Trends and growth

Sanlam buys stake in Malaysian firm

South African financial services provider Sanlam has acquired a 49% stake in Malaysian short-term insurer Pacific & Orient Insurance Co. Berhard worth about R814-million in line with the company's growth strategy in emerging markets.

South Africa's electric vehicle plan

The Department of Trade and Industry has announced plans, including incentives for manufacturers and possible tax incentives for consumers, aimed at establishing an electric vehicle industry in South Africa.

Women in Wine first for South Africa

A group of 20 women in South Africa's Cape winelands are standing up to be counted, and are now producing their own wine, bottled under the label Women in Wine. It is the first wine-producing company in the country that is owned, controlled and managed entirely by women.

SA's black middle class on the rise

South Africa's black middle class has more than doubled over the last eight years, growing from 1.7-million South Africans in 2004 to an estimated 4.2-million in 2012, according to new research by the UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing.