Yeshiel Panchia

1 week ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Yeshiel Panchia

When compromise yields only political stalemate and fiscal pain, the difference between unity and collapse becomes purely semantic. The Government of National Unity (GNU) is in very shaky territory that could go one of three ways, with a proposed VAT hike emerging as a central fault line — one that could fracture South Africa’s fragile coalition government or cement a regressive tax that will deepen hardship for the country’s most vulnerable.

1 week ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Yeshiel Panchia

Four years after their crypto scam collapsed, the brothers who started it remain at large. They disappeared with billions, left regulators flat-footed and triggered one of the biggest financial implosions in South African history. But the Cajee brothers never really vanished and the full truth about Africrypt, one of the largest cryptocurrency scams ever perpetrated in South Africa, has never really come to light.

1 week ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Yeshiel Panchia

Across the country’s three citrus strongholds — Limpopo (40% of production), Eastern Cape (25%), and the Western Cape (15%) — the impact of the tariff is already being felt. Fertiliser purchases are being delayed, pruning schedules deferred, and replanting plans shelved. Seasonal workers, particularly those involved in harvesting and packing, face an uncertain future. Don't want to see this?

2 weeks ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Yeshiel Panchia

Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on sweeping new tariffs may have calmed markets momentarily — but for South Africa, it’s a fleeting reprieve in a new era of global economic coercion. At stake: Agoa access, domestic price stability, and the fundamental assumption that open markets remain open. On Wednesday, 9 April 2025, US President Donald Trump announced the temporary suspension of new tariffs, including the threatened 30% duty on South African exports.

2 weeks ago | dailymaverick.co.za | Yeshiel Panchia

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has publicly acknowledged the depth of the crisis, referencing a damning internal audit and admitting that many high-risk findings were not resolved timeously. Instrument flight procedures (IFPs) at multiple South African airports have been abruptly suspended due to overdue maintenance, forcing morning cancellations, flight delays and limited operational windows in low-visibility conditions.