The Week Ahead: 16 - 22 June 2025
Politics
Youth Day
The country commemorates the 49th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto Uprisings today (Monday 16 June). The official National Government event will take place at the NWU Rag Farm Stadium in Potchefstroom where Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, will deliver the keynote address on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The official theme of the Government's designated youth month this year is “Skills for the Changing World – Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation.”
Parliament
Parliament’s Portfolio Committees will be hard at work this week with a number of briefings of Government departmental annual performance plans (APPs) and budget allocations. On Wednesday, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) will receive a briefing by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Investigation (PDCI) on “corruption cases referred by the Special investigating Unit (SIU), involving government departments, public entities, municipalities, and other high-profile cases.”
By-Elections
On Wednesday, the ANC will defend Ward 6 in Thaba Chweu Municipality in Mpumalanga. In the 2021 local government election, the party won a comfortable 78.8% of the vote with the EFF coming in a distant second at 16.7%. In last year’s provincial election, the ANC won 63.8% in the ward with MK getting second place with 13.2% and the EFF, 11.9%. This week’s by-elections follow two by-elections in Thembisile Hani in Mpumalanga last week where the ANC comfortably won but MK grew and leapfrogged the EFF.
Economics
US-Africa Business Summit
Angola hosts the 17th US-Africa Business Summit which kicks off in Luanda on Sunday 22 June. Given the looming renewal date of September for AGOA, it will be important to see what signals emanate from the summit. Numerous SADC Presidents including Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, Namibia’s Netumbo Nani-Ndaitwah, Botswana’s Duma Boko and Angola’s João Lourenço will be in attendance.
Inflation Rate
May’s MoM and YoY inflation figures will be released on Wednesday. South Africa’s annual rate edged up to 2.8% in April from 2.7% in March which was the lowest level since June 2020. The inflation rate has hovered around 3%, the lower band of the Reserve Bank’s target, for the last seven months.
Retail Sales
April retail sales figures will also be released on Wednesday. Retail trade growth slowed in March driven by a slowdown across several sectors including food, beverages, tobacco, general dealers textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods as well as household furniture, appliances, and equipment.