The South African Reserve Bank’s decision to keep the repo rate unchanged has been welcomed by property market experts, who say the move provides stability and supports growing confidence among homebuyers.

With the repo rate holding at 6.75% and the prime lending rate at 10.25%, experts say the steady rate environment provides much-needed certainty for both homeowners and prospective buyers at the start of 2026.

Toni Anderson, Head of Home Services at Standard Bank, says the decision strengthens an already improving residential property market.

“While interest rates remain unchanged, the cumulative effect of earlier rate cuts has already begun to improve affordability and buyer sentiment. Since the easing cycle started towards the end of 2024, we’ve seen increased engagement from prospective homeowners, with steady home loan application activity reflecting renewed confidence in the market.”

Anderson notes that a stable rate environment allows buyers to plan more effectively and make balanced decisions. For sellers, it supports realistic pricing, which remains key to successful transactions.

She adds that holding rates steady gives households time to adjust to previous relief, while creating a supportive backdrop for a gradual recovery in housing demand across select regions. For buyers who have been waiting on the sidelines, this period of stability may offer a good opportunity to enter the market while affordability remains improved and competition is measured.

Gavin Lomberg, CEO of ooba Home Loans, agrees that the pause in rate changes supports positive momentum in the property sector.

“A steady interest rate environment, improved consumer affordability and competitive bank lending will continue to drive the acceleration of South Africa’s property industry throughout 2026.”

He points out that the market is still benefiting from the impact of six rate cuts since the easing cycle began, leaving lending rates significantly lower than they were just over a year ago.

According to Lomberg, improved affordability is already visible. He says that in the third quarter of 2024, before the first cut in the cycle, the average effective home loan rate for ooba customers was around 11.2%. By late 2025, improved bank concessions and lower rates had brought that down to about 9.6%.

This has translated into meaningful monthly savings. On an average bond of about R1.37 million, monthly repayments have dropped by roughly R1,500 compared to pre-cut levels, easing pressure on household budgets.

Lomberg says that while the Reserve Bank has struck a cautious tone due to global uncertainty, local conditions remain supportive.

“If inflation remains contained, the rand stays resilient, and fuel prices remain favourable, there is scope for further easing later in the year,” he says, adding that additional cuts could further stimulate demand from first-time buyers and existing homeowners.

The suspect arrested for allegedly starting at Paarl Hospital on Tuesday morning, 27 January, has been identified as Morné Dampies, a patient in the psychiatric section of the hospital.

The 35-year-old appeared at the Paarl Magistrates Court on Thursday, 29 January, charged with arson.

It is alleged that he made a fire in a waste bin that was next to the hospital, which in turn caused a nearby car to catch alight. This then spread to the side of the hospital, resulting in significant damage to the outpatient section of the facility.

The State alleges that the accused is linked to the crime by video footage and eyewitnesses.

His case has been postponed until 5 February 2026 to verify whether he needs to be referred for mental evaluation, and to get further bail information.

A relative of Dampies disclosed to the prosecutor that he is a patient at the hospital.

The fire on Tuesday resulted in a full-scale emergency operation, with hundreds of patients being evacuated and transferred to other hospitals, including those in operating theatres and mothers who were in the process of giving birth. Thankfully, no injuries were recorded.

The MEC of Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, praised the speedy response of the emergency services.

“Thanks to the coordinated response, patients were safely relocated, and no injuries were reported. We are now focused on restoring services as quickly and safely as possible, while ensuring continuity of care for all affected patients.”

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has set a new record, issuing more than 4 million smart Identity Document (ID) cards in 2025, the highest number in the department’s history.

This milestone marks a 17% increase from the over 3 million smart IDs issued in 2024, which had itself been a record year.

Compared with 2023 and 2022, the 2025 total is about 1.3 million more cards issued, reflecting a steady upward trend in service delivery.

The boost in performance is attributed to technological upgrades and efficiency improvements at both the DHA and the Government Printing Works (GPW), which produces the smart IDs.

A key focus has been repairing and strengthening the department’s Online Verification Service (OVS), previously underfunded and misused by some external users. Fixing these issues has improved system uptime and performance, allowing more South Africans than ever to access smart IDs.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says the milestone demonstrates the department’s commitment to digital transformation.

“Thanks to the ongoing digital transformation of Home Affairs, over four million more people gained the ability to securely open bank accounts, access employment, and obtain social grants in 2025.”

The accelerated rollout of smart IDs aligns with the department’s Medium-Term Development Plan. According to DHA, the green bar-coded ID book is estimated to be 500% more vulnerable to fraud than the smart ID, underlining the importance of the transition.

Ten of the Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) members charged with the murder of Manenberg resident Wade Price are set to attend a bail appeal hearing at the Western Cape High Court tomorrow.

Price was arrested in December and died shortly after, allegedly from suffocation during a police interrogation.

AGU Legal Representative, Advocate Bruce Hendricks, says bail should be granted to the accused, and that they will appeal on 60 grounds.

“We believe that the members will be granted bail. The investigation is still in its infant stage, previously they said they had a strong case, yet we are still awaiting an outcome.”

Earlier today, eleven of the members appeared at the Athlone High Court, facing charges including four counts of kidnapping, four counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, torture, murder and attempting to defeat the administration of justice.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila says the case has been postponed until 5 March for further investigations.

“We have received the post-mortem report, but we still have a DNA report that’s outstanding as well as the crime scene reports.”

Meanwhile several community members outside the court chanted songs such as “Justice for the AGU”, stressing that they were just doing their jobs.