Ray Leathern

5 days ago | thesouthafrican.com | Ray Leathern

Government and trade unions are hosting urgent talks after another major factory closure in South Africa was announced. Specifically, the Goodyear tyre factory in Kariega, Eastern Cape, will be shutting its doors. In the face of cheap Chinese imports and uncompetitive energy and transport costs, the multinational company sees no other option but factory closure. However, within the context of rising unemployment in the province, industry stakeholders believe an economic disaster is looming.

5 days ago | thesouthafrican.com | Ray Leathern

No driver’s licence fines should be issued until the Department of Transport (DTC) gets its affairs in order and the printing backlog is overcome. This is the assertion of the Organisation for Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) amidst uncertainty over the delay. Previously, following yet another card-printing breakdown, the DTC said the backlog would take four months to clear. In May, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that around 733 000 driver’s licences sat in the queue.

6 days ago | thesouthafrican.com | Ray Leathern

The CEOs of South Africa’s network providers faced the music last week in parliament over sub-standard service delivery to the poor. Fronting up to Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Communications Committee on Friday 13 June 2025, South Africa’s network providers were openly criticised for not prioritising poor and rural communities. The committee says its goal is to achieve ‘universal connectivity’ in the country.

6 days ago | thesouthafrican.com | Ray Leathern

Our land-locked neighbour, Lesotho, is staring down the barrel of 50% trade tariffs from the United States. Should these go ahead, the number one export from Lesotho will cease to function, with knock-on effects for South Africa. 80% of Lesotho’s clothing exports go to the US, and 20% to South Africa. Back in April 2025, US President Donald Trump introduced a 40% tariff (on top of an existing 10% for all African nations) on Lesotho.

6 days ago | thesouthafrican.com | Ray Leathern

No. 1 position in the world surf rankings is secure for Jordy Smith for now, even after an early exit at the Trestles Pro in San Clemente, California. The 38-year-old veteran is the oldest surfer on tour and retains a slender lead over his competitors after last week’s eighth stop of the 2025 WSL tour. South Africa’s Jordy Smith was resplendent in yellow at Lower Trestles but was unable to advance beyond the Round of 16.