Kenya private sector activity falls in May, PMI shows
Kenya's private sector activity shrank for a third straight month in May, hurt by a general rise in costs for both businesses and their customers, a survey showed on Thursday. The Stanbic Bank Kenya Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 46.6 in May from 49.4 a month earlier. Readings above 50.0 indicate growth in business activity, while those below that signal contraction. The May figure was the fastest drop since July 2024.
ANC backs impeachment panel, defends Speaker amid GNU friction
The ANC parliamentary caucus has formally welcomed the establishment of the Section 89 Impeachment Committee, expressing full confidence that the multiparty panel will execute its duties with “strict impartiality”. Addressing the media on Wednesday, ANC Chief Whip Mdumiseni Ntuli confirmed the party’s support for the committee's constitution and the election of its chairperson Makashule Gana.
US imposes sanctions on commanders over fighting in eastern Congo
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on commanders of armed groups it accused of driving the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting has continued despite mediation efforts by Washington. Clashes have continued in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels, which the UN says are backed by Rwanda, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu militia rooted in the 1994 genocide, are fighting on opposite sides. Rwanda denies backing M23.
WHO says Ebola response catching up as confirmed DRC cases hit 344
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that there have been 344 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 60 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak. "The outbreak had a big head start, and we're still behind, but under the leadership of the government of DRC, we're catching up," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing.
Platinum investment demand broadening to minor PGM metals, SFA (Oxford) points out
The strong ongoing investment demand for platinum is broadening to the minor platinum group metals (PGMs) such as ruthenium and iridium, SFA (Oxford) CEO Henk de Hoop pointed out on Wednesday June 3. Questioned by Mining Weekly on the prospect of platinum investment demand remaining strong, De Hoop noted that up to half of some of the ruthenium imports into China had been for investment purposes rather than industrial demand.
September Distribution Agency Agreement deadline looms for Eskom-indebted municipalities
The National Treasury has issued termination letters to 13 municipalities and is preparing to issue similar notices to 14 others in relation to their continued participation in a scheme set up in 2023 to address rising arrear debt to Eskom. Under the so-called Municipal Debt Relief Programme, municipalities that owed the State-owned utility a collective R58.5-billion as of March 2023 became eligible to have their historical debt written off over three years, with a maximum of one-third being cancelled in each year.
Joburg budget remains a concern, interest groups note
The City of Johannesburg's final 2026/27 budget still fails to resolve its underlying crisis of infrastructure decline, weak financial management, rising debt and poor service delivery, despite public pressure leading to some meaningful changes in the initial draft budget. In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance (JCA), JoburgCAN and WaterCAN said that the budget, adopted against a backdrop of growing concern about the city's financial sustainability, lays bare the deep financial, governance and service delivery challenges confronting the municipality.
Macron, Kagame inaugurate Rwanda genocide memorial in Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame on Tuesday inaugurated a memorial in Paris to honour the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. Macron said the memorial placed the genocide of the Tutsis "at the heart of our capital and our history", and that it was "the culmination of a long and painstaking quest for the truth".
Eskom sets out to appoint forensic services providers to resolve investigations backlog
State-owned power utility Eskom has issued an invitation to tender or request for proposals for the provision of forensic and anticorruption services to resolve a backlog of forensic investigations. While Eskom maintains internal forensic capability, the scale and specialised nature of legacy cases require additional expertise to support accelerated delivery. This project forms part of the utility’s broader efforts to strengthen governance and accelerate consequence management across the organisation.
Hostilities flare in Iran war, oil jumps with talks at a stalemate
Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday, with an Iranian missile attack damaging Kuwait's airport and the US military carrying out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed little progress. The latest flare-up, which sent oil prices up more than 1%, comes with the conflict stalemated in a shaky ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, more than three months after initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
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