[TOP STORY] Report reveals how SA consumers are changing their shopping habits

GNU parties still at odds over the tabled budget - will it achieve what the Finance Minister has set out to do? A look at the true value of water amidst increased scarcity. And how a tech talent development programme has managed to place 96% of its graduates in software teams.

‘More spend, both online and in store, has shifted away from the final rush before Christmas to that Black Friday to Cyber Monday period,’ says Rory Bosman chief sales and marketing officer at Ecentric Payment Systems.

South Africans eagerly await the delivery of the budget speech, but will GNU partners be on board with the Minister’s new proposals? How the Basic Conditions of Employment Act’s new earnings threshold could be a strategic lifeline for the country. And a look at the first official Black Friday Index.

‘We believe that the government owns, through its programme called Proactive Land Acquisition Strategy, about 2.5 million hectares of farmland,’ says Wandile Sihlobo, senior fellow at Stellenbosch University's Department of Agricultural Economics.

National Liquor Traders weigh in on potential pitfalls if large excise taxes are to be levied against the alcohol industry. Are luxury goods stocks still worth investing in? And why an expert says a fundamental shift beyond simply hiking Vat is needed to address budget shortfalls.