The company known for its festive fruit baskets just launched a new website for hemp-derived, THC-infused beverages and gummies.



Edible Brands, the parent company of the fruit basket outfit Edible Arrangements, is taking a bite of the cannabis industry.



The Georgia-based company, which had $500 million in annual sales last year, launched Edibles.com this week, an e-commerce site that sells hemp-derived THC products made by some of the biggest brands in the marijuana industry, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2023/06/01/nancy-whiteman-interview-wana-brands-cannabis-edibles-empire/">Wana</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/kiva-confections-kristi-and-scott-palmer/">Kiva</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2021/04/23/meet-cann-the-bestselling-cannabis-beverage-thats-coming-hard-at-hard-seltzer-ellen-degeneres-weed-drinks/">Cann</a>. Edible Brands is&nbsp;not&nbsp;selling marijuana, which is federally illegal, but is focusing on THC products derived from hemp,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2024/10/05/hemp-madness-why-the-government-is-waging-war-against-marijuanas-legal-cousin/">marijuana’s less potent and federally legal cannabis cousin</a>.



But these products are still strong enough to get customers stoned. “This is a really natural fit for us,” Edible Brands CEO Somia Farid Silber tells&nbsp;Forbes. “We&#8217;re already called ‘edible’, right? We know that sometimes there’s even a little bit of an expectation from a customer for [cannabis] products.”



Edibles.com, which the company acquired last year, will launch in Texas first but will soon expand to Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, and expects to go nationwide later this year. With its network of more than 700 Edible Arrangements stores, the company says customers can order online and get their cannabis products delivered to their door faster than an old school pot dealer.



“We have an incredible delivery network with our franchisees for fulfillment—we can reach 70% of U.S. households within an hour,” says Silber.



Because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level but hemp has enough THC to get someone high, some of the weed industry’s biggest players have started selling hemp products outside of dispensaries. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2024/04/19/the-cannabis-civil-war-hemp-vs-marijuana/">hemp and marijuana industry used to be at war</a>, but over the last year some of the biggest cannabis companies, from Curaleaf and Trulieve to Kiva and Wana, have embraced the federal legality of hemp-derived cannabinoids, thanks to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/congressional-testimony/hemp-production-and-2018-farm-bill-07252019" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">2018 Farm Bill</a>, and started selling their own products.



The hemp products industry is even bigger than the marijuana sector, which has been throttled by a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2021/04/30/state-legal-cannabis-companies-pays-insane-tax-rates-thanks-to-a-minnesota-speed-dealer/">punitive federal tax code</a> for drug traffickers and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2022/08/02/how-america-botched-legalizing-cannabis-berner-cookies-kim-rivers-trulieve-steve-deangelo/?utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainLI&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=ForbesMainLinkedIn">overregulation on the state level</a>. In 2023, hemp products sales hit $28 billion while marijuana sales topped $26 billion, according to <a href="https://www.whitneyeconomics.com/2023-us-national-cannabinoid-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Whitney Economics</a>.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Joe Hodas, the CEO of Wana, one of the country’s best-selling edibles manufacturers, says he sees hemp as a way to expand to states that do not have recreational marijuana laws. Wana has also started selling its hemp-derived THC beverage line in Total Wine stores.



This is not the first time Edible Brands dipped into the cannabis space. In 2019, Edible Arrangements&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/21/business/edible-arrangements-cbd/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">launched its own CBD edibles line</a>, which are not psychoactive. But this pivot to THC is even more bold. And it’s a signal that cannabis products, especially edibles and beverages, have gone mainstream.



In 1999, Pakistani immigrant Tariq Farid launched the first Edible Arrangements store in Connecticut. Now based in Georgia, the company has become the go-to fruit basket gifting company by selling chocolate covered strawberries, cookies and bouquets of cut fruit for birthdays, anniversaries, funerals and other life milestones. In addition to its franchised stores across the U.S., Edible Brands also owns freshfuit.com and Roti, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Edible Brands is going headlong into the political battle over THC hemp products currently underway in Texas. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is leading a push to shutter the industry, which is composed of more than 8,000 hemp shops across the state. On Wednesday, the Texas Senate passed a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/19/texas-senate-hemp-ban-thc-dan-patrick/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">that would ban all products containing THC</a>, including gummies, vapes, flower, and beverages. The bill has not become law as the House still needs to vote on its proposal, which would regulate, not eliminate, the state’s hemp market. None of this is stopping Edible Brands.



The company is also building a flagship Edibles store in downtown Atlanta. The company will own the first few hemp products stores under this concept but will eventually open the model up to franchisees.



“We&#8217;re treating it like a bodega style [store],” says Thomas Winstanley, the executive vice president of Edibles.com. “We want to make it feel like it&#8217;s a regular consumer experience that&#8217;s elevated, that&#8217;s premium, and doesn&#8217;t feel like you&#8217;re walking into a smoke shop, or a gas station.”



When asked if Edible Brands is betting its future on cannabis, Silber, the founder’s daughter, is clear. “For us, this is just one of the pillars of our growth strategy,” she says. “It&#8217;s definitely not a make or break type of thing. We&#8217;re going to continue to diversify and grow this brand, just as we are with [our] other brands.”

Chocolate CBD bites

Edible Arrangements Can Now Get You High—On Edibles

The decorated former Olympian and Zimbabwe’s sports minister Kirsty Coventry will replace Thomas Bach as President of the IOC.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“It&#8217;s a signal that we&#8217;re truly global…”
</blockquote>



Double Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry continues to set new records after she was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday, becoming the first woman, first African and youngest-ever to hold the prestigious post in the 130-year history of the organization. Zimbabwean Coventry, 41, needed only one round of voting as she secured her mandate, replacing outgoing president Thomas Bach, who did not stand for re-election.



&#8220;It is a really powerful signal,&#8221; Coventry said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a signal that we&#8217;re truly global and that we have evolved into an organization that is truly open to diversity and we&#8217;re going to continue.&#8221;



Coventry won 49 of the 97 votes in the first round for a majority ahead of Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, who earned 28 and finished in second. Sebastian Coe from the United Kingdom was third having managed only eight votes.



&#8220;This is not just a huge honor, but it is a reminder of my commitment to every single one of you that I will lead this organization with so much pride,&#8221; Coventry said at the IOC session in Pylos, Greece.



&#8220;I will make all of you very, very proud, and hopefully extremely confident with the choice you&#8217;ve taken today, thank you from the bottom of my heart.



&#8220;I&#8217;m going to sit down with President Bach. We&#8217;re going to have a few months for a handover takeover. And what I want to focus on is bringing all the candidates together. There were so many good ideas and exchanges over the last six months.”



The next Summer Olympic Games are in Los Angeles in 2028 and Coventry must navigate an increasingly difficult geopolitical landscape that will inevitably spill over into sport.



&#8220;We need to look at the IOC and our Olympic movement and family and decide how exactly we&#8217;re going to move forward in the future,” she said. “What is it that we want to focus on in the first six months? I have some ideas, but a part of my campaign was listening to the IOC members and hearing what they have to say and hearing how we want to move together.



&#8220;It&#8217;s extremely important we have to be a united front and we have to work together. We don&#8217;t and we might not always agree, but we have to be able to come together for the betterment of the movement.&#8221;



Coventry is a decorated former Olympian having won two gold medals, four silver and a bronze in backstroke and medley events in the pool.



She shone at the Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) Games. &#8220;Greece seems to be my lucky charm,&#8221; she said with a smile.



Since retirement she has turned to politics having been Zimbabwe’s sports minister since 2018.



A champion of the African continent, Coventry has pledged to expand Olympic participation and ensure the Games remain relevant to younger generations.

144th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session – Day Two

Meet The First Woman, First African And Youngest-Ever To Be Head Of The 130-Year-Old International Olympic Committee

These Ugandan game designers and founders are holding up a mirror to society with their art.



As many a traveler knows, you’re never alone if you’ve packed some cards. You could indulge in the terse isolation of solitaire, but in East Africa you can make an instant friend with an invitation to a game of matatu, a simple, addictive pastime played with a standard 53-card pack. The game is often encountered on the eponymous minibuses in the region, as seats can sometimes be turned to face each other so a feisty card battle can ensue.



A colonial acculturation introduced from Europe, card play thrived in the brighter, warmer climes of the African continent, where playing games like matatu on the streets triggered a viral propagation of these easily learned diversions.



Since returning home after studying abroad, two childhood friends have created a company that reconfigures the hobby with a Ugandan twist, tapping into card games’ inherent sociability and low barrier to entry. Denzel Muhumuza and JJ Asiimwe are the founders of the company Mizano, and creators of a vivacious range of games that draw on the cultural idiosyncrasies of modern Uganda.



“The name Mizano is derived from the Ankole language, and refers to the act of playing,” says Muhumuza, the company’s managing director, and designer of the games’ vibrant artwork.



“Uganda has a huge gaming culture. At the market in downtown Kampala, people are always playing cards. So we&#8217;re trying to plug into that gaming ecosystem. The issue is that they’re playing with cards that arrived in the 19th century – a White queen, a White king. We want people to play games that are inflected with their cultural identity. That was our driving mission: to uniquely celebrate our culture.”



Their flagship product is Mulodi, a property game that leans hard into the spiky back-and-forth of East Africa’s notoriously perilous real estate hustle: in a mischievous nod to the urban landscape’s ubiquitous painted ‘this land is not for sale’ signs, the game even allows you steal another player’s estate (and bank the proceeds).



“It&#8217;s about making money – and trying to protect your property from other people!” says JJ Asiimwe, Mizano’s co-director. He points out some of the game’s action cards. “Banja means getting back money from someone who owes you. And this one is ‘wedding meeting’, which means everyone has to pay you 20 million shillings towards your wedding. Weddings are a big part of our culture, and a lot of people have a meeting where you might have a community help you fundraise.”



The name of the Mulodi game, which now has a safari real-estate spin-off, is another hat-tip to the stratified financial power-wielding of Ugandan society. “A rich, successful person is called a mulodi,” Muhumuza says. “Here, there are no land titles. It’s all based on your neighbors knowing you own the land. That&#8217;s what we tried to capture: people are always trying to get ahead ‘differently’. So, if you&#8217;re playing this game, it’s about understanding your partners are riddled with corruption&#8230;”



It&#8217;s an affectionate but unflinching satire about the nefarious goings-on in everyday economic life, and a deliberate effort to educate as well as entertain (the company also produces a skew called Eyedentify, a symbol-matching game especially popular with children).



Do the two entrepreneurs feel a responsibility to decolonize popular gaming culture for this new generation of card players?



“Every problem’s an opportunity, right?” says Asiimwe. “It reflects what we’re going through. We were educated in this system, and went abroad; now we’re back, reconnecting with our roots. So, it feels good, because it’s in line with what we’re doing with our own lives. We’re doing it for business – but we’re also contributing to society.”

Mizano founders

The Ugandan Game Designers Playing Their Cards Right

The speed of AI development is leaving countries with limited digital infrastructure behind, and the gap is widening at an unprecedented rate.



In Africa, there is a need for massive digital infrastructure investment that prioritizes bridging the digital divide, particularly where the gap is widening exponentially. As David Martinon, French Ambassador to South Africa and former French Ambassador for Digital Affairs, said at the recent Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) hosted in Cape Town: “AI may seem virtual for the end user, but it needs a skeleton. It requires heavy investment in infrastructure and increased connectivity to democratize access.”



Yet, Africa is lagging when it comes to digital infrastructure. Many countries lack the cloud, connectivity, high-speed networks and data centers required to handle the demands of the technology. Hun Kim, Acting Vice President of Investment Solutions at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said: “African countries lack the backbone of cloud and connectivity, among other core infrastructure necessities, and without these, AI will remain a distant concept rather than an accessible tool. Already there’s a digital divide and AI is doubling, even tripling this, as countries without digital infrastructure risk falling even further behind.”



The gap is further wedged open due to limited access to funds. Infrastructure funding is challenging to source, and prone to bottlenecks that introduce lengthy delays. The result is that Africa is slipping down the AI hill because countries can’t get a grip on the infrastructure, they need to embrace the technology effectively. There is work being done to rectify the challenge, but it remains slow. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) committed 288 million Euros between 2021-2023 for broadband construction and datacenters across Africa, but this is just a drop in the ocean.



AI drives a growing demand for materials and energy that’s a challenge in markets where access to energy is fragile or insufficient. Ygor Scarcia, Industrial Development Expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), also emphasized the risk of growing inequalities: “The challenge is risking the divide between industrialized and non-industrialized economies.”



Africa is already making strides in AI with initiatives like the African Union’s digital transformation strategy, various tech hubs across the continent, and notable AI research projects.



Finance institutions, governments and private sector need to collaborate to find smarter ways of building Africa’s digital infrastructure and prioritizing critical environmental and governance requirements to ensure the continent doesn’t sit at the bottom of the slope. The continent has the talent and the potential, now it needs the investment impetus to take hold of AI and take the lead.

The Power of AI. Transforming Industries and Customer Service. A Look into the Future. Yellow AI icon processing texts and commands on smart phone. 3D render

An Exponential Threat: Is AI Leaving Africa Behind?

Dr Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed for a second term as President of Confederation of African Football (CAF) in March, a nod to the progress made since he first took office four years ago as he has proposed a new, ambitious target for the organization.



CAF, as with many sporting bodies around the world, has grappled with various challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the ever-evolving manner in which fans consume sport, but is now arguably on its soundest footing for some time.



Motsepe has not been without his critics, but the proof of his impact is in the numbers.



CAF has managed to increase its annual subversions to Member Associations from $200,000 to $400,000 per annum, and to its six Zonal Unions from $500,000 to $750,000. That money is earmarked for football development.



Prize money across all CAF competitions is up, not least for women’s football, with CAF investing almost five times as much in the women’s game as at the start of his tenure.



Renewed sponsorships and record television audiences have been a driver behind improved revenue that is budgeted to take CAF forward in the 2024-25 financial year.



But, Motsepe says, this is just the beginning, and he has ambitious plans for his second term.



“The tender is open for the $1-billion contribution to African football over the next eight years and it’s going very well,” Motsepe said. “We have to comply with Comesa (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), because there are regulations in Comesa that you cannot conclude an agreement for more than four years.



“We don’t only have to comply but respect those regulations. Many of the partners we are talking to are saying, but president of CAF, you want $1-billion, we will give you $1-billion, but we need more years.



“The aim is to give every African nation $1-million (subversion) annually, starting in 2026.”



Having launched the CAF Women’s Champions League soon after taking office in 2021, Motsepe says the ladies’ game will continue to be a special focus.



“An African women’s national team may win the (FIFA) World Cup before a men’s national team,” he said. “Governments can help. The private sector. Half of our (African) population are women. Women’s football is about inspiring young girls.”

Dr Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed for a second term at CAF’s 14th Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo on March 12; image supplied

African Billionaire’s Ambitious Plans For Second Term As Football Boss

It is a word that does not roll off the tongue, though “kakistocracy” perfectly captures the wave of frustrations many encounter at work.



Derived from the Greek words ‘kakistos’ (worst) and ‘kratos’ (rule), it refers to leadership by the least competent or most inept.



Once confined to political commentary, kakistocracy is increasingly a talking point in all types of organizations, from large corporations to small businesses, not-for-profits and community groups.



It is not that there are not enough excellent examples of well-led organizations out there.



Yet, as we start the new working year, too many organizations will continue to flounder, steered by leaders who prioritize ego over expertise and appearances over meaningful outcomes.



Kakistocracy epitomizes a leadership style driven not by progress but by personal gain, favoritism and an unfortunate embrace of ineptitude.



This result is organizations that resemble rudderless ships – unstable, directionless and destined to flounder under the weight of mismanagement.



When organizations enter a kakistocratic state, where those ill-equipped to lead occupy critical roles, decisions become reactive, priorities shift aimlessly and those aboard are left feeling adrift.



The consequences ripple outward, eroding trust, stalling progress and creating a culture of disillusionment where employees, customers and stakeholders feel trapped by poor leadership.



Understanding how kakistocracy anchors itself in workplaces begins with examining the choices made at the outset.



It often starts with a failure to prioritize leadership fundamentals in recruitment or promotions.



Those unfit for the demands of the role might rise to the surface, buoyed by charisma rather than capability.



Once in place, these so-called leaders surround themselves with like-minded allies to create an echo chamber where dissenting voices are drowned out and decision-making becomes insular and erratic.



This dynamic thrives in environments where accountability has eroded, leaving the ship rudderless.



Poor decisions carry little consequence, allowing incompetence to flourish.



Boards, stakeholders or governing bodies might fail to chart a course of accountability, valuing loyalty over results and sidestepping challenges rather than tackling them head-on.



Even glaring errors are met with a shrug, further emboldening those least equipped to lead.



Performative leadership is another factor driving kakistocracy.



In an age where visibility often trumps substance, leaders who excel at projecting confidence, spinning narratives or delivering soundbites are frequently elevated – regardless of their track record.



Leadership becomes less about steering through rough waters and more about crafting a compelling image.



The ripple effects extend beyond the organization’s walls as kakistocracy stifles innovation, creativity and morale.



Talented employees often find themselves marginalized or disengaged, their contributions overshadowed by political manoeuvring and self-promotion.



This dynamic can lead to a talent drain, with the most-capable individuals seeking opportunities elsewhere.



When this exodus occurs, the damage extends to the organization’s reputation.



The good news is history has shown that even the roughest waters can inspire change.



Poor leadership can serve as a wake-up call, forcing organizations to confront their flaws, rethink their structures and rebuild stronger, more resilient systems.



This process is not easy and underscores the importance of reimagining leadership – not as a position of privilege but a responsibility demanding expertise, collaboration and a commitment to excellence.



This year, organizations must rewrite the rules of the game.



Leadership should no longer be about who speaks the loudest but who can chart the clearest, most effective course.



The challenges of modern workplaces require leaders who can listen, adapt and unite teams towards a shared vision.



By anchoring decisions in competence, fostering accountability and encouraging collective engagement, workplaces can move beyond the tide of kakistocracy and set sail towards a future where leadership is truly fit for the challenges ahead. Only then can organizations ensure they are equipped to navigate any turbulence the new year might bring while emerging stronger and more resilient.

Mature businessman leading meeting in office

Expert-Speak: Kakistocracy And Why We Need A Leadership Reset This Year

At a time when the global automotive space is navigating an era of transformation, the country’s industry stands at a crossroads. Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) CEO and President, Andrew Kirby, recently depicted a stark yet hopeful vision for the sector.



The automotive business council of South Africa, NAAMSA, has released a report that paints a mixed picture of the country’s automotive sector. However, policies play a key role in addressing challenges in the industry and four, in particular, are worth noting.



According to the NAAMSA report, total vehicle sales in 2024 reached 515,712 units, reflecting a 3% decline compared to the previous year. Passenger car sales grew by 1.1%, but light commercial vehicle sales dropped by 12%, and heavy trucks and buses saw declines.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="654" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-11860916591-1024x654.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-64931" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-11860916591-1024x654.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-11860916591-300x192.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-11860916591-768x491.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-11860916591-1536x981.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-11860916591-2048x1308.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



With regards to this, Andrew Kirby, the CEO and President of Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) emphasized, in January, that five key market shifts would redefine the automotive landscape this year, namely:



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>A consumer-driven shift in the affordability factor</li>



<li>SUVs continue to dominate</li>



<li>The rise of in-car technology</li>



<li>The Chinese and Indian automotive surge</li>



<li>The new energy vehicle (NEV) transition</li>
</ol>



“If we look at used car sales, we’ve seen a significant increase,” Kirby explained at the time. “Consumers are prioritizing affordability, with many unable to meet financing requirements for new vehicles. This trend will persist into 2025, influencing model availability and pricing strategies.”



He added: “The in-car experience is now a decisive factor in purchase decisions… it’s not just about driving anymore; consumers want seamless connectivity between their vehicles and smartphones, creating a digital-first car ownership experience”.



In terms of theshift in the automotive power map, the following should be noted:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Chinese-made vehicles now account for 29% of global production and sales, with a 645% increase in South Africa alone over the past five years.</li>



<li>India’s automotive market share has grown by 20% globally, now making up 30% of South Africa’s vehicle imports.</li>



<li>Germany, once a dominant force, has now fallen out of the top five vehicle-producing nations globally.</li>
</ul>



The Four Policy Challenges That Must Be Addressed



A review of these challenges necessitates that, to remain competitive and stimulate a strong sector, several factors must remain at the forefront as the year advances:



1. The Stalled South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM)



SAAM, released to the public in 2018, set ambitious targets for production volumes, employment, and local content. However, six years later, critical pillars remain unimplemented — particularly optimizing the local market and regional trade integration.



2. An Unequal Playing Field for Imports



China’s state-backed incentives and aggressive pricing are reshaping global trade. South Africa, however, lacks a fair competition framework.



The country, therefore, needs balanced trade policies that allow competition without undercutting local manufacturers.



3. An Incomplete EV Policy



South Africa’s current EV incentive structure is inadequate and Kirby had urged that, “we need a broader industrial policy that considers hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles, rather than a narrow focus on full EVs”.



4. The Early Signs of Deindustrialization



According to the Toyota CEO, South Africa is showing signs of deindustrialization, with imported vehicle sales outpacing locally built models.



“We need to create scale, increase local content, and attract investment — or risk losing our automotive manufacturing stronghold,” he has said.



5.The Road Ahead



Despite the challenges, Kirby stated that there are incredible opportunities here but they hinge on proactive policy reforms.



As South Africa stands at this defining moment, the decisions made in the next three years will determine whether the country remains an automotive powerhouse — or falls behind in the global race.

Professional Engineer Works on a Computer with a 3D CAD Software and Tests the Electric Car Chassis Prototype with Wheels, Batteries and Engine Standing in a High Tech Development Laboratory.

What Lies Down The Road For South Africa’s Auto Industry?

The cultural phenomenon that it now is, since launching in 2016, TikTok has rapidly grown as a social media platform with an audience of over 2.1 billion users. About 25% of those users are between 18-24 years old, according to Exploding Topics, which analyzes millions of searches, conversations and mentions across the internet.



This week, TikTok marked yet another milestone by expanding the parental and wellbeing tools designed to support families in fostering healthier digital habits for teens. These updates – part of TikTok’s commitment to online safety – enhance Family Pairing by providing parents with greater oversight while encouraging responsible and mindful screen-time among younger users.



The feature has been designed to ensure the safety of teenagers, but according to Adam Presser, Head of Operations &amp; Trust and Safety at TikTok, it’s also to provide parents with “peace of mind”.



“No teen or family is the same, and whether it&#8217;s during family time, school, at night, or a weekend away, caregivers can use our new Time Away feature to decide when it’s best for their teens to take a break. Parents can also set a reoccurring schedule to best suit their family life. If plans change, teens can request extra time, but parents make the final decision,” Presser said in a statement.



According to Statista, as of February 2025, United States has the largest TikTok audience by far, with almost 135.79 million users engaging. Indonesia followed, with around 107.7 million TikTok users. Brazil came in third, with almost 91.75 million users on TikTok watching short-videos. Reports show that on the Africa continent, Egypt has 37 million TikTok users, the highest in Africa, with Nigeria in second place with 23.84 million users and South Africa with 17 million users.



Senegalese-Italian influencer, Khaby Lame, is the most-followed TikTok creator with over 162.8 followers.



TikTok has designed the additional features to help teens develop balanced long-term habits, and reported that in countries where this has already been piloted, the vast majority of teens decide to keep this reminder on.

In this photo illustration the TikTok logo seen displayed on

New Features On TikTok For Healthier Digital Habits Among Teens

Passionate about clean water and advocating for the basic needs for women and girls on the continent, Lumbie Mlambo spoke to us at the 2025 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit about walking the talk when it comes to humanitarian work on the ground in Africa.



“We can talk all we want , but if you don’t put action behind it, nothing happens. I always tell people that when I talk, I’m talking because I’m actually doing something,” Lumbie Mlambo says to FORBES AFRICA.



Mlambo is the founder of J.B. Dondolo, a non-profit organization that works to remove barriers of access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in underserved and impoverished communities.



This need to promote development and gender equity stems from the vision and values of her father, who was a humanitarian advocate and instilled the importance of this type of work in his children.



She believes that tragedies can teach you something, and it was tragedies in her own life–which included experiencing a stroke at a very young age and losing her father–that led her to found the organization, which she named after him.



“Before he died, he wanted all his children to continue his humanitarian work because he was a humanitarian in the community he lived in,” she says.



“I took a leap of faith and decided [to] go check it out. While I was there, I found out that the community; the clinic wanted something totally different–they wanted water. I decided, ‘let me give them what they want’, but also finish my father’s work; refurbish the clinic. I did that, and I started learning about water, and I fell in love with it.”



The U.S.-educated Mlambo goes on to explain the work she is doing in several countries in southern Africa and East Africa.



“I’m here right now in South Africa because I’m starting an innovation for water. I’m working with companies here, creating jobs, enabling them to do something for themselves.



“I’m going to Zimbabwe [with] the same innovation, which is Climate H20 for water; we’ve started a factory there. They’re just going to pilot-test it for three to six months, fine tune it until it works, then mass produce it. So, there’s action.”



She also emphasizes the significance of providing basic services to women and girls who are adversely impacted by the lack of water.



Addressing this need allows them to be happy, go to school, start businesses and just experience an overall sense of good physical and mental health.



“I always say, ‘J.B. Dondolo has to strive’, because when I utter my father’s name, I’m always reminded that he was a strong man–he never gave up on the community,” Mlambo says with conviction.



She adds that “the 2030 SDGs are not going to be accomplished by just talking alone; we need to be piloting work on the ground and measuring it”.

Lumbie-Mlambo_DSC6218_copy_80x80q

What Tragedy Can Teach: The Zimbabwean Fighting For Water Innovation And Access In Africa

South Africans have responded to the implications of the budget speech while experts have noted the balance between fiscal consolidation and economic growth, though risks remain.



South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the country’s 2025 Budget Speech on March 12; and strong reactions followed the minister’s announcement of the 0.5% increase to Value Added Tax (VAT) for the current financial year.



Wealth management firm, Citadel’s Chief Economist, Maarten Ackerman, said that the VAT increase of 0.5% in 2025 and another 0.5% in 2026 reflects the government’s urgent revenue needs, balanced against the political negotiations it is locked in with the other political parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU).



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/SimonPGrindrod/status/1899813173848371219
</div></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://twitter.com/BoetBianco/status/1899798041227411735
</div></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">This budget speech really has me thinking , how quickly this economy shift impacts my startup business &amp; proof that we need to PLAN Business owners how are you holding on ? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FNBBudgetSpeech2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FNBBudgetSpeech2025</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Budget2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Budget2025</a> <a href="https://t.co/fX27siJhNc">pic.twitter.com/fX27siJhNc</a>&mdash; MaSediane (@lehlohonolosed) <a href="https://twitter.com/lehlohonolosed/status/1899822407986131228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



“Higher taxes could further constrain consumer spending and economic activity. Treasury’s decision not to adjust income tax brackets for inflation will also add to financial strain on households,” Ackerman added.



In a statement by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), it said it was deeply concerned by the VAT announcement. The registered non-profit civil action stated that this is a regressive tax that will hit South Africans across all income levels, particularly low- and middle-income households, and is unacceptable.



“Treasury has opted for the easy option of a VAT hike rather than taking bold steps to cut waste, address inefficiencies, and tackle corruption. A VAT hike may be easy to collect, but it disproportionately impacts the poor. Government must focus on cutting waste and ending corruption before reaching into citizens’ pockets,” said OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage.



Thomas Lobban, Director of Ibex Consulting, a division of Latita Africa, said that the budget speech is bad news for taxpayers especially when looking at the VAT increase. 



“While this move was anticipated, what has come as a shock is the decision to keep personal income tax brackets unchanged for the third consecutive year,” he said.



“With no adjustments for inflation, individual taxpayers will effectively pay more tax in real terms, leading to diminished purchasing power across the board.”



Politicians also noted their concern over the budget speech with the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) Vuyolwethu Zungula emphasizing that the problem is that government refuses to go after big corporates who are making money in South Africa.



“This does not strike the middle ground,” Zungula told the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).



“Because the real impact will be when it comes to the poor. The poor now already have to be content with an increase in electricity prices, and fuel prices and we already have high interest rates.”



ActionSA’s Athol Trollip added that the economy is already struggling and this is mostly due to corruption. The political party said on X that they firmly reject the proposed 1% increase in VAT– 0.5% this year and 0.5% next year–as well as the hidden tax increase caused by the failure to adjust personal income tax brackets for inflation.



“The economy can’t grow, the minister himself said it’s been staggering for 10 years,” Trollip told reporters after the budget speech. &nbsp;“And because of that we have more and more people on social relief grants and that’s why the budget can’t balance.”



“While there are positive elements in the budget,” Ackerman said, “such as plans for greater public and private infrastructure spending, attempts to stabilize debt, and a seeming willingness to appease opposition partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU) as South Africa’s democracy matures – several underlying risks could derail the government’s projections, especially if execution on ambitious plans to achieve 1.8% gross domestic product (GDP) growth, falters.”

South Africa’s Fractious Coalition Faces Second Budget Reckoning

Citizens And Politicians React To 2025 South Africa Budget

Will Trump’s tariffs and his assault on the federal government lead to a deeper crash, or even a recession? Market experts advise long-term investors and 401(k) holders to sit tight.



While the last&nbsp;three weeks have been punishing for the stock market, veteran wealth managers are sounding a similar refrain for long-term investors: don’t panic.



It can be difficult advice to heed when alarming headlines are regularly flooding the news. Two days after the S&amp;P 500 index hit its all-time high on February 19, hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen made a prescient prediction that he wouldn’t be surprised to see a “significant correction” in the stock market, calling tariffs an additional tax. On Tuesday this week, JPMorgan economists raised their recession risk forecast for this year to 40% from 30%. The S&amp;P 500 is down 9% from its high and seems destined to fall further.



But history suggests changes in sentiment often happen much faster than investors expect. Just last year, when stocks fell 8.5% over three weeks in July and August, those losses were erased within a month. The same is true of the S&amp;P 500’s last 10% correction, which took place from July to October 2023.



In fact, Dave Donabedian, co-chief investment officer of CIBC Private Wealth U.S., which manages $84 billion in assets, says his firm researched “true crises” far more consequential than the current self-inflicted declines fueled by tariffs—shocks to the system like outbreaks of war or the onset of Covid-19.



“What you find is that about two-thirds of the time, the S&amp;P 500 has recovered all that it lost after the shock in a month,” says Donabedian. “The punch line is don’t do knee-jerk selling, and we’ve certainly had some of those conversations in the last week or so.”



The primary culprit for the current stock market swoon is the uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on imports from China, Canada and Mexico. Trump initially announced the tariffs over the weekend prior to February 3, but when the market opened that day down 2%, he changed course and granted Mexico and Canada a temporary 30-day reprieve following concessions they made to secure their borders with the U.S. Stocks quickly rebounded.



That pause expired with Trump allowing the tariffs to take effect on March 4, but he soon carved out exemptions for some goods subject to a trade agreement he signed during his first term. Since then, investors have become increasingly dismayed at Trump’s uncharacteristic indifference to the stock market—last Thursday, he told reporters he’s “not even looking at the market.” This week, he walked back a threat to hike tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports to 50%, but added a 25% charge on those metals shipped from any foreign country, leading to retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union on U.S. imports. The whipsawing is only adding to investors’ uneasiness.



“We knew tariffs were negative for economies, but it’s less the impact of the tariffs themselves than the uncertainty of the policy,” says Adrian Helfert, chief investment officer for alternative and multi-asset portfolios at Westwood. “Small and mid-sized businesses need to know what to expect so they can plan their capital expenditures. Uncertainty leads to businesses that are nervous to plan for a future that they don’t know.”



More clarity shouldn’t be particularly hard to provide, and while Donabedian contends it would be “foolish” to make a short-term prediction about whether the next piece of news is better or worse for investors, the perceived risk of the tariffs could peak within the next couple of months. “Our view is still that we get a year of slow growth, but not a recession,” he says.



And there’s reason for optimism elsewhere in the economy. Inflation eased to 2.8% in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday, slightly lower than consensus expectations, which improved hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. The S&amp;P 500 crawled 0.5% higher yesterday, resisting the downward trend and signaling that a broader rebound could be on tap if the tariff issue gets resolved.



The top-performing S&amp;P sector Wednesday was information technology, which gained 1.6% despite being one of the index’s largest laggards of the year, illustrating how quickly trends can reverse. Selling off parts of portfolios that look precarious could backfire if news changes quickly.



“For your average retail investor, the temptation is to say ‘I&#8217;ve got to do something’ during times like this, when the reality is, if you&#8217;re a long term investor, often your best decision is to stay out of your own way,” says Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. “Unfortunately in this country, we&#8217;ve got far more people that aren&#8217;t saving enough or investing enough in preparation for their retirement than those that are over-saving or over-investing.”



Some strategists even see this as a time to buy into parts of the market that have underperformed if investors do have extra cash. The Russell 2000 index tracking small-cap stocks is down 17% from its post-election high and has hardly budged since the end of 2020, while large caps have enjoyed stronger gains for the last two years.



“If somebody were all in on the S&amp;P 500, I might counsel a little more diversification there, to maybe look at some things in the small- and mid-cap space or look at international, which has finally started to outperform the U.S.,” says Donabedian. Since Trump took office in January, Chinese stocks as measured by MSCI China are up 22%, and MSCI Europe has gained 9%. The S&amp;P 500 is down nearly 7% over the same period. Says Donabedian, “It’s an opportunity to pick some spots in the equity markets that have underperformed for a number of years.”



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://sync.graph.bluecava.com/ds.png?p=4cb3430d-9dfd-11ef-a5fe-4201ac100015&amp;segment=forbeseval" alt=""/></figure>

Markets Continue Volatile Week As President Trump Changes Tariffs

Calming Advice For A Chaotic Stock Market

The fact that Africa has a shortage of clinical oncologists has been widely publicized. One international medical journal estimated that Nigeria, for example, has around 70 oncologists to serve a population of 213 million people. In South Africa – and in Johannesburg, in particular – it’s been reported that Gauteng’s health department has allocated millions to cancer care to assist the main hospitals that have become overwhelmed with patients needing critical treatment. And while there is definitely a skills shortage, Dr Duvern Ramiah, the head of radiation oncology at the University of the Witwatersrand and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital explains that no one had really done a deep dive into what is actually holding up access to these life-saving interventions.



“The main bottleneck with radiation and oncology treatment is a lack of radiotherapy planning. That’s the irst step to patients get- ting radiation,” he says. With prostate cancer patients waiting around 5 years for radiotherapy and breast cancer patients waiting around 18 months, Ramiah came to the realization that there wasn’t just a shortage of equipment; the unit wasn’t using the equipment that it had efficiently. “The unit wasn’t creating enough radiotherapy plans for these patients to be treated in time,” he adds. When a cancer patient requires radiation, radiation is prescribed by a radiation oncologist. What happens next is that the patient is scanned and goes through the long process of radiotherapy planning. “If a patient has prostate cancer, the doctor will say (for example), this person needs external beam radiation. I’ll see him and make that call. Ater that, he’ll go have a CT scan which is done in the position that he’s going to have radiation in,” explains Ramiah.



Once Ramiah receives the CT scan, he’ll have to manually draw in all the areas that need to get radiated, like the prostate and lymph glands, as well as key areas to avoid, like the bladder. “It’s a long process, and only once that’s done, I’ll send the scan off to a dosimetrist or planning radiotherapist,” he continues. Once a plan is created, it still needs to be approved by the radiation oncologist to ensure it meets the prescription requirements.



Depending on the type, stage and biological behavior, some cancers metastasize quicker which means these plans are needed pretty quickly so that they don’t become outdated. Ramiah turned to AI to create a new process where part of this journey could be automated. “So, instead of a doctor drawing in all of those organs on scans, we’ve got a convolutional neural network (CNN) running that will contour target areas. The time a doctor is spending doing this process is very mundane when it can just be automated. It reduces the time gap massively,” he says. Another way Ramiah has reduced the bottleneck is by using remote radiotherapists in America to create a detailed radiotherapy plan that oncologists at Charlotte Maxeke can implement. What Ramiah also found is that with the planning process, there is a lot of rep- etition. A plan for breast cancer can take up to two hours but around 70% of what is needed is actually the same from one patient to the next. “So, we’re also developing a script to automate some of that,” he adds.



With the help of AI, Ramiah has cut Charlette Maxeke’s two-month waiting time for radiotherapy plans down to between 48 and 72 hours. One of the most important parts of this AI journey is that the technology system Ramiah is piloting at Charlotte Maxeke is vendor-agnostic. So, because it isn’t tied to a specific brand or model of radiotherapy machine, it could potentially be implemented in any healthcare facility anywhere in the world.



“You can go to any unit in Africa with this solution, regardless of their technology infrastructure,” he says. “Unfortunately, within cancer, we get stuck in a lot of innovative things like gene therapy, which is a million-rand treatment but not accessible to everybody. What’s interesting about AI tech is that it increases access. It’s an enabler, which is why I push so hard for it in my department.”

Medical technology, doctor use AI robots for diagnosis, care, and increasing accuracy patient treatment in future. Medical research and development innovation technology to improve patient health.

AI Innovations: What This South African Doctor Is Making Possible

Minister Enoch Godongwana says the decision to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) “was not made lightly” as proposal also includes no inflationary adjustments for personal income tax brackets.&nbsp;



South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the country’s 2025 Budget Speech on Wednesday, March 12, following the initial postponement of the speech in February.



According to reports at the time, there was a dispute amongst the members of the Government of National Unity (GNU) over a proposed two percentage point VAT increase, which would have put further pressure on consumers.



In the newly-tabled budget, government has proposed to increase the VAT rate by half a percentage point in 2025/26; and by another half a percentage point the following year.



Government has also proposed no inflationary adjustments to personal income tax brackets, rebates and medical tax credits.&nbsp;



According to the minister, these measures are expected to raise R28 billion ($1.5 billion) in additional revenue in the 2025/2026 financial year and R14.5 billion ($791.5 million) in 2026/2027.



“This decision was not made lightly. No Minister of Finance is ever happy to increase taxes. We are aware of the fact that a lower overall burden of tax can help to increase investment and job creation and also unlock household spending power,” Godongwana said in his speech.



“We have, however, had to balance this knowledge against the very real, and pressing, service delivery needs that are vital to our developmental goals and which cannot be further postponed.”



He goes on to explain that government weighed up the policy trade-offs, and touches on increases to corporate and personal income tax, as well as taking on additional debt but states that these measures were not feasible.



“VAT is a tax that affects everyone. By opting for a marginal increase to VAT, its distributional effect and impact were cautiously considered. The increase is also the most effective way to avoid further spending cuts and to enable us extend the social wage.”



Other notable points in the speech include the proposed expansion of the list of VAT zero-rated food items, no increase in the fuel levy for another year and the provision of social grant increases that are above inflation.



Speaking on the 2025 Budget, Lullu Krugel, PwC South Africa’s Chief Economist, said, in a statement, that, “Expanding the list of VAT zero-rated products has long been called for by private business and civil society as a way of supporting the financial situation of low-income households”.



“Today’s announcement to expand the basket of goods to include more meat and other products that are widely consumed in the lower expenditure deciles is welcomed with open arms in light of the impending VAT increases. It is now incumbent upon the producers and retail sector to ensure that these adjustments are passed onto the consumer.”



With an overall impression, Althea Soobyah, National Head of Tax, Forvis Mazars in South Africa, said, “One of the biggest issues with the budget every year is that South Africa is not investing in growth-enhancing initiatives with a significant proportion of the budget going to paying off debt and social grants”.&nbsp;



“South Africa urgently needs to look at other ways to increase revenue other than relying on the tax base.  At some point it will reach a saturation point. Growth enhancing structural reforms which support small and medium sized businesses will help to address unemployment and grow the tax base. One of the ways to increase the tax base is to grow the employment rate,” she adds in the statement.

VAT Up By 0.5 Percentage Point As South Africa’s Finance Minister Tables 2025 Budget

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



Even the world’s richest man has bad days, as Elon Musk faced a litany of headaches to start the week Monday—including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/03/10/x-outage-thousands-report-issues-with-elon-musks-platform/">crash</a>&nbsp;of his social media site, an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2025/03/10/tesla-stocks-election-rally-is-all-gone-erasing-91-gain/">11-figure drop</a>&nbsp;in his net worth as his primary venture Tesla faced brutal losses, while an awkward TV interview only gave critics more fodder.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timeline">Timeline</h2>



March 10, 8:54 a.m. EDTMusk’s Monday gets off to an immediate bad start as users on his X platform&nbsp;<a href="https://downdetector.com/status/twitter/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">begin</a>&nbsp;to report widespread outages, with Musk later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/03/10/x-outage-thousands-report-issues-with-elon-musks-platform/">attributing</a>&nbsp;the crash to a “massive cyberattack” from “a large, coordinated group and/or a country” and noting the problem emanated from “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area” (cybersecurity expert Cliff Steinhauer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/03/10/x-outage-thousands-report-issues-with-elon-musks-platform/">told</a>&nbsp;Forbes it was likely too early to determine the root of the issue).



March 10, 9:42 a.m.Musk shockingly&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1899093526190698784" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">calls</a>&nbsp;veteran and retired astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a “traitor” after Kelly posted support for Ukraine following a visit to the country,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenDuckworth/status/1899206544907981264" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">leading&nbsp;</a><a href="https://x.com/SenRubenGallego/status/1899206416641970357" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">a slew</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenWarren/status/1899206461462352342" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">of Democrats—</a>including Kelly’s wife&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GabbyGiffords/status/1899172428032463302" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Gabby Giffords</a>—and even one House Republican, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., to criticize him, with Bacon&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/mkraju/status/1899248385233690883" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">telling</a>&nbsp;CNN Musk’s accusation was “not right” and “reflects bad on the White House” (on Musk’s own platform, his “traitor” comment received only 15,000 Likes by Tuesday morning compared to over 230,000 likes for&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SenMarkKelly/status/1899155561171558505" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Kelly’s response</a>).



March 10, 3:45 p.m.Left-leaning watchdog organization Media Matters, a longtime Musk target,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/10/nx-s1-5323844/media-matters-elon-musk-new-lawsuit" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">sues</a>&nbsp;X for bringing lawsuits against it in foreign countries as part of &#8220;a vendetta-driven campaign of libel tourism,” the suit alleged.



March 10, 4 p.m.<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2025/03/10/tesla-stocks-election-rally-is-all-gone-erasing-91-gain/">Tesla</a>, the primary source of Musk’s wealth, ends Monday trading down more than 15%, its worst daily loss since September, as the electric vehicle maker became the most notable loser of the Wall Street losses tied to shaky investor sentiment amid President Donald Trump’s tariffs—Tesla stock closed more than 10% lower than it did prior to Trump’s election, wiping out what was once a more than 90% rally, and shares declined over 50% in less than three months.



March 10, 4:30 p.m.Musk sits down with Fox Business’ “Kudlow” and does little to assuage Tesla investor angst,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/03/10/elon-musk-says-hes-running-his-companies-with-great-difficulty-as-tesla-shares-plummet/">saying</a>—in a halting way that went viral on social media— that he’s juggling his Department of Government Efficiency role with his positions at Tesla and his other companies “with great difficulty” and invokes Monty Python, adding to “always look on the bright side of life.&#8221;



March 10, 4:56 p.m.Responding to a thread on Monday being the seventh-worst day in Tesla stock’s 15-year history, Musk&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1899202765781450951" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">writes</a>, “It will be fine long-term.”



March 10, 10:13 p.m.A federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/03/11/federal-judge-rules-doge-must-disclose-records-about-its-operation-to-comply-with-federal-transparency-law/">rules</a>&nbsp;against DOGE for operating with “unprecedented power” and “unusual secrecy,” ordering Musk’s agency to comply with public record requests and increase its transparency.



March 10, 10:18 p.m.Musk&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1899283682851975342" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">replies</a>&nbsp;the “antibody reaction is strong” to a post suggesting Musk “will be blamed for everything,” including the “incoming&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2025/03/08/are-we-suddenly-close-to-a-recession-heres-what-the-data-actually-shows/">recession</a>.”



March 11, 12:14 a.m.Musk’s boss&nbsp;Trump chimes in to support Musk after his bad Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114141854575248527" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">writing</a>&nbsp;on his Truth Social site he will buy a Tesla “as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.”



March 11, 8:22 a.m.Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, long one of the most outspoken voices on Wall Street in Musk’s and Tesla’s corner, publishes a critical note on Musk, saying patience is “wearing very thin” and Musk “needs to step up as Tesla CEO at this critical juncture” as there’s been “little to no sign of Musk” at any Tesla facility since Trump took office.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



$22.8 billion. That’s how much Musk lost off his net worth during Tesla’s Monday nosedive, according to our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/?list=rtb/">estimates</a>. That’s more than the entire $22.7 billion fortune held by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuation">Forbes Valuation</h2>



Musk’s $325 billion net worth still makes him by far the wealthiest person in the world with a $110 billion lead over the next richest man, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($215 billion net worth).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



“The Musk DOGE distractions” have “created a black cloud over Tesla&#8217;s stock” according to Ives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tesla-stock-bounces-back-some-tuesday">Tesla Stock Bounces Back Some Tuesday</h2>



Shares of Tesla gained as much as 6% Tuesday morning, bouncing off of their lowest close since October, before settling into a 1% advance by 11 a.m. EDT, as the market broadly dropped on Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114144217763824399" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">decision</a>&nbsp;to increase tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel imports to 50%. Tesla’s 2025 losses are staggering, as its nearly 45% year-to-date decline makes it the worst-performing company listed on the S&amp;P 500, according to FactSet data.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2025/03/10/why-tesla-isnt-the-ai-powerhouse-musk-says-it-is/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ForbesWhy Tesla Isn’t The AI Powerhouse Musk Says It IsBy&nbsp;Alan Ohnsman</a>

President Trump Returns To White House From Florida

A Timeline Of Elon Musk’s Terrible 24 Hours—A Dark Day For X, Tesla And More

Through Kante, Afrobeats, and his memories of Nigeria, King Charles III underscored music’s power to unite cultures.



King Charles III shared a personal connection to Kante, a song by Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido featuring Fave, recalling how it reminded him of his last visit to Nigeria in 2018 when he attempted to speak Pidgin.



The British monarch made the revelation while presenting The King’s Music Room, a curated selection of 17 songs that have brought him joy, to mark Commonwealth Day 2025.



Among the diverse playlist, Kante stood out, not just for its infectious rhythm but as he said: &#8220;It also features lyrics in Pidgin, which I love in all its forms, and in which I attempted to make a speech when I last visited Nigeria.&#8221; The King said this in a recorded address from Buckingham Palace.



That visit, in November 2018, saw the monarch — then the Prince of Wales — engage with Nigeria’s cultural and political elite in Lagos in partly Pidgin, a lingua franca widely spoken across West and Central Africa.



Departing from his usual polished British English, he greeted dignitaries with a warm &#8220;How you dey?&#8221; (How are you?), drawing laughter and applause.



He even ventured further with the phrase, &#8220;God don butta my bread&#8221;, meaning “God has blessed me,” to acknowledge his return to the country after his first visit nearly three decades.



While he has yet to visit Nigeria as head of the Commonwealth, there were past trips — in 1990 with Princess Diana, then in 1999, 2006, and 2018.



Pidgin, which originated in the 17th and 18th centuries as a trade language between Africans and Europeans, has since evolved into a powerful cultural force.



It dominates Afrobeat lyrics, Nollywood films, and everyday conversations across West Africa.



Recognizing its global appeal, King Charles III noted, “I understand that thanks to Afrobeats, it (Pidgin) is becoming ever more popular around the world.”



During his 2018 trip, he also shared another Pidgin phrase: &#8220;If life dey show you pepper, make pepper soup&#8221;, roughly translating to “life is what you make it.”



“Music has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories, comfort us in times of sadness, and to take us to distant places,” he reflected in his recorded address. “But perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits&#8230; It brings us joy.”

Tag: South Africa

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA