BizNews Radio
Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
Best of 2021: Enough already. The brutally honest Open Letter to Ramaphosa that’s buzzing on social media
Foreigners often confuse “South African Speak” for rudeness or arrogance. A bit like the Dutch, people from the Southern Tip of Africa lack the diplomacy gene. They genuinely prefer straight and plain. Uncoded. Ever since the transition in 1994, however, much was left unsaid. For most, despite its record of…
Best of 2021: The UGLY truth about the Covid-19 lockdowns – Nick Hudson, co-founder of PANDA
PANDA (Pandemics – data and analysis) has been outspoken with regards to the policy-makers’ reaction to Covid-19, lockdowns and other approaches to the virus. Its viewpoints have ruffled feathers over the past year, with many in the establishment openly hostile towards the group of actuaries, accountants, economists and other professionals…
Kisby SME fund has initial R250m in "lifesaver" loans - seeking entrepreneurs with dreams of AltVest, CTSE listings
It's been a year and a half since the Kisby SME Fund announced its intention to raise capital that would support high quality South African SMEs hammered by Covid - and in need of low cost loans. Its initial call to action attracted thousands of requests, with 350 companies having…
There’s a silver lining in the dark cloud of corruption – reflections on nine years at Corruption Watch – David Lewis
Myriad problems in South Africa, including rolling blackouts, water shortages, a shaky health system and trains that no longer run can be attributed to corruption in the country. Since January 2012, Corruption Watch has fearlessly embarked on an ambitious project to mobilise the public to report experiences with corruption and…
Psychologist Ros Nealon-Cook on a dystopian Australia, psychological impact of Covid, lockdowns and related restrictions
In mid-October, BizNews journalist Nadya Swart spoke to Ros Nealon-Cook, a psychologist & functional medicine coach based in the Blue Mountains – a region west of Sydney in Australia’s New South Wales. Ros, a (former) Registered Psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia, a licensed Medicare provider, Functional Medicine Certified…
An African ‘kicked out of Africa’: a departed Saffa’s heartbreak
The valiant vulnerability demonstrated in this anonymous South African poem will undoubtedly speak to the affliction carried by countless South Africans. So often, those South Africans who have made the decision to depart our dear country will go on to vehemently report their decision to do so was unquestionably correct…
Tekkie Town's Bernard Mostert: Explaining settlement that delighted Steinhoff shareholders (and doubled the share price)
After four years of litigation, the former owners of Tekkie Town have reached a R1.2bn deal with Steinhoff, opening the way to a credible future for the massively defrauded business. Three weeks ago, before talks between the parties began, Steinhoff shares traded at 180c. Since news of the deal broke…
Ingwe: secure, off-the-grid estate living meets Plett’s natural beauty – Craig Young of INEX Developments
As 2021 comes to a close, many are heading off to their favourite holiday destinations for a much-needed break. Plettenberg Bay remains one of South Africa’s favourite vacation spots and, if you’re en route to the coastal town, there’s a project that is well worth checking out. Craig Young of…
The art of deal-making – Afrimat’s Andries van Heerden
Chief executive of Afrimat, Andries van Heerden, talks about the art of deal-making, as the mid-tier miner has recently acquired Glenover Phosphate. Afrimat’s management is known for being one of the best capital allocation teams in the JSE. The share has been a star performer on the local bourse for…
Magnus Heystek's new car - NOT funded by Old Mutual
Magnus Heystek sits down with BizNews founder Alec Hogg on the final BizNews Power Hour for 2021. The hard-hitting Heystek compares the largest SA-focused equity fund within the Old Mutual stable to a US Franklin Templeton opportunities fund over the last 10 years, with more than a four-fold differential in…
Magnus Heystek's new car - NOT funded by Old Mutual; Afrimat's Van Heerden; Plett's off-the-grid Ingwe; Maggs and Zondi
In the final episode of the BizNews Power Hour for 2021, Magnus Heystek uses the price of a Hyundai car over the past decade to explain how SA-focused retirement savings have massively under-performed - courtesy of misguided Regulation 28 legislation; Craig Young shares the vision and development of Ingwe, an…
UK removes South Africa from its travel 'red list'
Our UK correspondent Linda van Tilburg joins us with some good news: South Africa has been taken off the United Kingdom's 'red list' travel ban. The decision to move South Africa off the list was expected, with many critics saying the country was unfairly treated when the Omicron variant was…
BPH: Nathan sees better '22; Discovery data confirms mild Omicron; SA off Red List; BizNews portfolio
A good news episode of the BizNews Power Hour with Discovery's vast database confirming the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is less threatening to humans, especially those who've been vaccinated; SA is being removed from the UK's Red List providing a late Xmas boost for its tourism sector; Steven Nathan unpacks…
Gardening leave to do list with 10X founder Steven Nathan
South African passive investment pioneer Steven Nathan, who founded 10X Investments, gives his experience of ‘garden leave’ as Old Mutual Private Equity paid up for fund manager. Steven says that it’s still important to keep abreast of topical investment and political news, as well as spend time with family and…
Cape Town Stock Exchange welcomes ninth listing
It’s been quite a week for the Cape Town Stock Exchange (CTSE), welcoming its ninth listing. Joining BizNews is the CTSE’s chief executive Eugene Booysen and Renier de Wit of Gaia Fund Managers. When asked why he chose the CTSE and not the JSE, De Wit remarked that the team…
BPH: Shapiro's learnings from 50 years on the JSE; Netcare's Friedland on Omicron hope; CTSE's new listings.
South Africa's favourite stockbroker, David Shapiro, shares what he has learnt from half a century of following his passion as a stockbroker and investment professional; Netcare CEO Richard Friedland shares evidence which shows the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is a big step forward for a country that desperately needs to…
What I've learnt in 50 years on the JSE - David Shapiro
David Shapiro shares his pearls of wisdom after nearly 50 years as a trader and investor on the JSE. David started his career on the trading floor and has seen the rise of some incredible businesses over the past five decades. His father, Archie, was also a legend of the…
How 40 years of bringing scoops of joy to Bloubergstrand led to pension for Uncle George
In Bloubergstrand in the Western Cape, there is a well-known face that has been selling ice cream to the local community since the 1970s. He is 71-year-old George Phontshe Peni from Khayelitsha and many people in the area have a story about the kind heart of ‘Uncle George’ as he…
10 000-bed Netcare's CEO confirms early optimism on Omicron - fractional mortalities, few admissions, minimal oxygen use
The CEO of leading South African private hospitals group Netcare says the 10 000 bed establishment has had just 22 Covid-19 mortalities in the past month compared with up to 50 per day during previous waves of infection. He says early indications are the virus is mutating just like the…
NEASA’s Gerhard Papenfus: there are better pandemic-fighting options than mandatory vaccines
NEASA’s chief executive Gerhard Papenfus joined BizNews founder Alec Hogg to discuss a hot topic: mandatory vaccines. Expropriation without compensation and a number of other concerns facing South African business are things NEASA has taken head on, Papenfus says the issue of mandatory vaccines is probably one of the toughest…