They include the total amount charged, pick-up and drop-off times, late-night and out-of-district surcharges, and clear instructions on how to report suspected violations.

For city officials, the change was aimed at closing a key information gap for overseas visitors, who are often unable to verify charges because traditional taxi receipts are printed only in Korean. As a result, foreign passengers are seen as more vulnerable to inflated fares and unlawful practices.

Private ride-hailing platforms, including Kakao Mobility and Tada, have also been asked to introduce English fare breakdowns to ensure greater transparency across the sector.

Nearly 500 complaints

According to city data, 487 complaints of alleged overcharging were filed by foreign passengers between June and December 2025 after the launch of a QR-based reporting system. ed.

The city has paired the new receipts with a broader public awareness drive, installing complaint-guidance stickers inside around 71,000 taxis and placing banners and posters at 78 taxi ranks near major tourist areas, as well as in 11 districts popular with foreign visitors, including Myeong-dong, Hongdae and Itaewon.

Yeo Jang-kwon, head of the city’s Transportation Bureau, said the measures were designed to deter illegal practices and reassure visitors. 

Taxi drivers in Seoul have been notorious for grifting foreign cab hailers.

Last September, a Japanese television crew posing as tourists was charged 45,000 won ($30) for a trip from Myeong-dong to Hongdae — nearly four times the standard fare. 

The driver was later fined after a city investigation, and the incident fuelled public criticism and prompted tougher enforcement against unfair treatment of foreign travellers.

The measures are contained in Statutory Instrument 215 of 2025, formally titled the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment (Foreign Participation in Reserved Sectors) Regulations, 2025. They establish a phased but accelerated localisation regime, compelling affected firms to divest at least 25% of their equity each year, beginning immediately.

From the date of gazetting, foreign-owned companies operating in the reserved sectors have 30 days to submit regularisation plans, setting out how they will comply with the new ownership requirements.

At the heart of the regulations is Zimbabwe’s attempt to reserve select industries for its citizens — most of which have long been dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, but which have increasingly been taken over by foreign operators in recent years.

The sectors now fully reserved for indigenous citizens include:

Passenger transport services such as taxis and commuter buses, along with estate agencies, clearing and customs services, are also effectively restricted, though with limited exceptions.

In three sectors, foreign participation is permitted only where the business operates under a recognised international brand or franchise. These include passenger transport, estate agencies, and clearing and customs services.

For other sectors, foreign investors are not banned outright but face steep entry barriers designed to restrict participation to large-scale operations. Regulations set explicit minimum investment and employment thresholds :

Penalties

Existing foreign-owned businesses operating in reserved sectors are given three years to comply with the localisation timetable.

The regulations explicitly criminalise attempts to circumvent the law, including the use of fronting arrangements or nominee shareholders. Authorities are empowered to suspend or cancel operating licences for companies that fail to regularise their ownership structures within the stipulated period.

State media reports say enforcement will be strict, particularly in sectors such as artisanal mining, where the government has for years struggled to curb illegal operations and foreign syndicates, many of them involving Chinese nationals extracting gold, chrome and lithium.

Unaffected sectors

The government has been keen to stress that the regulations do not apply across the entire economy. Strategic and capital-intensive sectors — including banking, large-scale mining and other major industries — remain open to foreign ownership under existing laws.

Officials argue that the policy is a corrective measure rather than a reversal of Zimbabwe’s broader investment strategy, aimed at protecting informal and small-scale sectors from foreign encroachment.

While authorities frame the regulations as a long-overdue empowerment drive designed to restore economic agency to ordinary Zimbabweans, analysts warn that the abrupt scope and scale of the changes could unsettle investors and disrupt supply chains.

Forced divestments, tight deadlines and criminal penalties risk deepening perceptions of policy unpredictability in a country already grappling with capital shortages and fragile investor confidence.

Still, the message from Harare is unequivocal: in much of Zimbabwe’s day-to-day economy, local ownership is no longer optional — it is now mandatory.

The South African rand remained muted this week as investors awaited news on whether the country could be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “grey list.” Analysts say that a successful exit could strengthen the rand’s medium- to long-term performance and restore confidence in South Africa’s financial systems. The country was placed on the list in 2023 for deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks. Since then, authorities have introduced a series of legal and institutional reforms to meet FATF standards. Market watchers argue that removal from the list would not only attract new capital inflows but also boost South Africa’s global financial credibility.

Taxi industry

Former Police Minister Bheki Cele delivered a stark assessment of South Africa’s taxi industry before Parliament, describing it as plagued by violence, criminal infiltration, and police corruption. “There are more guns than flowers in this industry,” Cele remarked , adding that deep-rooted criminality had turned many taxi associations into centres of fear and lawlessness. Cele distanced himself from controversial figures allegedly linked to the sector and said that persistent political interference had compromised policing efforts. His testimony reignited debate about the government’s capacity to restore order and accountability in one of the country’s most vital yet volatile transport sectors.

National Prosecuting Authority

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head Shamila Batohi continues to navigate one of South Africa’s toughest public service roles. Her tenure, marked by persistent challenges, has been hampered by political interference, internal divisions, and a chronic shortage of resources. Analysts suggest that the NPA’s dysfunction stems less from individual leadership failures and more from entrenched systemic weaknesses, including a legacy of state capture and administrative instability. Despite efforts to rebuild public trust, the agency’s slow pace in prosecuting major corruption cases has drawn criticism from civil society and opposition parties.

Government of National Unity

Former President Jacob Zuma has launched a scathing attack on South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU), calling it “illegitimate” and “a fragile, elitist pact” that protects those responsible for corruption and poor governance. Speaking on behalf of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, Zuma accused the GNU of sidelining the working class and betraying the country’s democratic ideals. He vowed that his party would “demand accountability from all implicated officials” and push for a political system that serves “the people, not the elite.”Zuma’s comments come amid ongoing divisions within the ruling coalition and debates over the GNU’s stability and legitimacy.

Power cuts

State utility Eskom has warned that power cuts could return in the coming weeks due to rising electricity demand and ongoing maintenance at several generation units. The company said its system remained “vulnerable” despite recent improvements in generation capacity. Analysts caution that renewed load-shedding could undermine investor confidence and slow South Africa’s economic recovery. The warning comes as the government faces mounting pressure to stabilise the energy sector and accelerate the transition to renewable power.