Jeremy’s final 2025 weekly wrap …

This week on Moneyweb@Midday, the focus turned to how South Africans eat, how they are protected, and how they may soon access their money.

Three very different conversations revealed changing patterns in daily life, rising risks in the private security sector, and a potentially major reform to the banking system that could reshape how people withdraw and manage cash.

Read: Moneyweb@Midday wins Best Internet Show at 2025 Telkom Radio Awards

Uber Eats continues to mirror the lifestyle shifts of urban South Africans, according to Cassie Jaganyi of Uber Sub Saharan Africa. New platform data shows food delivery is now woven into everyday routines, with users placing late-night orders, buying groceries in growing volumes, and relying on delivery to free up time that would previously have been spent shopping.

Fried chicken remains the dominant favourite in every major city, confirming comfort food as the most powerful trend in local cuisine.

Jaganyi also highlighted the emergence of highly frequent users, increasingly personalised orders, and the rapid growth of delivery beyond fast food into everyday essentials.

Jaganyi explained that this is not simply a convenience story, but a behavioural one. Delivery services are shaping how retailers respond, how consumers plan their days, and how the broader food and grocery sector competes for loyalty. The data also points to deeper lifestyle indicators, including changing working hours, increasing demand for flexibility, and a willingness by consumers to pay for saved time.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

Questions around public safety came sharply into focus following the assassination of DJ Warras. Chad Thomas, organised crime investigator at IRS Forensic Investigations, warned that criminal elements have infiltrated parts of the private security industry while presenting themselves as legitimate VIP protection providers.

Thomas said this has in some instances created personal militias that blur the line between security service and organised crime.

He argued that the sector has long suffered from weak enforcement and oversight and that the Warras killing illustrates systemic risks rather than an isolated event. Thomas called for far tighter regulation, improved accountability, and stronger vetting systems to ensure that rogue operators do not abuse firearms, uniforms, and authority. He said reform is essential to restore trust in an industry that has effectively become a parallel policing structure in many communities.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

Looking ahead to a structural shift in banking, Professor Jannie Rossouw of Wits Business School outlined the South African Reserve Bank proposal for a single national cash machine network. The plan would convert existing branded ATMs into shared white label machines to lower costs and increase access.

Rossouw said the proposal forms part of a wider effort to modernise the cash ecosystem, particularly for low income and rural users. He said the move could reduce fees and improve fairness in the system but may also affect bank competition and revenue models. Even so, it aligns with international trends toward interoperability in financial services.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

Moneyweb@Midday, South Africa’s Best Internet Show winner at the 2025 Telkom Radio Awards, will be back on the 5th of January 2026.

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