Fezile Simelane

Take it Easy.

[Colin Wells @ColinWellsUK]

A message from His Majesty King Charles III to His Majesty King Mswati III on the occasion of Eswatini’s Independence Day.

Happy 58th Independence Day to the Kingdom of Eswatini .

[Business Day @BDliveSA]

SA’s biggest telcos seek rare competition waiver in rural broadband rollout https://t.co/8knHq04FGJ

[BusinessTech @BusinessTechSA]

Impala Platinum has driven its dividends higher after profits in the last financial year soared.
https://t.co/9Iae3K2cSB

[Donald B Kipkorir @DonaldBKipkorir]

Giorgia Meloni broke the ceiling by being the first woman to be Prime Minister of Italy. And now in office uninterrupted for 4 Years, her government is the longest in Italy since WW2. Meloni has brought stability, coherence & political morality. The scandals & corruption that became normal in Italy have all but disappeared. Italy is in its way up in Europe & the world!

Congratulations @GiorgiaMeloni

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

Uber shuts operations in Nigeria and Uganda with immediate effect https://t.co/fQmPLMsbLj

[Bloomberg @business]

Kenya plans to import one million 90-kilogram bags of corn to replenish national reserves after a failed crop, according to Agriculture Secretary Mutahi Kagwe https://t.co/abFkTSnjjn

[TIME @TIME]

What would a company like Google want with data from a failed airline? https://t.co/sAHQnUiuEs

[Wandile Sihlobo @WandileSihlobo]

Last night, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) once more reminded us in its monthly Seasonal Climate Watch report that we are heading towards a challenging summer season.

Amongst other things, SAWS stated that:

“The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is currently in an El Niño state, has strengthened, and current predictions indicate that it will continue strengthening towards a very strong El Niño state within the next couple of months and last at least until the end of the 2026/27 summer season. The typical signs that El Niño will affect South Africa are starting to materialise over the Pacific Ocean, and it is expected that South Africa will experience the typical impacts of drier and warmer conditions during this coming summer.”

SAWS added that:

“Predictions indicate that during spring, favourable rainfall conditions over the eastern coastal areas as well as the eastern interior could still be expected. However, as we move towards early summer, significant areas are expected to receive below-normal rainfall, especially in the central interior and the far northeast. Even though there are indications that the eastern parts of South Africa can expect above-normal rainfall during early summer, caution is advised for the potential change in the forecast due to the developing El Niño.”

Clearly, we are leaving behind a season of abundance, supported by the La Niña rains, for a challenging path ahead. The 2026-27 summer crop season will likely start from mid-October 2026 in the eastern regions of South Africa.

Indeed, I am one of the people who have stated that better soil moisture following the long summer rain season will help support plantings a bit.

But that will only be at the start of the season; much will depend on the weather conditions. I must also note that, regarding irrigation, very little is irrigated in field crops; roughly 20% of summer grains and oilseeds are irrigated, with the majority of products under rainfed conditions.

So, when weather conditions are challenging, they present complications for agriculture.

Earlier this morning, I received some emails from folks asking about the farmers' planting plans.

Well, we really don’t know. It is too early to tell. There are obvious risks they are watching: the weather outlook and higher input costs due to the U.S.-Iran war.

So, we are heading into a challenging season ahead, and the good folks at the SAWS are warning us.

[Eswatini Government @EswatiniGovern1]

Prime Minister @RussellMDlamini has today met with the Country Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Eswatini, Mr Nanga Kaye, at the Private and Cabinet Office.

[Eswatini Government @EswatiniGovern1]

Government Statement: Government responds to travel advisory issued by the People's Republic of China.

[Colin Wells @ColinWellsUK]

Every UK High Commissioner loves to meet Chevening Scholars when they return to their nation with their Masters degree. Congratulations Celumusa Dlamini, Lungile Khoza, Mbuso Nkumane and Nomfundo Mavimbela. Great achievement.

https://t.co/akvMxrZduy

🇸🇿🇬🇧🇸🇿🇬🇧

[Colin Wells @ColinWellsUK]

Interested in accessing the UK market? Come join us at the Eswatini International Trade Fair on 1 September. Please register in advance - see details below. 👇👇

Huge thanks to EIPA and the Eswatini Ministry for Commerce, Industry and Trade for supporting us.

[Eswatini Tourism @eswatinitourism]

Statistical Release | July 2026

Please have a look at the statistical release by our Research Department for the month of July.

Kindly click on the link below ⬇️

https://t.co/ZXHtoS2YZH

#eswatinitourism 🇸🇿 #chooseeswatini #loveeswatini #MonthlyStatisticalRelease

[City A.M. @CityAM]

Inside Paul Pogba’s Saudi camel racing club Al Haboob https://t.co/hEreBfJikR

[BusinessTech @BusinessTechSA]

Online gamblers are increasingly sacrificing essentials such as groceries, mobile data and even rent to afford their gambling habits.
https://t.co/cHUOrsdZN4

[Fezile Simelane @FezSim]

https://t.co/DhQ48UosRo

[The Economist @TheEconomist]

They are fed up with the continent’s terrible internet https://t.co/Du7mobfSSn

[Khaya Sithole @CoruscaKhaya]

As a non-profit, all of the surplus Curro generates would no longer be going towards shareholders.

Rather, this money can now be reinvested into building more schools, improving the quality of education & providing bursaries for underprivileged children. https://t.co/OYMRkNWrrz

[Bloomberg @business]

The Democratic Republic of Congo is drawing up plans for its first stock exchange as it seeks to draw more investment to an economy that’s benefiting from soaring demand for minerals critical to the AI build-out https://t.co/lLccL5FaMY

[Charles Onyango-Obbo @cobbo3]

Africa’s largest refinery Dangote beats US again to retain Europe’s top jet fuel supplier spot despite July equivalent setback.
https://t.co/R4sFLKAenH