Editor’s Thoughts.

I don’t think I’m a (an?) hysterical human, but I’ve been thinking lately about who’s actually calling the shots in our world right now? And I talk to the EBnet community on the daily, so I know that many of you think the same. With AI, wars over there and politics over here, it’s beginning to get a bit crazy, no?

Very recently, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies published South Africa’s Draft National AI Policy. AI governance is about to get a lot more real for boards and executives – with expectations around ethics, oversight and sector‑specific rules tightening over the next three years. I’ve popped a copy of the report in Webber Wentzel’s article. To spark your spidy-senses, Prof Linda du Plessis suggests that the AI debate isn’t really about robots taking jobs – it’s about who controls the systems, in whose interest they’re built and who should be the moral custodians. Mmm …

On the macro side, John Loos and Paul Yon (VCCB) unpack how the Iran conflict and Hormuz disruptions are feeding through to our petrol pumps, grocery trolleys and credit profiles. And linking in to the war over there, Nicole Martens (Just Share) joins the dots for investors: fossil fuels are no longer just a climate debate, they’re a structural geopolitical liability for African economies and pension funds, especially when currencies buckle under every oil spike. Thankfully, the leader of the free world extended the ceasefire deal hours before its expiration. Is it just me, or is the definition of cliffhanger changing as we speak?

In today’s episode of Industry Insights, EBnet.Stream chats to Lize de la Harpe (Sanlam) about the recent Ombud Council’s new rules for the Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator. As we brace for COFI, it’s clear that governance and member fairness are not optional extras, but core to running retirement money in this environment.

The PFA is one of our panellists at today’s webinar on death benefits in retirement funds. You can register here to hear who’s calling the shots in this, oftentimes, very tricky process.

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