NSPCA welcomes long-awaited reform for lion captivity breeding ban

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CAPE TOWN - The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has  welcomed the announcement by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, on the imminent publication of the Lion Prohibition Notice banning new captive lion breeding facilities.   This long-awaited reform marks a pivotal milestone in dismantling an industry built on systemic cruelty, reflecting years of legal action, public advocacy, and inspections by the NSPCA. The prohibition confirms what the NSPCA has long exposed: the captive lion industry has operated largely unabated for decades, inflicting severe animal welfare violations, damaging South Africa’s conservation reputation, and flouting constitutional obligations to protect sentient beings. While limited to new facilities, this ban sends a clear signal that the commodification of lions for tourism, hunting, and the bone trade is no longer defensible. The NSPCA’s decade-long investigations have laid bare the industry’s brutality. O...
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SARS releases preliminary trade statistics for January 2025

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PRETORIA – South Africa recorded a preliminary trade balance
deficit of R16.4 billion in January 2025, reports the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

This deficit was attributable to exports of
R149.0 billion and imports of R165.4 billion, inclusive of trade with Botswana, Eswatini,
Lesotho and Namibia (BELN).

The year-to-date (01 January to 31 January 2025) preliminary trade balance deficit of
R16.4 billion was a deterioration from the R3.7 billion trade balance deficit for the
comparable period in 2024. On a year-on-year basis, export flows for January 2025
(R149.0 billion) were 1.2% higher compared to R147.2 billion recorded in January
2024. Import flows were higher by 9.6%, having increased from R150.9 billion in
January 2024 to R165.4 billion in the current period.

On a month-on-month basis, exports decreased by R10.2 billion (-6.4%) from R159.2
billion to R149.0 billion between December 2024 and January 2025, whilst imports
increased by R20.9 billion (14.4%) from R144.5 billion to R165.4 billion over the same
period. Export flows decreased in January 2025, driven by Gold, Vehicles (Goods),
and PGMs. Import flows increased on the back of higher importation of Original
Equipment Components, Aeroplanes, and Parts & Accessories of Motor Vehicles.
Due to ongoing Vouchers of Correction (VOCs), the preliminary trade balance surplus
of R15.5 billion announced for December 2024 was revised downwards by R0.8 billion,
with the final number at R14.7 billion.

Click here for Merchandise Trade Statistics January.

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