July 2025
15Jul

Former Liberation Fighters in South Africa Decry Delays in Military Veterans Pension Payments

Former liberation soldiers are voicing their deep disappointment over the prolonged delays in receiving their military veterans pensions. These ex-fighters, who left their families to battle in foreign lands against apartheid, now find themselves in dire straits, begging for support from the very government they helped bring to power. At least 300 former combatants from the ANC’s Umkhonto we Sizwe, the PAC’s liberation army APLA, and AZANLA from Azapo, applied for their pensions in 2023 but have yet to...

July 15, 2025
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April 2025
08Apr

South Africa’s pension system holds ground amid global shifts

South Africa’s R4.8tn pension industry may be a small player on the global stage, but its role in local capital markets and long-term national development is outsized – and becoming increasingly strategic as global trends reshape the future of retirement funding. The Global Pension Assets Study 2025, released by the Thinking Ahead Institute (TAI), places South Africa 16th among 22 major pension markets, with total pension assets of $257bn (R4.8tn) at the end of 2024. While this represents a modest 0.4%...

April 8, 2025
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March 2025
12Mar

South Africa . Ramaphosa assures MPs pension funds used to invest in infrastructure will be protected

President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured MPs that the funds of pensioners that will be used to invest in infrastructure will be protected and safeguarded. He said that amendments to pension fund legislation and regulations had created room for these investments to be made into the country’s infrastructure. Ramaphosa was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly on issues around growing the economy. "They are not state resources. To facilitate in infrastructure investment, government needs to provide those savers with a reasonable...

March 12, 2025
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February 2025
06Feb

South Africans withdraw R43 billion from pensions

Since the launch of the two-pot retirement system in September, more than 2.4 million South Africans have withdrawn a total of R43 billion from their pension funds. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) confirmed this last Friday evening. According to SARS, 2,664,279 applications for tax directives were received, with 2,403,379 approved. The remaining applications were rejected due to issues such as incorrect identity numbers and tax numbers. SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter exprncern over 213,654 taxpayers who declared incorrect taxable income to secure a...

February 6, 2025
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January 2025
31Jan

South Africans face the prospect of retiring at 80

Based on data from over 300 000 Sanlam Umbrella Fund members. While 65 remains the official retirement age, most South Africans will need to work until 80 before they can afford to retire comfortably. This is according to data from Sanlam Corporate, based on insights into its over 300 000 Sanlam Umbrella Fund members. The company’s research highlights a growing retirement funding crisis, with estimates that only one in four South Africans will be able to retire at 65. Sanlam Corporate CEO Kanyisa...

January 31, 2025
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22Jan

South African ban on cryptocurrency for pensions in the crosshairs

As the value of cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, continues to rise internationally, there have been growing calls for South African pension funds to be allowed to invest in cryptocurrencies. Currently, Regulation 28, which governs where pension funds can invest, tightly restricts their investment options. Proposals suggest amending this regulation to include cryptocurrencies, which could have significant implications for the industry and investors. Farzam Ehsani, co-founder and CEO of major South African cryptocurrency exchange VALR, said South Africans deserve nothing less than to lift...

January 22, 2025
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December 2024
05Dec

South Africa. Survey shows that withdrawals will be used to repay debt

A new survey sheds light on what pension fund members want to use the money for when they withdraw some of their retirement savings under the two-pot retirement system, while it also shows how much (or little) people know about this big change to pension funds. The survey was conducted by JustMoney.co.za, a platform that helps South Africans make good money choices. Sarah Nicholson, operations manager at JustMoney, says among respondents considering withdrawing funds, 79% said they would use the money...

December 5, 2024
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November 2024
20Nov

South Africans Withdraw $1.94 Billion From Pensions

South Africans have withdrawn 35.1 billion rand ($1.94 billion) from retirement funds since new laws came into effect three months ago giving them early access to part of their savings. The figure is higher than the amount the National Treasury forecast savers would tap after the implementation of a so-called two-pot pension system on Sept. 1. South Africa’s central bank has said that a high-withdrawal scenario may help boost the country’s economic growth rate by as much as 0.3 percentage...

November 20, 2024
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11Nov

South Africa. How CDC may revolutionise the pension industry

A look at how collective defined contribution schemes differ from DB and DC schemes and why SA’s pension industry should note the shift in the UK. The local pension industry seems poised to embrace the collective defined contribution (CDC) model in the future despite their complexities. New administration systems to accommodate these types of structures will have to be designed as well as new regulations to govern them. An employer and member education drive to explain how these...

November 11, 2024
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October 2024
17Oct

Big pension changes for divorce in South Africa

The new Pension Funds Amendment Act (PFAA) was recently signed into law, which will seriously impact divorce proceedings in South Africa. New retirement fund rules have changed how pensions are divided between divorced South Africans. “Before the PFAA it has been a well-established principle in our law that a divorce order is only enforceable against a pension fund as long as the member is still a member of the fund,” said Wright Rose-Innes. “Now, with the introduction of the PFAA and the...

October 17, 2024
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