Municipal Finance Shock: National Treasury has withheld Johannesburg’s July equitable share transfer (and similar payments to about 69–75 municipalities), citing persistent unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure—raising fresh pressure on Joburg’s governance and service delivery. Tax Season Update: SARS says about 1.9m taxpayers have been auto-assessed for 2026, but those not notified by 12 July must file their own returns via eFiling or the MobiApp. Anti-Immigration Fallout: Door-to-door xenophobic raids have escalated, with thousands of foreign nationals fleeing; economists warn labour shortages could hit farms, construction, delivery and informal trade. Clean Trade Push: The EU and South Africa have opened talks under the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership to speed up clean supply chains, green hydrogen and critical raw materials investment. Banking Deal: Capitec will sell its Capitec Rental Finance unit to Sasfin Capital for R201m, while keeping a R1.6bn secured credit facility post-sale. Joburg Business & Tech: Altron Digital Business released a benchmark linking employees’ workplace tech experience to productivity, satisfaction and retention across banks and insurers. Energy & Industry: Schneider Electric launched new LV protection products in SA (EasyPact NW, EasyPact CVS C4 and Easy9 Pro) aimed at cost-effective distribution for commercial and residential projects. Embedded Finance Pipeline: Renew Capital narrowed 500+ African applicants to 15 embedded-finance candidates, signalling a shift toward tech-enabled SME finance. Africa Wealth Trend: A report says Africa’s ultra-rich population grew fastest in 2025, driven by financing, currency moves, digitalisation and critical-minerals demand.