August 2026

South Africa. Why Treasury’s unclaimed assets plan has retirement funds worried

Several financial industry representatives have welcomed proposals for centralised record management of South Africa’s nearly R90 billion in unclaimed financial assets, while raising concerns about the proposed transfer of unclaimed retirement benefits to the Corporation for Public Deposits (CPD). The CPD, a subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank, manages deposits from public-sector entities. Industry experts have warned that retirement assets transferred to it may no longer enjoy the protections that currently apply under retirement fund legislation. The National Treasury discussion paper...

South Africa’s R2.7 trillion GEPF faces growing ESG data and governance test as pension capital comes under scrutiny

South Africa’s Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), the country’s largest public-sector pension fund and one of the continent’s biggest pools of institutional capital, is facing a broader governance challenge over how environmental, social and governance (ESG) information is assessed, verified and incorporated into investment decisions. With the fund holding more than R2.69 trillion in assets and more than 1.2 million active members, the quality of ESG analysis applied across its investment portfolio has implications well beyond the retirement savings...

July 2026

Africa’s Largest Fund Manager Is Under Investigation. Who Is Protecting Public Servants’ Pensions?

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) manages the retirement savings of more than a million public servants in South  Africa, making any question over its governance a matter of public concern. Development Diaries reports that the country’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has opened a formal investigation into the PIC, which is  Africa’s largest asset manager, following the suspension of its chief executive. According to Daily Maverick, the regulator’s intervention has deepened a governance crisis already facing the institution, while TimesLIVE reported that the developments have also fuelled tensions...

South Africa. 16 municipalities caught pocketing workers’ pensions

Sixteen municipalities took money out of their workers’ salaries for pension contributions, and did not pay it over to the pension funds it belonged to. The finding came out as part of National Treasury’s decision to temporarily withhold R13.5 billion in July equitable share transfers from 69 municipalities across the country, including R3.6 billion from the City of Johannesburg. Treasury said the municipalities had shown persistent, serious non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act. The South African Local Government Association, which represents...

June 2026

South Africa. Has the retirement industry underestimated inflation risk?

The South African Reserve Bank's higher-for-longer interest rate outlook and revised inflation expectations have sharpened a critical challenge for retirement savers and funds: generating real returns is becoming more difficult, annuity pricing and liability assumptions may need recalibration, and portfolios designed for a low-inflation environment could struggle to deliver the outcomes members expect. For years, trustee agendas have been dominated by corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and investment performance. But as the macroeconomic landscape shifts, it’s becoming clear that parts of the industry...

May 2026

South Africa. Pay is up. So why are workers raiding pensions?

The average salary increase this year was 5.43% – comfortably above inflation. Yet those same workers are tapping pensions to buy groceries and walking out of jobs at the fastest rate since Covid. he numbers, on paper, say South African workers are doing fine. The reality says something else. The average salary increase this year was 5.43%, according to the April 2026 Remchannel Bi-Annual Salary and Wage Movements Survey. That compares with 2025’s average inflation of 3.2%. By that arithmetic, most...

Geopolitical conflict wipes out R200 billion in South African pension funds

The war in Iran revealed that South African pension funds are over-exposed to geopolitical events, which is forcing some of the country’s biggest funds to rethink their investment strategy. This is the feedback from Frans Baleni, chair of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), who noted that the fund took a major hit from the war in the Middle East. Speaking in an interview with Moneyweb Radio, Baleni said the GEPF had built a strong track record of protecting public servants’ retirement...

April 2026

South Africa. Pension funds and administrators could face summons for ignoring complaints

Retirement funds and administrators have been put on notice by the Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) on the back of concerns about a failure to respond to complaints by members. Adjudicator Lebogang Mogashoa says there remains a high number of incidents of retirement funds and administrators not cooperating with the office’s investigation processes. This includes not responding to complaints lodged (timeously or at all), requesting many extensions to respond, and filing responses that don’t comprehensively address the substance of the complaint. After seeking...

March 2026

South Africa households dip into retirement savings as withdrawals surge

South African households are coming under increasing financial pressure, with many now turning to their retirement savings to stay afloat. Early data shows a sharp rise in withdrawals from the two-pot retirement system as the new tax year began in March. Financial journalist Maya Fisher-French has warned South Africans against rushing to access the savings component of their retirement funds. Fisher-French says a concerning pattern is emerging, with around 60 percent of those accessing their savings doing so repeatedly. This raises questions about...

February 2026

South Africa. Government Pensions Agency under fire over R145 million in irregular spending

The Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) is under fire after audits reportedly revealed R145 million in irregular and wasteful spending, including payments for work that was never done. The findings, reportedly linked to over R2 billion in irregular transactions, have drawn sharp criticism from the Public Servants Association (PSA) and raised concerns in Parliament about governance failures at the agency, which manages pensions for 1.7 million government employees. Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Jan de Villiers, said the findings are...