South Africa had, in times past, by far the best transport infrastructure in Africa; however, declining road conditions, and freight and passenger rail, as well as port capacity shortages and inefficiencies, are now all proving to be a constraint on trade and economic growth. After contributing substantially to the country’s formative development, the rail sector has shown a downward trend for several decades, with a lack of adequate investment, poor management and theft and vandalism all impacting on performance. Meanwhile, the country’s major road corridors are, as a consequence, overly congested, and subjected to overloading, contributing to South Africa’s carbon emissions. The performance of its ports has also declined, compared with other ports on the continent and worldwide, with a recent World Bank analysis highlighting South Africa’s container ports as among the worst performers globally. Government plans to tackle the constraints are in the early stages. Creamer Media's ‘Road, Rail and Ports 2021/22: Towards more private-sector participation’ provides an overview of South Africa’s ongoing investment in road, rail and ports infrastructure, with a particular focus on the size and state of this infrastructure, and the funding and maintenance of these respective networks, as well as the challenges these sectors are facing.

After declining in 2019, global gold production was further negatively impacted on by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, with overall output estimated to have fallen by 5.20% to 108-million ounces. However, persisting high bullion prices are expected to push up output going forward. Market research company Fitch Solutions forecasts that global gold production will increase from 109-million ounces in 2021 to 141-million ounces by 2030, averaging a growth rate of 3.20% a year, compared with a 0.80% average growth rate in production from 2016 to 2020. The market research company contends in its 'Outlook for Global Gold Mining' report, published in June 2021, that, over the medium term, global mine production growth will remain strong, as high prices by historical standards encourage investment and output growth. Meanwhile, the lifting of lockdown restrictions and the release of pent-up demand for gold is likely to herald a period of robust demand in 2022, particularly on account of gold’s safe-haven status. Creamer Media’s ‘Gold 2021/22: A safe haven in a time of crisis’ report reviews the global and South African gold markets in this context. Globally, the focus of the report is on supply and demand, while in South Africa, the report shifts to a look at the performance of major and smaller companies in the industry, including the impact of labour relations, gold companies’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, and criminal activity in the sector.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of the telecommunications industry, as the world relied on connected services to keep economies operating during intermittent lockdowns and restrictions throughout 2020 and 2021. Connectivity has become as essential as electricity and water, and some industry proponents argue that connectivity should be a basic human right, as Covid-19-related restrictions reveal a digital divide in access to universal and affordable connectivity services. South Africa’s own telecommunications industry has proven a critical enabler of connectivity on an unprecedented scale: it kept businesses operating by enabling employees to work from home, connected families that were separated, enabled home-schooling for students and facilitated the continuity of daily life as people turned to their computers and smartphones to substitute their in-person activities online. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa believes that some of this newly developed reliance may continue in the “new normal” or at least until the emergence of a long-term solution, such as universally adopted vaccines, making ongoing access to reliable digital infrastructure for telework, telemedicine, food delivery and logistics, online and contactless payments, remote learning and entertainment all the more urgent. Creamer Media’s ‘Telecommunications 2021: A changing landscape’ report considers the evolution of South Africa’s telecommunications market, the companies operating in it, the new technologies they are adopting, as well as the challenges they are facing, such as spectrum and data costs, in this constantly evolving landscape.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The November 2021 roundup covers activities in October 2021 and includes details of State-owned electricity utility Eskom’s reliability maintenance recovery programme; Eskom’s joint venture with coal miners Exxaro and Seriti Resources to develop renewable-energy projects; and the growing constraints on South Africa’s power grid, which could precipitate a crisis similar to the one experienced in 2008.