight to work delivering for residents," he said. The party claims that a "genuine political shift" is occurring across South Africa, with more voters looking beyond the "old politics of decline" and moving toward a party with a proven track record of service delivery. Despite the positive polling, Hill-Lewis maintained that the party remains cautious. "We will take nothing for granted. For the remaining weeks of this campaign, we will fight for every ward, every community, and every vote — to win the strongest possible mandate to make South Africa work, for everyone," he concluded.