BizNews Radio (OLD)
Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
What other countries can teach SA about handling a debt crisis
It’s no secret that South Africa is facing a potential economic crisis. Debt has been rising unsustainably and economic growth is too low to keep up with our debt obligations. This means that the prospect of an IMF bailout is becoming ever-more likely. While South Africans are – rightly –…
P&L: Arming the rebels of Amazon: Shopify COO plus Tesla's $2bn stock offering
Harley Finkelstein, chief operating officer at Shopify, discusses the group's earnings and outlook. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Shopify share price has jumped over 200% in the past year. Plus Kevin Tynan, senior autos analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, on Tesla's latest $2bn stock offering with Paul Sweeney…
The Journal: Nike's Vaporfly shoe is 'magic.' But is it fair?
Runners wearing versions of Nike's Vaporfly show have smashed marathon records, leading to questions about whether the shoe offers an unfair advantage. The Wall Street Journal's Rachel Bachman explains the controversy.
SONA2020: CR 'fixing fundamentals'; Eskom golden handshakes; SAA, Gold, Tesla
In today's business headlines: - President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that the economy is in a crisis and says 2020 is the year to fix fundamentals; - South African gold output surged the most in four years in December, providing an unexpected boost for the country’s mining production; - Eskom…
Listen: President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation address 2020
President Cyril Ramaphosa gave his 2020 State of the Nation speech in Parliament last night which was disrupted for more than an hour by the Economic Freedom Fighters who wanted former President FW de Klerk, who was a guest at the event, to be removed from the chamber. They later…
The Journal: How a spying scandal took down a CEO
Credit Suisse's CEO Tidjane Thiam resigned last week in the fallout from revelations the bank was spying on employees . The Wall Street Journal's Margot Patrick explains…
South Africans not quite glass half full people we perceive ourselves to be – Michael Charton
South Africans are people with a ‘lekker’ sense of humour. This can be seen in how we approach advertisements which reflect our sunny and humorous side and we have the ability to joke about serious matters. But are South Africans really people with a positive outlook? If you listen to…
Anglo exits SA gold mines; Corona fear fades; Data shows Eskom damage; Ramaphosa report card; Investec’s green focus
In today's business headlines: - South Africa’s fading gold industry has a new champion as Anglo exits gold mining in the country; - The JSE has its best trading day in a week as fears over the coronavirus fade but the Rand retreats again after a string of bad data;…
Anti-corruption broom sweeping into Masters of High Court offices accused of predatory behaviour
A Deputy Master at the High court in Mbombela, Bina Masuku who was arrested in November last year for allegedly siphoning off R1.7m from people seeking help with deceased estates, appears to be the tip of the iceberg of problems at Master’s offices who deal with estates, the Guardian’s Fund,…
Inside the disaster called Nampak, alma mater of new Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter
New Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has been burdened with the hopes of a nation long tired of rolling blackouts and high annual tariff increases. With so much at stake, it's not surprising his track record is being scrutinised in great detail. Sources inside the group whisper of the great…
What's News: First Wuhan evacuee tests positive for coronavirus in US; and we go inside a quarantine zone
A passenger flown to the US from Wuhan, China tests positive for the coronavirus after earlier getting a clean bill of health. We also get more from the Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Yang, herself quarantined in San Diego. Charlie Turner hosts.
SAA: Unions fight for jobs, bankers back away; Eskom blamed for unemployment; Zim hunger; coronavirus
In today's business news headlines: * South African Airways continues to teeter on the brink of collapse as unions fight to preserve jobs and bankers warn that no funding will be available until the government delivers a clear plan; * Eskom woes are filtering into economic data, with analysts linking…
The street vendor whose Twitter ‘posts blew up’ – ‘Sandwich Keeng’ Itumeleng Lekomanyane
The official unemployment rate in South Africa increased to 29.1% in the third quarter of 2019; from a rate of 27.5% the year before. Even if there are researchers who say that the statistics are not fit for purpose and do not capture what is really going on in South…
What's News: Coronavirus surpasses bleak milestone; and why US dollar is rallying
The new coronavirus outbreak's death toll surpassed the total people who died as a result of SARS in 2002-2003. Stu Woo has the latest from Beijing. Plus, Andrew Jeong on Parasite's surprise best picture win at the Oscars last night and Mike Bird on why the dollar is rallying. The…
Eskom tariff hike defeat, debt plan rubbished; Angola targets Dos Santos assets; Facebook, Huawei
In today's business news headlines: * Eskom loses court battle to dramatically hike electricity tariffs; * Analysts rubbish a proposal by trade union group Cosatu to use government employee pensions to take over about half of Eskom’s debt pile; * Angolan president takes hard line on state capture by Isabel…
National Prosecution Authority is getting back on track – Bernard Hotz
Johan van Loggerenberg, the former Group Executive Head of the South African Revenue Service has spoken about the toll that he had to carry with the ‘rogue unit’ label. Not only did he lose his job, but the charges against him, SARS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Pillay and Andries Janse van…
SAA Pilot's leader: Appoint experienced CEO and we'll repeat ANZ's turnaround
Captain Grant Back, experienced flyboy and chairman of the SAA Pilot's Association, is convinced the national airline can replicate the turnaround achieved by Air New Zealand, which was revived from dumpster into among the world's most successful. He believes the key lies in the appointment of an experienced and knowledgeable…
Why David Shapiro is nervous about Tesla, Coronavirus and (sigh) Cyril's SONA
David Shapiro, South Africa's original "raging bull", has turned cautious on the big stories of the moment. He explains why in the latest episode of Rational Radio where he likens Tesla to a fan club rather than an investment opportunity; cautions investors to tread warily while there is still so…
David vs Goliath: Dept of Agric-supported counterfeiters messing with wrong lady
A story of exposing skullduggery of the worst kind - where a patented and design protected product owned by a small business has been counterfeited by tenderpreneurs and knowingly purchased by the South African State. But in Groenvoer's co-owner Cathy Khoury-Prinsloo, the crooks are messing with the wrong person. She…
What's News: Uber's $8.5bn loss ignites share price; coronavirus whistleblower's death sparks anger
Li Wenliang became a folk hero in China for his early warnings about the dangers of the new coronavirus - his death from the disease has sparked outrage in China. The Wall Street Journal's deputy China bureau chief Josh Chin has more. Plus, Uber's shares rise despite another billion-dollar loss…