The Agribusiness Confidence Index (ACI) surged 11 points to 70 in the first quarter of 2025, its third consecutive increase.
- The mood among agricultural businesses is currently the most optimistic it has been in 14 quarters.
- An agribusiness confidence index has surged in the first quarter, recording much stronger optimism about profitability and exports.
- This is despite the potential loss of AGOA.

Despite the potential loss of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade agreement and US President Donald Trump's insistence that local farmers should move to the US as South Africa is a "bad place to be right now", the mood among agricultural businesses is currently at its most optimistic since 2021.

The Agribusiness Confidence Index, compiled by the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and Industrial Development Corporation, surged by 11 points to 70 points in the first quarter of this year — its third consecutive increase and the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2021.

The index surveys agricultural businesses on various factors, including exports, turnover, capital investments, profits, financing costs, employment and bad debts.

"It is heartening to see that the geopolitical tensions haven't weighed on the sector heavily. We should build on this optimism for the sector's long-term growth," said Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz.

"This optimism is a result of a combination of factors, including La Niña rains that support the 2024/25 agricultural season, improvements in port efficiency that supported exports in 2024, and the progress in controlling animal diseases," according to a report by Agbiz. South Africa has been hit by bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease in recent years.

The category for net operating income — an indicator of how profitable farmers are — surged by 28 points to 70 points, the highest level since the end of 2022.

Export sentiment also saw a big improvement. Last year, agricultural exports hit a record high of almost $14 billion, the sixth consecutive year of growth in the sector's export trade. The strong fruit harvests, along with the rebound in livestock and improved grain reserves from the prior season, boosted exports, Agbiz noted.

The Agbiz-IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index also showed that farmers were upbeat about capital investments in the first quarter, which was already reflected in strong tractor and combine harvester sales.

"(While) geo-economic tensions have been rising in recent weeks, farmers are hard at work on the ground and are focused on their businesses," said Sihlobo.
The US, which has been threatening South Africa's expulsion from the AGOA agreement, comprises about 4% of South Africa's farm exports, while Africa (44%) and Asia and the Middle East (21%) make up the majority. Exports to Europe follow closely at 19%.

"It would help for geopolitical discomfort and misinformation around agriculture to ease, especially between SA and the US," Sihlobo told News24.
Clearly, the South African farming sector is thriving and not under siege, and farmers are investing.
Sihlobo notes that South African agribusiness would like to retain its existing access to its main export markets while further expanding to the BRICS markets by lowering tariffs and removing non-tariff barriers.

- The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation has conducted virtual oversight of some embassies in Asia.
- At most embassies, there are technological issues as well as staff shortages.
- South Africa's embassies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam reported their challenges to the committee.

South Africa's missions in parts of Asia have no money for overseas travel or exhibitions, visas cannot be printed because of broken printers – a situation that has prompted an official at one mission to describe their embassy as a "child-headed household".
These and other problems were reported by embassies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam to the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation.

On Wednesday, the committee was briefed by heads of mission in these Asian nations about the challenges they face.

At South Africa's mission in Jakarta, Indonesia, the embassy building is housed in area that ambassador Mpetjane Lekgoro described as not clean.
He also explained how the embassy works with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).

Lekgoro said while the visa system was fully functional, the mission was unable to print visas.
"There is one Dirco official and one locally recruited person. Visa applications are accepted at the mission directly from applicants or agencies, including holders of official and diplomatic passports.

The visa printer is not functional and DHA is procuring new printers for distribution to the mission.
"Dirco is providing the infrastructure to host the current home affairs visa system on its network. DHA provides training and technical support on the visa system and all its required resources, like visa printers and labels," he said.

Approved visas are issued with a handwritten and signed visa label. Those rejected are formally informed through a letter.
In Vietnam, the chancery cost to the South African embassy is about US$26 645 (R491 828.52) annually.

The official residence costs around US$8 000 (R146 994.41) and the rental is paid quarterly.
Due to the vacant defence attache position, the mission currently has the assets belonging to the South African National Defence Force in storage. Another R8 000 is spent on storing the assets.
Generally, R1 equals 1 385.50 Vietnamese dong.

Ambassador Vuyiswa Tulelo, head of mission in Vietnam, said trade statistics for 2024 showed a significant increase in trade between South Africa and Vietnam.

She said:
South African exports increased from R6.5 billion in 2023 to R10.5 billion in 2024, while imports from Vietnam increased from R18.9 billion in 2023 to R20.7 billion in 2024.
"Positively, the trade deficit with Vietnam decreased from R12.4 billion in 2023 to R10.2 billion in 2024. In addition, in 2024, South African oranges also gained market access to Vietnam, also contributing to SA's increase in trade".

In Malaysia, rentals are paid quarterly for the chancery and the residences of transferred officials.
Jabulisile Msibi, chargé d'affaires of the South African High Commission to Malaysia, said there was no official residence because there was no head of mission.

She said the mission is basically "a child-headed household".
"The quarterly rental for the chancery is R597 730. It's paid quarterly, and we signed a new contract in 2024 for a period of four years. My residence as first secretary, quarterly, is R97 189.80 and it expires on 30 June this year.

"The corporate services official's rental is the same as my rental and his contract expires this month. The defence attache's rental (quarterly) is R149 522. The cost of living is very high," she said.
The second secretary's rental is R80 991.50 per quarter and that agreement will end in 2027.

On tourism, Msibi said the mission doesn't get much support.
She said:
We also need to hold roadshows where we get a space and maybe exhibit our material in an open space, be it a mall or a public area.
"Because of the limited funds and other aspects, what we normally do would be at the reception (area) of our building and stand there, put up some material and distribute to whoever is passing by".

Msibi said the mission's backup system crashed in November 2024.
"The mission lost three months of backup information. The mission connected a backup external hard-drive to another computer and moved the computer to the third secretary: administration office. The server (hardware) is old and most of the time the server is very slow and that makes the desktop to be slow too," she said.

IP phones, which connect to the phone service via the internet, were not working, and ICT office switches were broken and faulty, Msibi said.
MK Party MP Wesley Douglas called on the committee to engage with Dirco to iron these challenges out.

ANC MP Mogodu Moela concurred with Douglas.

Refugees without valid visas are blocked from applying for asylum
GroundUp visited the Refugee Reception Office in Cape Town on 12 March. Officials told us that new asylum seekers who have a valid visa can apply, but those who do not must wait until the outcome of a court case.
- Asylum seekers who do not have passports or valid visas are denied access to the asylum system and face arrest.
- Ongoing court action by the Scalabrini Centre aims to have this declared unconstitutional.
- We spoke to several asylum seekers who have tried numerous times to apply for permits, but have been shown the door.

In 2018, armed forces invaded Fayisa Abo’s village in Hosaina, Ethiopia, killing several of his family members. The 28-year-old fled to Kenya but found it difficult to apply for refugee status and to find work. Some friends told him that South Africa might offer a better life. That same year, he came and settled in Durban.

Despite repeatedly trying to apply for an asylum permit, Abo has been unsuccessful. He told GroundUp that he has been to the refugee centres in Durban and Pretoria several times, but he was turned away each time.

Abo is one of thousands of asylum seekers in South Africa who try to apply for permits but find that they hit a brick wall of bureaucracy. Recent amendments to the Refugees Act – currently being challenged in court by the Scalabrini Centre – have made it more difficult for people to access the asylum system, especially those who do not have valid asylum visas or passports.

Meanwhile, at the shop where Abo does piecemeal work, raids by the police and the Department of Home Affairs have become more frequent. He said that in the past three months, police officers have visited the shop at least once a week.

He has been lucky to escape, he said. “When I came to South Africa, I thought I would be safe, but without papers, it’s not safe.”

Abo’s experience is shared by other asylum seekers who spoke to GroundUp. In 2020, 24-year-old Zemedkun Bekele Bashe fled his home in southern Ethiopia after his brother and sister were gunned down. He too settled in Durban. He has repeatedly tried to apply at the refugee centre there but was also turned away each time. He travelled to the centre in Pretoria, but there too he was not allowed to apply.

Bashe said he was once arrested for not having papers, but his brothers were able to bring in a lawyer to argue that he had come to the country to apply for asylum. Although he was released, he said police still do not understand his situation when they regularly raid the shop where he works. He now hides during raids to avoid arrest.

Tagyng Funga came to South Africa in 2022 after a civil war broke out in his home town in Ethiopia. He has also been unable to apply for asylum.
“They tell us to come back next time every time, but every time we go to the refugee office, nothing changes,” he said.

A Malawian asylum applicant, who says he fled his country because of religious persecution and wishes to stay anonymous, said he has tried ever since the Covid pandemic to get documented. But Home Affairs has repeatedly turned him away.

“On my first visit to Home Affairs, I got there before sunrise, but they told us they had already reached their limit for the day,” he said.

He has narrowly dodged arrest several times.
In Johannesburg, arrests of asylum seekers seem to have intensified, according to Asende Eloco Asel from the refugee organisation Emo ‘ya M’mbembe M’mbondo South Africa.
“Many new applicants who have tried to apply have had to attach letters from human rights lawyers. However, many are without papers, leading to arrests and detention,” said Asel.

Constitutional challenge
In 2018, new amendments to the Refugees Act introduced an additional step in the process. New applicants who lack a valid visa (in other words, they entered the country unlawfully, often for reasons beyond their control), must first undergo an interview with an immigration officer before they can apply for asylum.

During the interview, the applicant must explain why they are in the country unlawfully. If the immigration officer finds they do not have a good reason, the applicant may be arrested and deported.

Last year the Scalabrini Centre in Cape Town took Home Affairs to court to stop arrests and deportations, arguing that the new interview process is unconstitutional, because it blocks access to the asylum system, and it risks sending people back to dangerous situations in their home country.
Scalabrini won a court order interdicting deportations of people who intend to apply for asylum, but not arrests.

The second part of Scalabrini’s court case, in which it argues that the amendments to the Refugees Act are unconstitutional, was heard in the Western Cape High Court in February. Judgment was reserved.

One of the unintended consequences of the Scalabrini court order was that Home Affairs effectively shut down the system to new applicants who do not have a valid visa. Yet arrests appear to have continued unabated.

GroundUp visited the Refugee Reception Office in Cape Town on Wednesday. Officials told us that new asylum seekers with a valid visa can apply, but those who do not must wait until the outcome of the court case. This effectively forces asylum seekers to stay in the country unlawfully, unable to apply for asylum permits and risking arrest at any time.

The Department of Home Affairs was given ample time to comment but had still not done so by the time of publication.

Are you about to apply for your ID for the first time? Here are steps to help you go about it.

Identity documents are issued to South African citizens or permanent residence permit holders who are 16 years or older.

People (including spouses and children) who are working for the South African government or one of its statutory bodies outside of South Africa also qualify to receive a South African ID.
You can apply for your ID at any office of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) or any South African mission or consulate overseas.

All applications are sent to the Department’s head office in Pretoria.
There, your fingerprints will be matched with those already on record or entered into the National Population Register.

Your application will then be processed and once issued, your ID will be forwarded to the office where you made your application for you to collect.
Step 1: Visit www.dha.gov.za.
Step 2: Click on Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS).
Step 3: Enter your South African ID number.
Step 4: Enter your other personal details in the fields provided.
Step 5: Select your province, city and branch.
Step 6: Click on select timeslots

Applying for an identity document for the first time
First time applicants must submit the following documentation to their nearest DHA office or South African mission or consulate abroad:
- Form BI-9, completed in black ink
- A certified copy of your birth certificate or reference book or a copy of the old Transkei, Bophutatswana, Venda or Ciskei homelands identity or travel documents
- Two identical, colour photographs (not needed at smartcard offices as ID images are captured digitally, however, colour photographs are still needed for temporary IDs)
- Your fingerprints will be taken by a Home Affairs official and imprinted on Form DHA-9.

Correcting errors in the ID Document
If you get your ID book and there are errors in the personal information contained within, the DHA will replace your ID free of charge. To apply to correct information in your ID, simply submit the following to any office of the DHA:
- Forms BI-9 and BI-309 completed with the correct information
- Proof of the error, that shows the correct information e.g. birth certificate
- Two identical colour photographs (not needed at smartcard offices as ID images are captured digitally)

South Africans should be allowed to appoint someone who can look after their well-being and assets when they cannot do so themselves. 

Normal power of attorney lapses when the person who extended the power loses the legal capacity to act. Image: AdobeStock 

Calls for the introduction of lasting or enduring powers of attorney (LPA or EPA) into South African legislation from several quarters over many years have been falling on deaf ears.

Yet it is an urgent matter since a power of attorney extended to any other person lapses when the person who extended the power loses the legal capacity to act. This could be due to mental illness, advanced age, head injury or when the person enters a comatose condition.

“The decision about who will take charge of your affairs is taken out of your hands if you are no longer able to do so yourself,” says Louis van Vuren, CEO of the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa (Fisa).

The only option in SA is ‘after the fact’, where the high court or the Master of the High Court is given the power to appoint a curator or an administrator on your behalf.

The appointment of a curator (curator bonis and/or curator ad persona) is a formal court process before the high court. The curator bonis looks after the financial affairs of the person while the curator ad personam looks after the physical well-being of the person. It can be the same person.

Costly, lengthy and cumbersome

“This is an expensive process because one must engage the services of an advocate to bring an application to the high court,” says Van Vuren.

“Even if it is unopposed, it could still be a lengthy and costly process.”

It is not available to most South Africans due to the cost.

However, the Mental Health Care Act provides for the appointment of an administrator by the Master’s office, which is less formal and cumbersome.

Any person over 18 years can apply to the Master. However, the person to be placed under administration must be diagnosed with a mental illness by a mental health care practitioner; or must suffer from a severe or profound intellectual disability. This includes a range of scenarios – from assisted living to full-time care – and is not limited in relation to the cause of the disability.

In the case of small estates (R200 000 in assets and R24 000 in annual income), the Master can appoint an administrator without an investigation, while it is required to investigate when it comes to amounts above that.

“We are not suggesting that the administrative process is ineffective, it is simply beyond comprehension why someone cannot make their own arrangements in the form of lasting or enduring powers of attorney,” says Van Vuren.

In the United Kingdom and European countries legislation provides for LPA or EPA, which ensures that financial directions and advance notices about medical care can be enforced in cases of dementia or end-of-life situations.

The advantages of lasting or enduring powers of attorney

•