Business Day Spotlight

The revival of the Zim dollar could see history repeat itself

In a surprise turn of events, the Zimbabwe government, last week announced the end of its multi-currency regime after 10 years. In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we focus on what this move means for the southern African state and possible effects on the region. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza…

2 Jul 2019 27 min

Libra is not a cryptocurrency

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, the focus is on Facebook’s newly announced blockchain-based digital currency and what it could mean for the world’s financial system. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined in studio by Richard de Sousa, Senior Partner at AltCoinTrader - a cryptocurrency exchange that offers buying…

21 Jun 2019 26 min

Government, Eskom & Sasol are on the hook for "Deadly Air"

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we focus on the ongoing environmental legal saga, aptly dubbed the "Deadly Air” case. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined on the line by Bobby Peek, Executive Director at groundWork - a non-profit environmental justice service and developmental organization. Environmental activists have launched…

13 Jun 2019 28 min

Policy uncertainty, and a plummeting GDP cause economic upset 

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we explore the current state of the SA economy as the latest Stats SA data shows the country’s GDP plummeted by 3.2% for the first quarter of 2019. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined on the line by Prof Adrian Saville, economics lecturer…

6 Jun 2019 26 min

"It's a bully tactic" says Chinese Ambassador

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we explore how the US-China trade war could potentially affect the global and SA economies. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined on the line by China’s Ambassador to South Africa to discuss the Chinese government’s position on the ongoing trade negotiations.

31 May 2019 23 min

Huawei vows it will not crack under pressure

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we focus on US-China trade war tensions and the impact they have had on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Huawei vice-president of corporate communications Glenn Schloss, who holds that the company is ready to deal with Washington's…

22 May 2019 16 min

Consumers are fed up with Telcos

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we focus on a new telecoms report as the debate around mobile data prices continues in SA. Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by BrandsEye CEO Nic Ray to talk about their SA Telcos Sentiment Index report, how it came about and the…

2 May 2019 30 min

Unpacking South Africa's decline

South Africa has a well developed and functioning economy resembling that of a first world country but the society seems to have stagnated in a third world state for decades says Claude Baissac, CEO of Eunomix - a research and advisory firm that assesses countries on a number of metrics to determine their economic…

25 Apr 2019 39 min

South African consumers are going through the most.

South African consumers are going through the most. In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we discuss pressures felt by the country’s citizens through the lens of Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Retail Sales figures released earlier this week. The discussion highlights the fact that there is no one issue…

18 Apr 2019 31 min

The DA didn’t win the 2016 election, as much as the ANC lost it ​

As South Africa draws near to its sixth national general election, scientists are hinting that political players seeking favour at the ballot in May should be paying attention to the data and demographics. In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we discuss the upcoming general election, how demographic data may…

11 Apr 2019 32 min

Behind the SARS wage agreement

Representatives from SARS and PSA discuss the agreement that was reached between the organisation and trade unions yesterday, following several days of industrial action. We take a look behind the scenes of the negotiation, to find out what unions and the employer had to concede in order to reach a…

3 Apr 2019 30 min

An inside look into inflation decisions

Nedbank chief economist Dennis Dykes predicts that a weak economy and lower inflation will convince the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) to keep interest rates on hold in its upcoming announcement. Join Business Day reporter Mudiwa Gavaza in studio this week, as he gets an inside look into what…

27 Mar 2019 19 min

“Eskom is South Africa’s Brexit”

Business Times editor Ron Derby states that Eskom is South Africa’s Brexit. In studio this week, Derby provides potential solutions to the country’s energy crisis. He states that future of South Africa’s economy will be dependent on establishing proper governance, adequate maintenance and a feasible long-term funding model that allows…

22 Mar 2019 25 min

Consumers and industry are under pressure

Business Day editor Lukanyo Myanda has Business Day industrial writer Siseko Njobeni and economics writer Sunita Menon in studio this week. They report that interest rate hikes are resulting in subdued industrial and consumer spending. Further, uncertainty around the coming elections has stunted business confidence, resulting in the lowest business…

15 Mar 2019 15 min

The dark side of renewables

With the local energy sector severely struggling, independent economic risk consultant and former MD of Econometrix Rob Jeffery warns against renewable energy and the potential damage it could cause to the local economy and the average man.

14 Mar 2019 27 min

Declining ANC supporter base

A new poll by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has shown that support for the ANC is declining ahead of the national elections in May. The poll revealed the ruling party currently enjoys the support of 54.7% of voters - a 1.3% decline since December. As of February, ANC…

8 Mar 2019 15 min

Corporate news of the week

South Africa's large technology and media corporates have captivated market news for the past week. Join Business Day editor Lukanyo Mnyanda and senior business writer Nick Hedley, as they dissect the recent JSE performance of Vodacom, Blue Label, Multichoice.

1 Mar 2019 15 min

How do you fix a mess like Eskom?

After a week of load shedding in which Eskom had to remove an unprecedented 4,000 MW of supply from the grid, the crisis at the state-owned power utility is front of mind for many South Africans. Join Business Day deputy editor Jana Marais and Writer at large Carol Paton as…

18 Feb 2019 17 min

Reflecting on the 2019 Investing in African Mining Indaba

After a tumultuous decade in the local mining sector, all eyes were on President Ramaphosa at this years Investing in African Mining Indaba. Join Business Day deputy editor Jana Marais and Mining and energies writer Lisa Steyn in studio as they reflect on the highlights of the Indaba.

7 Feb 2019 17 min

Stephen Koseff interview - Part 4

After forty years at the helm of Investec, in which he took the obscure finance leasing company started by Ian Kantor in 1974, to a financial institution straddling South Africa and the United Kingdom that oversees assets equivalent to R4 trillion, Stephen Koseff stepped aside as CEO at the end…

10 Dec 2018 27 min