BizNews Radio (OLD)
Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
Sub Saharan borrowers unfazed by Emerging Markets turbulence
There are advantages to coming off a low base. As their financial sectors start catching up to the world’s more sophisticated markets, Sub Saharan African countries have been growing their global borrowing presence. So how have they been impacted by recent rocking of the Emerging Market boat through the well…
Here's how CEOs and school principals can fix SA education
JOHANNESBURG — Over the last few weeks, I've been interviewing business leaders and school principals involved in something called 'Partners for Possibility' (PfP). It's a programme that is helping to empower schools by focusing on something that is often overlooked in this vital sector: leadership. By getting business owners and…
The Editor's Desk: The VBS scandal, Zuma, and the Limpopo ANC
The VBS Bank scandal dominated news headlines this week and in today's episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan break down the latest we've learned. We look at the role ANC leaders in Limpopo played in facilitating the scheme and explore the possible links between VBS and the Zuma family. As…
Meet Bulelani Balabala: The man inspiring township entrepreneurs
JOHANNESBURG — There are two things that will solve South Africa's economic woes over the long-term. The first is improved education standards, particularly at primary and secondary school levels. Our feeder systems into tertiary level need to be of the very highest standard, but right now they're a complete mess…
Stephen van Coller on his plans for fixing up EOH, driving 4IR
JOHANNESBURG — Financial services veteran Stephen van Coller left a top job at MTN to join EOH Holdings in September this year. As EOH's new group CEO, a lot is riding on van Coller to turn around the IT company, which has faced several scandals, a falling share price and…
The Editor's Desk: A look behind the latest events at Steinhoff
Steinhoff shareholders seemed to breath a sigh of relief this week when Steinhoff-owned retailer Mattress Firm managed to secure an eleventh-hour bank bailout. But is this really the good news it seems, and what may be behind the deal? Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan dig into events at Steinhoff as…
Burger King's years of losses in SA pile pressure on Grand Parade
JOHANNESBURG — JSE-listed Grand Parade Investments is a food and gaming company that boasts brands such as Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, and SunWest International, but it has gone through a rough time of late. Just last week it reported a net loss of R106m, while its share price has fallen…
Futuregrowth invests in SA’s first-ever ECD social impact bond
JOHANNESBURG — Futuregrowth Asset Management, acting on behalf of client funds, recently concluded an investment in the Impact Bond Innovation Fund (IBIF), a South African outcome-based financing mechanism that seeks to improve early childhood learning and development (ECD) outcomes in the Western Cape. The IBIF, a social impact bond, is…
Why smoking could be banned inside your own home in SA
JOHANNESBURG — The tobacco industry and smoking are controversial topics in South Africa. But a newly proposed bill appears - on the surface - to risk basic civil liberties and entrench what could be interpreted as a nanny state. The Draft Tobacco Bill intends banning smoking in your own home and…
The Editor’s Desk: Why did Ramaphosa say what he said in NYC?
Cyril Ramaphosa spent some time in New York last week, and while he was there, managed to insert his foot firmly in his mouth by denying that South Africa has a land grab crisis or any farm murders. It was a strange lapse for a careful politician and in this episode, Alec Hogg and…
The Editor's Desk: Stimulus plan – Ramarecovery or Ramafailure?
In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan discuss the proposed SA stimulus package, asking whether it's going to spell Ramarecovery or Ramafailure. Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined a plan to boost investment in the hopes of reigniting growth and launching South Africa out of recession. Many questions, however, remain. Much…
How PfP totally transformed Tembisa's Khula Sizwe Primary School
JOHANNESBURG — In this podcast, Louisa Mvelo - who is the school principal of Khula Sizwe Primary School in Tembisa - tells us how the Partners for Possibility programme has helped completely transform and improve her school. It's an example of what can be done to vastly improve South Africa's…
Imtiaz Patel: 'We anticipate MultiChoice will be a Top 40 JSE-listed company'
JOHANNESBURG — Naspers' announcement that it intends to separately list and unbundle its video entertainment business as MultiChoice Group on the JSE has been seen as Naspers' first step in unlocking its stock discount in relation to its 31% Tencent stake. While Netflix and Amazon are starting to eat MultiChoice's…
We won't see a repeat of Bell Pottinger - PRCA's Francis Ingham
JOHANNESBURG — It was just over a year ago, on 5 September 2017, that I interviewed Francis Ingham, the Director General of the PRCA. At that time, the PRCA had made the extraordinary decision to expel Bell Pottinger from the organisation amid the dodgy work it did for the Guptas…
The Editor's Desk: Digging inside the Investec banking/AM split
Investec is splitting up into a London-based asset management business and a South Africa-based bank. It's an unusual move in a sector that prizes size and synergy, yet the share price has reacted favourably to the news. In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan dig into the Investec announcement…
Hard times in SA: How to start moving your wealth offshore
JOHANNESBURG — Sable International has become known as the experts when it comes to moving your wealth (or yourself) offshore and taking advantage of the likes of Portugal's Golden Visa programme. But there's a statistic in this interview with Sable International's Andrew Rissik that stood out for me. Amid recent…
Egypt now Africa's top economy and most investible; SA slips back
The latest update of RMB’s superbly researched Where to Invest in Africa listing arrives at an opportune time. Another Emerging Market crisis, sparked by ructions in Turkey and Argentina, is making it more important than ever for developing countries to differentiate themselves. Investors have become increasingly discerning – paying ever…
Investec Asset Management's John Green on China, state of SA
JOHANNESBURG — Amid the legendary Stephen Koseff stepping down officially from Investec on 1 October 2018, there's a group of executives about to move up the ranks at the financial institution. One of those executives is John Green who, come 1 October, will along with Mimi Ferrini be stepping up…
Court judgment is good news for existing, new SA emigrants to UK
Relocation to a new country is challenging. The decision itself is not easy. Even the most rational of beings find it difficult to overcome emotional aspects like the familiarity of people and places, the in-built understanding of how things work, and aversion for change that’s embedded in all of mankind…
MTN's woes in Nigeria: Analyst Dobek Pater on what's gone wrong
JOHANNESBURG — The situation for MTN in Nigeria continues to be fluid as the company indicated on Monday that it will be turning to the West African country's courts to fight $10bn in claims from the Nigerian government. Nigerian officials have accused MTN of illegally transferring $8.1 billion out of Nigeria…