Joe Phago

Husband💍 @PhumzilePhago | CIO @Treasury_RSA | Patron @PhagoFamily | MBA @Gibs_SA | BSc @ULVarsity | MAP @WitsBSchool | I have come to set the world on fire🔥

[TechCrunch @TechCrunch]

You can no longer Google the word ‘disregard’ https://t.co/3cV0rL2puf

[David Masondo, PhD @DrDavidMasondo]

Budget 2026 reflects credible progress.

- Debt stabilising.
- Deficit narrowing.
- Infrastructure investment accelerating.

The focus now shifts to faster growth and structural reform.

#Budget2026

[Phumzile Phago @PhumzilePhago]

𝟮𝟭 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥: 𝗗𝗔𝗬 11 –
🔥 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴! 🔥
Ever feel like your prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling? Like you’re throwing words at a wall and hoping something sticks? 🧱 There’s actually a "cheat code" for effective prayer that the most powerful people in the Bible used—and it’s simpler than you think.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁? 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱. 📖✨
Think of it this way: If you want a company to honor a guarantee, you show them their own policy. When we pray God’s Word, we are bringing His own promises back to Him! God isn't moved by our complaints; He’s moved by His Word.

💎 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴:
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: God’s will is simply His Word in written form. When you pray the Bible, you are automatically praying according to His will (1 John 5:14-15).
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱: Jeremiah 1:12 says, "𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘪𝘵." When you speak the Word, God is literally on standby to fulfill it!
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻: Your prayer isn't just a wish; it’s a weapon. Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word the "Sword of the Spirit." You don't bring a butter knife to a spiritual battle—you bring the Sword! ⚔️

📜 𝗣𝗿𝗼-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀:
• 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹: He didn't just "hope" for the exile to end; he found Jeremiah’s prophecy and prayed it into existence (Daniel 9).
• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵: When things got scary in Acts 4, they didn't panic. They quoted Psalm 2 back to God, and the whole building literally shook with power! (Acts 4:24-31).
• 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀: Even on the cross, He was quoting the Psalms (Mark 15:34).

🛠️ 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗕𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 "𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳" 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿
If you need a breakthrough, don't just "vent."
𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵. Find a verse that promises what you need.
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 it back to God — believe it, personalise it &declare it!
𝗦𝗲𝗶𝘇𝗲 the answer. Watch God deliver!

𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆:
𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 (𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝟮𝟯:𝟮𝟵)! 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 (𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝟱𝟱:𝟭𝟭). 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦-𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 (𝗛𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝟰:𝟭𝟮). 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 (𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝟭𝟬𝟳:𝟮𝟬). 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 (𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟭:𝟭𝟰). 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 '𝘠𝘦𝘴' 𝘢𝘯𝘥 '𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯' (2 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 1:20). 𝘐𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴’ 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯!

📖 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆
"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶."— John 15:7
#PhagoFamily

[Joe Phago @JoePhago]

@Phago_Media It was awesome 🙌🏽

[South African Government @GovernmentZA]

G20@20 Review Report

The report is published under the responsibility of South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency as the outcome of the G20@20 Review. This review was undertaken following G20 Leaders’ agreement in the 2024 Rio de Janeiro Declaration to assess the first full cycle of G20 Presidencies since 2008 and to provide recommendations for the second cycle.

🔗 Read & Dowload the report: https://t.co/LorleINAIW

#G20SouthAfrica #GovZAUpdates

[BusinessTech @BusinessTechSA]

The Reserve Bank plans to overhaul South Africa's cash system, including introducing new ATMs that should make it cheaper to access funds. https://t.co/pWlGJg6Sos

[Business Explainer @businessXplain]

RUPERT FAMILY WEALTH JUMPS TO $19BN

The Rupert family’s fortune increased by $5-billion in 2025, lifting their wealth to nearly $19-billion and edging them closer to the world’s top 100 billionaires.

Strong gains across key holdings drove the rise, led by a sharp rally in luxury group Richemont, whose shares climbed almost 30% this year.

Investment vehicles Remgro and Reinet also delivered solid growth, underscoring the resilience of the family’s diversified portfolio.

The exit from tobacco marked a strategic shift, while analysts note both companies trade at discounts to asset value, offering scope for future upside amid disciplined capital allocation.

Full details - https://t.co/0ZWPZ9fet4

Pictured - Johann Peter Rupert, South African billionaire and Chairman of Remgro

[吴鹏 Wu Peng @AmbWuPeng]

Congratulations to @StandardBankZA on the official launch of its Cross-border Interbank Payment System (#CIPS), making it the 1st African bank to join CIPS as a direct participant! This milestone will enhance China-Africa cross-border payment efficiency, reduce transaction costs, and deepen economic cooperation.

[SA Reserve Bank @SAReserveBank]

The SA Reserve Bank (SARB) has published a position paper and background note on the necessity of a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) in South Africa. Drawing on years of research, technical experimentation and stakeholder engagement, the SARB finds that ‒ while a retail CBDC is technically feasible and could support innovation and ensure continued public access to central bank money ‒ there is no compelling immediate need for its implementation.

Current priority: Modernising South Africa’s payment ecosystem and broadening participation in the national payment system.

Next steps: The SARB will continue to monitor developments and pivot its focus toward exploring wholesale CBDC applications, ensuring readiness should future needs arise.

Read the position paper and background note here: https://t.co/MqxYJ678z1

[G20 United States @g20org]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has noted the regrettable statement by President Donald Trump on South Africa’s participation in the 2026 G20 meetings.
The G20 South Africa 2025 Leaders Summit  attended by several heads of State and Goverments, was hailed by all members those who attended the summit as one of the most  successful summits.

The summit produced a declaration that affirmed the indisputable strength and value of multilateralism in response to the most pressing challenges facing the world. 

A number of US entities such businesses and civil society organisations participated in large numbers in G20 related activities such as the B20 and the G20 Social. South Africa values their participation.

As one of a the founding members of the  G20, South Africa has always valued the spirit of consensus, collaboration and partnership that defines the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation.

In keeping with this approach, the United States was expected to participate in all the meetings of the G20 during South Africa’s Presidency but unfortunately and elected not to attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg out of its own volition.  

We are however pleased that a number of US entities such as businesses and civil society organisations participated in large numbers in G20 related activities such as the B20 and the G20 Social. South Africa values their participation.

South Africa is a member of the G20 in its own name and right. It’s G20 membership is at the behest of all other members. South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its membership and worth in participating in global platforms. South Africa respects the sovereignty of all countries and will never insult or demean another country or its standing or worthiness in the community of nations.

A number of US entities such businesses and civil society organisations participated in large numbers in G20 related activities such as the B20 and the G20 Social. South Africa values their participation.
South Africa will continue to participate as a full, active and constructive member of the G20. We call on members of the G20 to reaffirm its continued operation in the spirit of multilateralism, based on consensus, with all members participating on an equal footing in all of its structures.

It is regrettable that despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President Ramaphosa and his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship with the US, President Trump continues to be vindictive and seek to apply punitive measures against South Africa  based on misinformation and distortions about our country.

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President- [email protected]
Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria

[Business Explainer @businessXplain]

EXPLAINED - STANDARD BANK, CHINA DEAL

Standard Bank has become the first African bank to directly integrate with China's Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), allowing for real-time payments between Africa and China in yuan - thus eliminating the need to route payments through the US dollar, which can reduce costs and speed up transactions.

A CLOSER LOOK

1/ As of June 2025, Standard Bank had 19.5 million clients across the group. Its active client base in South Africa alone was 12.4 million.

2/ Standard Bank Group reported headline earnings of R24-billion and a return on equity (ROE) of 19.1% for the half-year ending June 30, 2025.

3/ Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), a major Chinese state-owned bank, acquired a 20% stake in Standard Bank in 2007, making it Standard Bank's largest shareholder.

4/ Standard Bank was named Africa's best bank for 2025 by Euromoney. Standard Bank has also been ranked as South Africa's most valuable banking brand for four consecutive years (up to 2025), according to the Brand Finance report.

5/ The bank operates in 20 African countries and four global financial centres, with a brand presence in countries that have a combined population of nearly 800 million people.

Full story - https://t.co/WHBMDIebsf

Pictured - Sim Tshabalala, Group Chief Executive of Standard Bank

[Narendra Modi @narendramodi]

Collective efforts for a better future!

Here are highlights from the G20 Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa…

[G20 United States @g20org]

World-class infrastructure is the backbone of a thriving economy.🛣️🌍

As we host #G20SouthAfrica, SANRAL’s projects – from the iconic Huguenot Tunnel to major highway upgrades, showcase our nation’s readiness for global investment and partnership. 🤝🇿🇦

This is the tangible benefit for South Africans: over 15,000 jobs created 👷🏽‍♂️📈, 30% of investments empowering local businesses 🏪, and sustainable infrastructure that connects communities to opportunities. 🌱🚧

We are not just building roads; we are building a legacy of growth, inclusion, and excellence.

This is how we proudly build a better South Africa. 🇿🇦

#G20SouthAfrica
#ReKaofela #GovZAUpdates

[The Presidency 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA]

FAMILY PHOTO: G20 Leaders’s Summit

📍 Johannesburg, South Africa

#G20SouthAfrica 🇿🇦

[Clayson Monyela @ClaysonMonyela]

#G20SouthAfrica🇿🇦 Family photo.

[SA Reserve Bank @SAReserveBank]

South Africa’s inflation target has been revised from a range of 3‒6% to a new point target of 3%, plus or minus 1 percentage point. A lower inflation target means prices will rise at a slower rate. This helps protect the value of your money over time. #InflationTarget #LowandStableInflation

[The Presidency 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA]

EXTENDED FAMILY PHOTO:

Family Photo of #G20 Heads of State and Government; invited Leaders and Heads of International Organizations during the G20
Leaders’ Summit

📍 Johannesburg, South Africa

#G20SouthAfrica 🇿🇦

[The Presidency 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA]

AIRPORT ARRIVAL: United Kingdom 🇬🇧

#G20SouthAfrica 🇿🇦

[The Presidency 🇿🇦 @PresidencyZA]

RAMAPHOSA BILATERALS AT #G20

🇿🇦His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa in a bilateral meeting His Excellency Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China ahead of the #G20 Leaders’ Summit held at the Sandton Convention Centre.

#G20SouthAfrica 🇿🇦
#BetterAfricaBetterWorld 🌍

[National Treasury RSA @Treasury_RSA]

Government welcomes S&P’s decision to upgrade South Africa’s foreign currency long-term sovereign credit rating to 'BB' from 'BB-' and local currency long-term sovereign credit rating to 'BB+' from 'BB'. @GovernmentZA @GCISMedia