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Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
Diplomats think #Elections2019 went well says analyst Melanie Verwoerd
PRETORIA — With the first results in, a couple of interesting trends are starting to emerge. Very few of the smaller parties are doing well, although one or two might get a seat in Parliament. Political Analyst and former South African Ambassador to Ireland Melanie Verwoerd says the ANC is…
Surprise support for Freedom Front Plus
PRETORIA — With a third of the results in South Africa's sixth general election now in, the Freedom Front Plus has a surprising strong showing. It is a party that openly says it represents white interest in the country, but it has seen growth among Afrikaans speaking members of the…
Hats off to IEC - an example to Africa #Elections2019
Pretoria — South Africans turned out in their millions to vote in the first general election where social media played a major role. And although problems were reported with some voting stations in Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape not opening because of continued unrest, in general the election process could…
It's all systems go for #Elections2019
PRETORIA — South Africans will go to the polls for the country's sixth democratic election today. After a hotly contested election campaign, the politicians will fall silent while voters get the chance to give their say on who they want to rule the country. The first two days of special…
Struggle politics put ANC in driver's seat #Elections2019
LONDON — Most opinion polls on this week’s election give the ANC a majority, anything from the mid-50s to 60%. With the recent tsunami of corruption in the Zuma-era unearthed by the Zondo and Mpati commissions, it raises the question of why so many South Africans would still feel inclined…
Big turnout expected - IEC #Elections2019
LONDON — The long queues before the South African Embassy in London before the polls opened this weekend for overseas voting, is a good indication of how enthusiastic overseas voters are about the 8 May elections. According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), there are 26.7m registered voters for the…
London votes overwhelmingly DA #Elections2019
LONDON — The first votes of one of the most contentious elections in South Africa's history were cast by overseas voters this weekend. With just over a week to go, the expats in the United Kingdom have given some indication of what we can expect in the election on the…
Rabie goes to Lisbon - seeking fellow investors (Golden Visa a bonus)
In the Cape property development scene they don't come bigger than Jonny Rabie. From humble beginnings, his Rabie Property has become an institution in the Mother City. Among its achievements has been the mixed use development of a staggering one million square metres at Century City, which after a slow…
Backtrack: Tito says he'll stay on as finance minister beyond May
LONDON — Trade union movement, Cosatu has never been a fan of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. When he set his sights on the position in 2014, powerful allies on the left flank of the ANC prevented him being considered. His name was withdrawn from the ANC ‘s 2014 Parliamentary list…
Equipping SA kids with smart tech to help them learn better
JOHANNESBURG — Over the last few decades, the world has changed dramatically with the advent of internet technologies together with handheld smart devices. Today, most of us walk around with devices in our pockets that can provide us with any information we desire almost instantly at the press of a…
Lekker! Veldskoens going global thanks to Ashton Kutcher, Mark Cuban
JOHANNESBURG — When Nick Dreyer and two of his mates from school decided to start an online business selling veldskoens about two-and-a-half years ago, they were mainly looking for a clever way to enter the burgeoning e-commerce retail market. They launched their business, aptly named 'Veldskoen', as an e-commerce store…
Does Tim Cook fill Steve Jobs' shoes?
LONDON — When you think of the company Apple, the first person that most of us associate the brand with is Steve Jobs. Jobs was unparalleled at developing new technology that looked so sleek, minimalistic and beautiful, ok I am an Apple fan, compared to other clunky products that competitors turned…
Africa's $1bn unicorn Jumia does an Amazon in New York
LONDON — An e-commerce business has proven that Africa is not only the continent of the Big Five animals, elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards and rhinos, it is also a continent that can grow unicorns, the $1bn kind. There are now three unicorns in Africa, South Africa’s Promasidor Holdings, Cell C and…
Notre Dame donations biggest ever for a disaster
LONDON — The devastating fire at the Notre Dame in Paris that has almost destroyed the 800 year old cathedral has attracted donations from all over the world and the total amount of money is expected to reach €1bn. This is more than any disaster in history which thousands and…
Major boost for SA grain storage with new Afgri investment unit
JOHANNESBURG — Despite a tough economy and the political uncertainty of land reform hanging over South Africa's agricultural sector, Afgri South Africa, with the help of Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), has managed to get a group of investors together to create a new silo investment unit. In a bold new…
Cryptocurrencies should be burnt down in a fire - critic Nicholas Weaver
LONDON — Cryptocurrency and blockchain is a bit like marmite. People are either utter crypto believers advocating how it is free from government interference or are fiercely against it, calling it a glorified Ponzi scheme used by criminals. It was founded a decade ago by a mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto who…
Can 'folk hero' Musk push Tesla to new heights? - Bloomberg debate
LONDON — Tesla had a rocky start to the year with vehicle deliveries down by 31% from 2018’s fourth quarter. But there may be a lifeline for electric vehicle makers including Tesla from American lawmakers. A bi-partisan group plan to introduce a bill to expand federal tax credits for buyers…
Soweto success: Vilakazi Street's famous Sakhumzi Restaurant turns 18
JOHANNESBURG — Soweto's Vilakazi Street is a hive of activity these days, with the street dotted with several restaurants and hugely important historical sites that include the home of former President Nelson Mandela. However, it was only 18 years in 2001 that the first restaurant, Sakhumzi Restaurant, opened in the…
Big guns are coming for Netflix
LONDON — The online video-streaming service Netflix, which many or should I say most of us access for a binge watch of a favourite series or movie has had little competition over the last years. It has been the reigning media stock in the S&P 500 Index for six of the…
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg addresses Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 preliminary report
CAPE TOWN — When vested-interests close ranks and reassure the public that all is well, that’s often exactly the signal for just how wrong things may have gone. A case in point is Boeing admitting that a software fault was responsible for both 737 Max crashes that took 346 lives -…