BizNews Radio
Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
Providing data to home schoolers that can't afford it - Alan Knott Craig
The transition from classroom education to home schooling can be easy if you have internet access. One of the Biznews contributors Anton Roux related how his daughter’s day has not changed much during the Covid-19 lockdown as she sits down in front of her laptop for lessons until the school…
Why oil prices fell off a cliff but left Sasol behind: energy expert. LISTEN!
Earlier this week, oil prices plunged into negative terrain. This was an unprecedented move with South African asset management experts noting that they had never seen this development in their careers. In a clear sign that global Covid-19 lockdowns have eliminated demand for oil, pollution levels from oil-related emissions have…
Solidarity Fund to deliver 250,000 parcels as 'food crisis is escalating'
The Solidarity Fund is ramping up its efforts to help with 'a food crisis that is growing across all nine provinces.' The Lead of Human Interventions at the Fund, Nicola Gambolik told a news conference today that they want to ensure that food reaches the right people rapidly. The Fund…
Solidarity Fund approves R1.1bn for PPE, local manufacturers preferred
The Solidarity Fund has spent R1.1bn of the total of R2.6bn it raised on the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment. Jonathan Bloomberg who is the lead for the Fund for Healthcare Interventions told a news conference that that the procurement is a complex process made more difficult by the fall…
Solidarity Fund grows to R2.6bn; approves R1.1bn for PPE
The Solidarity Fund, that was put in place to help South Africa's fight against the Coronavirus has grown to R2.6bn. The Fund has a new board and the interim CEO Nomkhita Nqweni said that it was independent from government. So far the fund has approved R1.1bn for protection equipment for…
Inside Covid-19: Office life after lockdown; Vaccine tests begin; Oil explained; Connecting schoolkids - Ep 23
In episode twenty three of Inside Covid-19 we open a window into what it’s going to be like going into the office post-lockdown; revisit the Oxford University prof who promised a coronavirus vaccine this year – with human trials starting tomorrow; speak to a London oil trader who explains why…
Get the 99.5% that won’t die back to work - UCT medical students of '93
The calls for government to lift the lockdown, even if it is just partial, have been growing louder. Recently, it came from an informal sector expert GG Alcock who told the stories of the street traders who were initially banned from buying from markets and later allowed to sell cold…
Red tape is preventing local company from churning out ventilators – Iain Ambler
The search for ventilators that have become such a scarce commodity during the coronavirus pandemic, as they are critically important for patients who land in intensive care units with breathing problems, has been described as ‘a hunt for a dodo’. Anaesthetists in South Africa have recently been informed that their…
CR Covid-19 crackdown on corrupt cops; Stella pays lockdown fine; Govt might rescue Land Bank; China backlash
In today's news headlines: * About 90 police officers have been arrested for breaching nationwide lockdown regulations. This was revealed on Wednesday by Police Minister Bheki Cele who said that more than 130 civil servants face prosecution in connection with contravening regulations; * Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has paid a R1,000 admission of…
Medical care the clincher for Evergreen lifestyle retirees - Renier Swart
It's a global phenomenon that people are living longer and longer. And while the demand for retirement villages is growing, the supply is not growing at the same pace. To help fill the gap in this market, the multi-award-winning Val de Vie luxury estate between Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek in…
Investing in property in the age of Covid-19
Covid-19 has changed the rules of the game for property investors, with retail real estate owners under pressure because shopping centre tenants have been ordered to shut and, with no cash coming in, cannot afford to pay rent. In this sponsored podcast, seasoned real estate investor and property entrepreneur Mr…
Sporting chance to survive Covid-19: Inside R1bn Soccer City hospital transformation
China kicked off a trend of converting iconic sporting venues into makeshift hospitals, starting in Wuhan with the Hongsham Gymnasium where the Covid-19 virus emerged. From the UK to Canada, other countries have followed suit, adding hotels and other buildings to their hospital capacity in preparation for vast numbers of…
Don't extend lockdown 'even for another' day and FW de Klerk's legacy - Dr Theuns Eloff
Dr Theuns Eloff, who has just left the FW de Klerk Foundation, has launched a strong appeal that the government should not extend the current lockdown for ‘even another day’. Dr Eloff said he believed that the lockdown has achieved what it set out to do. He also comments on…
Inside Covid-19: Cyril's R500bn war chest; Soccer City becoming 1500 bed hospital; UCT Class of '93; Sweden - Ep 22
In episode twenty two of Inside Covid-19, highlights of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa historic R500bn Coronavirus Budget; we hear from the architects commissioned to transform Soccer City into a 1 500 bed hospital; an architect of a different kind, Sweden’s scientific advisor who has taken the Scandinavian country away…
CR finds R500bn to boost SA to ease Covid-19 strain, job creation; Land Bank, SAA failures; Sasol; Rand
In today's news headlines: * As the number of Covid-19 deaths in South Africa hovers around 60, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his team have found R500bn to boost the economy as it takes strain under Covid-19 containment measures; * Another State Owned Enterprise, this time the Land Bank, is in…
R500bn and the fight against Covid-19 - President Cyril Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Government is putting an extraordinary budget in place of R500bn, which is 10% of the country's Gross Domestic Product to fight the coronavirus. This would include the reprioritisation of R130bn within the current budget. The rest of the funds will be raised from local sources,…
People will loot or go back to work if lockdown continues – GG Alcock
GG Alcock is uniquely tapped into the informal economy in the townships and has long been a firm believer that it needs to be acknowledged for the entrepreneurial spirit it brings to South Africa. He warned at the beginning of the lockdown that it would be dangerous to deprive the…
Clem Sunter on lifting lockdown: Diving into depression vs fresh Covid-19 spike
Clem Sunter is one of South Africa's most respected strategists, making an indelible mark on the birth of the new South Africa which followed his High Road scenario of negotiated settlement rather than the Low Road of political turmoil. In this in-depth interview with BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg, Sunter -…
Illegal cigarette industry explodes under Covid-19 lockdown with help from police: Yusuf Abramjee
Mr Yusuf Abramjee, head of Tax Justice SA, has campaigned tirelessly for the South African government to bring to book the hardened criminals and dirty tobacco industry companies that have made huge sums on the backs of taxpayers. Although law enforcers were making some headway in pursuing charges in the…
Paul O’Sullivan, David Shapiro, GG Alcock: SAA collapse is VERY, VERY BAD for SA
South African Airways (SAA) was at the centre of the state capture scandal, sucking up billions of rands of taxpayers’ funds under former President Jacob Zuma’s friend Dudu Myeni. Corruption and mismanagement have played a key role in pushing SAA towards collapse. The finger of blame has been pointed at…