Siphesihle Banda joined TIPS in October 2025 as a Finance Intern. She holds a National Diploma in accounting from the University of Johannesburg. Siphesihle is a driven and collaborative individual who looks forward to developing her skills while contributing to the organisation’s operational excellence.

In constant 2025 Rand, South Africa had a trade surplus of R55 billion in the second quarter of 2025, with exports amounting to R510 billion and imports amounting to R455 billion. However, exports declined by R24 billion in the year to the second quarter of 2025, while imports declined by…

TIPS is hosting a three-part Development Dialogue series on key manufacturing subsectors, focusing on sustainability, technological change, and the evolving trade environment. The first dialogue examined sustainability issues in the iron and steel, automotive, and plastics industries. The second dialogue focuses on technological change, looking at how digitalisation, automation, and innovation are reshaping…

TIPS industry studies provide a comprehensive overview of key trends in leading industries in South Africa. They aim to provide background for policymakers and researchers, and to strengthen our understanding of current challenges and opportunities in each industry as a basis for a more strategic response. This note provides an…

TIPS industry studies provide a comprehensive overview of key trends in leading industries in South Africa. They aim to provide background for policymakers and researchers, and to strengthen our understanding of current challenges and opportunities in each industry as a basis for a more strategic response. This note is an…

TIPS industry studies provide a comprehensive overview of key trends in leading industries in South Africa. They aim to provide background for policymakers and researchers, and to strengthen our understanding of current challenges and opportunities in each industry as a basis for a more strategic response. This note provides an…

TIPS industry studies provide a comprehensive overview of key trends in leading industries in South Africa. They aim to provide background for policymakers and researchers, and to strengthen our understanding of current challenges and opportunities in each industry as a basis for a more strategic response. This paper updates the…

Over the 10-year period spanning the second quarter of 2015 (Q2 2015) to the second quarter of 2025 (Q2 2025), exports have trended in an overall upward direction, and have outperformed imports in several instances. In Q2 2025, exports increased on a quarterly basis, and remained higher than imports. It is…

Mfanelo is a seasoned communications and marketing professional with a strong background in projects and events management across both the public and private sectors. With more than six years of experience, he has successfully led and supported strategic campaigns, stakeholder engagement initiatives, and high-impact events that align with organisational goals. Mfanelo holds an Honours Degree in Marketing and Communications, a BA in Communications, and a Diploma in Project Management, which collectively equip him with a well-rounded skill set to deliver impactful, results-driven events and solutions.

Decarbonising the South African economy in response to the impact of climate change and in line with the country's global commitments is already having an impact on the workers and associated communities in the coal value chain. TIPS is conducting research under multiple projects to assess the impact of the energy transition on coal…

Through dialogue and collaboration, the conference aims to deepen understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with South Africa’s Just Transition and the impacts faced by the working class and communities. It aims to highlight critical insights from ongoing, evidence-based research projects and foster discussions on policy frameworks that balance environmental imperatives with social and economic justice. Ultimately, the conference represents a step forward in shaping sustainable and equitable transition pathways for the working class — ensuring that climate action protects livelihoods, promotes decent work, and places social justice at the core of South Africa’s economic transformation.

OPENING AND SESSION 1: COMMISSIONED RESEARCH

Introduction and context of the programme - Matthew Grant (JTLC Manager) 
Opening and welcome: Rudi Dicks - Presidency
Annual Report on South Africa and Climate Change - Mamokete Modiba (PBS Development Consulting)
The Future of SASOL - Rod Crompton (Employment Relations Exchange)
Quarterly Tracker on Key Just Transition Policy Development and Debates - Dr Nedson Pophiwa (Fuchsia Africa Consulting)
An Analysis of Structures Promoting Participation in the Development of a Just Transition in South Africa - Lethabo Rametsi and Ntandokazi Masimula  (Urban-Econ:NIKELA) 
Discussant - Dr Saul Levin (TIPS)

SESSION 2: INTERNAL RESEARCH

 

The South African government places industrial policy among the key interventions for driving growth. At its core is the manufacturing industry, which faces a rapidly changing global environment shaped by supply chain shifts, climate change, and technological advances. This calls for closer assessment of the implications for South Africa.TIPS is…

Upheaval in the global external environment, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, infectious disease outbreaks such as the Marburg virus, and the most recent development aid funding cuts, has created a sense of urgency among African nations to relook at health systems resilience and self-sufficiency in the supply of healthcare products.…

The Import Localisation and Supply Chain Disruption study seeks to identify goods from the list of imports identified in the quarterly Import Trackers that South Africa could possibly viably manufacture. Each report focuses on five manufactured items from the list of imports in the corresponding Import Tracker quarterly reports. The five products for the First  Half of 2025 are: Product 1: Self-propelled mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders (excluding self-propelled mechanical shovels with a 360° revolving superstructure and front-end shovel loaders)Product 2: Radio navigational aid apparatusProduct 3: Overhead travelling cranes, transporter cranes, gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and mobile lifting framesProduct 4:…

TIPS industry studies provide a comprehensive overview of key trends in leading industries in South Africa. They aim to provide background for policymakers and researchers, and to strengthen our understanding of current challenges and opportunities in each industry as a basis for a more strategic response. This update of the…

TIPS industry studies provide a comprehensive overview of key trends in leading industries in South Africa. They aim to provide background for policymakers and researchers, and to strengthen our understanding of current challenges and opportunities in each industry as a basis for a more strategic response. This update reviews changes…

Main Bulletin:  The Real Economy Bulletin - Third Quarter 2025 In this edition GDP growth: The GDP increased by 0.5% in the third quarter of 2025. Growth in the year to the third quarter was 1.9%, but it was somewhat inflated by an extraordinary jump reported for agriculture. Construction and utilities, however, shrank 5.6% over the past year. Read more. Employment: In the year to the third quarter of 2025, employment grew by 109 000 jobs, or 0.6%. While total employment has risen 4.2% since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, it has lagged behind the working-aged population. Methodological changes in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey this…

African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics Virtual Conference: Industrial Development in Africa Tuesday 17 March 2026 Virtual Conference on Zoom APORDE will be holding its third virtual conference on Tuesday 17 March 2026. The theme of the virtual conference is Industrial Development in Africa. The conference is for the alumni from the APORDE and IPPM programmes to talk about their work or areas of research. The focus is not only academic papers, and we are inviting alumni to present on the work they are doing, be it in government, civil society or academia, to support industrial development.The 2026 Alumni conference…

Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) will host its Annual Forum on Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 and 5 August 2026, in Johannesburg. The theme is: New directions in industrialisation and industrial policy in Africa. The 2026 TIPS Forum seeks to explore the implications of the changing geopolitical and technological environment for industrial policy and economic development in Africa. The Forum will have a hybrid format that enables mostly in-person presentations to engage a diverse virtual audience. It will provide a platform for high-level panel discussions between industry, civil society, policymakers and academics. Authors are invited to submit an abstract of…

In the second quarter of 2025, monitoring added 17 projects to the Tracker, 10 of which reported their value, amounting to R26.9 billion. Projects were registered across mining, manufacturing, services and utilities. Employment opportunities were recorded from three projects, with most jobs - 852 jobs - reported under Bid Window…