For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines:Political outrage, anxiety as US terminates SA’s Agoa benefits; South Africa's diesel price to drop this month, petrol little changed after levy cut; And, study shows young voters feel unrepresented by any political party amid deep trust deficit

Political outrage, anxiety as US terminates SA’s Agoa benefits

The announcement by the Office of the US Trade Representative of the termination of South Africa’s duty-free trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act has triggered a wave of condemnation and concern across South Africa’s political landscape.

Opposition parties, agricultural unions, and lobby groups have expressed concerns over the economic fallout, with some pointing directly to apparent failures in government's diplomatic approach.

The termination is effective from January 1, 2027. According to government, Agoa exports to the US are about 10% of South Africa's total exports and 1% of its total global exports.

The DA expressed “profound sadness” over the exclusion, calling the development completely avoidable.

Meanwhile, the ANC has firmly condemned the US administration's withdrawal of South Africa's Agoa status, stating they will "not succumb to economic bullying" or compromise on domestic transformation policies.

The EFF stated that the termination of Agoa highlights the "risks of economic dependencies" where market access is used by powerful trading partners to enforce political compliance.

South Africa's diesel price to drop this month, petrol little changed after levy cut

South Africa's diesel price will fall in November while petrol will be little changed after the government announced fuel-tax cuts in a mid-year budget review.

The wholesale diesel price will fall by up to R1.20 a litre from tomorrow, while the regulated petrol price will decline by 1c a litre, the petroleum department said today.

The Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the tax cuts last month, cutting the fuel levy by R3 a litre for diesel and R1.50 a litre for petrol from November 4 to December 1.

Smaller levy reductions will be in place until January 5, part of efforts to ease cost-of-living pressures on households and businesses.

And, study shows young voters feel unrepresented by any political party amid deep trust deficit

A staggering 50% of registered young South African voters believe that no political party represents their views, according to the latest Khayabus 'Pulse of the People' study by Ipsos.

Ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections tomorrow, the findings reveal that instead of standard political apathy, the country is facing a massive wave of youth scepticism.

Young citizens remain entirely unconvinced that casting a ballot will solve the crises defining their daily lives, most notably, rampant youth unemployment.

Political parties have long preached the importance of the youth vote, yet data shows their message is falling on deaf ears, with only 53% of South Africans aged 18 to 24 registered to vote, a figure drastically lower than older age brackets.

Political disengagement starts long before citizens reach the ballot box, the study said, with only 27% of registered youth expressing an interest in politics and elections, compared with 33% of older registered voters.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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