October 06, 2025.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines:

Ramaphosa credits multi-sectoral partnerships for Eskom's profitability

BLSA says AGOA expiry must prompt South Africa to pursue alternative trade relations

And, Eswatini receives ten third-country deportees from US

President Cyril Ramaphosa said today that social partners will be important in State-owned enterprise Eskom achieving energy security, as he noted the improvement in its financial position, which he said reflects the significant recovery in its operational performance.

Eskom’s latest financial results showed a return to profitability for the first time in eight years.

In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa credited strong multi-sectoral partnerships for Eskom’s financial improvement, as well as consistency and sticking to long-term goals, despite criticism.

Ramaphosa said when government announced the National Energy Action Plan in 2022, the national power utility’s losses stood at R12.3-billion and its debt had ballooned to over R300-billion.

Ramaphosa said thanks to the collaboration between different government departments, the stewardship of the National Electricity Crisis Committee and hard work by the leadership and staff of Eskom, Eskom is turning the corner.

The expiry of the US preferential trade framework the African Growth and Opportunity Act on September 30 means that South Africa must aggressively pursue alternative trade partnerships through the BRICS bloc and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, says business organisation Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso.

While there remains a possibility that AGOA could be extended, it is unclear whether South Africa would be included, given the broader issues that have arisen between the two countries, she notes.

In April, when new US tariffs came into force, the US-South Africa trade relationship was under threat. Diplomatic missteps, including the Lady R debacle in 2023, had already damaged relations between the countries prior to the Trump administration taking office.

Mavuso said while trade negotiations with the US are ongoing, and AGOA’s renewal should remain an objective, we must confront the reality that AGOA may be consigned to history.

The US trade policy uncertainty means many countries share South Africa’s ambition to build new, more reliable trade relationships, she said and added that South Africa should engage while this window of opportunity is open.

Eswatini has received 10 third-country nationals deported from the United States, adding to an initial group of five deportees it received in July.

The Southern African country had announced yesterday that it was expecting to receive 11 deportees from the US in October under an agreement with the Trump administration. It did not give their nationalities.

It said the individuals would be kept in correctional facilities until they could be repatriated to their home countries, and added that they were in good health and undergoing admissions processes. 

There was no immediate statement from the Trump administration.

US President Donald Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants in the US illegally and his administration has sought to ramp up removals to third countries as part of that crackdown.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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