BizNews Radio (OLD)
Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
Only 9 Tech Giants building our AI future – It’s changing humanity
LONDON — We are waking up to the fact that barely anything we do online is private. I had a stark wake-up call when friends were talking about the European ski season on a WhatsApp group and ideas to borrow ski jackets were discussed; one brand name came up and…
Eyeing a US expansion, Adi Kaimowitz's Virtual Actuary takes off
JOHANNESBURG — In a previous podcast with BizNews in 2018, Cape Town-based Adi Kaimowitz told us all about his interesting startup 'Virtual Actuary', which has been dubbed the 'Uber of Actuaries'. Almost a year later and Kaimowitz's model has been hailed globally amid him being invited recently to speak at…
Canada’s cannabis industry lessons - smoking hot, but full of stumbles
LONDON — The South African Constitutional Court ruling in September 2018 on the decriminalisation of marijuana for personal use has increased pressure on the government to change its policy on the cannabis industry. In his Budget speech in February 2019, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni acknowledged that there is a need…
Surveillance capitalism - Your data is the new world currency
LONDON — We are all starting to slowly wake up to the fact that the minute detail of our daily lives that we share when we google, post our pictures on Instagram and Facebook are monitored, turned into big data and sold on to target specific advertisement to our tastes…
Cavalcade of unicorns going public – where should you invest?
LONDON — It looks as if 2019 will be the year when a number of high profile tech companies are going public. Ride-haling company Lyft is first in line, followed by its bigger rival Uber. They are not the only companies who have signalled their intention to float; messaging start-up…
Empowering SA's emerging farmers: The story of Ncebe Jakavule
JOHANNESBURG — It's not often that one hears the stories of emerging farmers in South Africa and the challenges they go through. Amid noise around land reform and the politics that go with it, it's these voices that get lost in the cacophony. So, it was an interesting opportunity to…
Rein in Zuckerberg, says former mentor Roger Macnamee
Facebook is standing first in the firing line of criticism of the big tech companies who are accused of selling users private data, channelling propaganda and fake news and damaging democratic elections. More countries around the world are now starting to talk about regulating Facebook and other social media platforms…
SA-born success story: Lobster Ink trains world's hospitality staff
JOHANNESBURG — Many people in South Africa may have never heard of Lobster Ink before. It's a company that's quietly gone about its business providing online video training to staff in the hospitality and tourism sector. From small beginnings in South Africa, Lobster Ink has grown rapidly to service the…
Empowerment success: How RMB Ventures helped Amsol transform
JOHANNESBURG — In 2016, a consortium comprising dealmakers at RMB Ventures, Pan-African Capital Holdings, MIC Capital Partners and Smit Amandla Marine employees acquired Smit Amandla Marine from a Dutch maritime group. Known as African Marine Solutions Group (Amsol), the new venture that emerged from this deal embarked on a journey of transforming the…
Inspired by late Prof Lester, SmartFunder helps 'missing middle'
JOHANNESBURG — BizNews doesn't only keep its readers up-to-date with the latest happenings in the business world, but it can even inspire new entrepreneurs to kickstart their own exciting ventures. This has been the case with Henco Wiid and Francois Liebenberg who - after listening to Alec Hogg interview the now…
Mboweni hopes Moody's will be as upbeat as Treasury
LONDON — The question being asked by economists tonight is whether Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has managed to avoid a ratings downgrade by Moody’s. At the news conference before the budget speech, Reserve bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago said the banking system had planned for this scenario and that the system…
Finance minister gives Public Protector a verbal snotklap
LONDON — Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has drawn the battle lines with Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane. At a news conference before his budget speech in Parliament, Mr Mboweni came to the defence of his Director-General Dondo Mogajane saying that he is reviewing the report of Mkhwebane that ‘Speedy Dondo’ as…
Eskom warning: SOEs will be put into curatorship if not run properly - Mboweni
LONDON — Finance Minister Tito Mboweni warned the cash-strapped state owned enterprises and Eskom in particular at a news conference before his budget speech that the government will not allow the SOEs to continue wasting tax payers money. Shortly after the conference, he unveiled that Eskom will receive an annual…
Mboweni calls for debate on future of state owned enterprises...
LONDON — Many of the state owned enterprises in South Africa became synonymous with state capture and can be blamed for the economic crisis that the country finds itself in. Looting and sheer incompetence at Eskom, the SABC and SAA pushed them to the brink of financial collapse. At a…
Nowhere to hide for the illicit economy and tax abuse - warning from SARS interim head
LONDON — The man accused of being involved in smuggling cigarettes and falsifying documents, Adriano Mazotti found himself to be in the firing line of a new drive by SARS to clamp down on the illicit economy. High Court Sheriffs attached and removed all movable property from his house and…
25 to 30,000 civil service job cuts will be voluntary – Finance Minister
LONDON — Finance Minister Tito Mboweni announced in his budget that the government will offer early retirement to civil servants which will reduce the public sector wage bill by R20bn over the next three years. He said at a news conference before the speech that early retirement will be offered…
In a drought, but resilient like an aloe – Mboweni on economy
LONDON — There was an acknowledgement by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni that many of South Africa’s economic woes are self-inflicted. At a news conference before his budget speech in Cape Town, he gave the backdrop of his budget and says the Government was taking steps to fix the problems and…
Maverick Tito Mboweni freewheels on his 2019 Budget - the full presser
What a difference a year makes. South Africa's recently appointed minister of finance Tito Mboweni was in great form this morning addressing a packed press conference where he fielded questions around taxpayers' R23bn a year capital injection into Eskom (Tito doesn't like it being called a "bailout"); what would happen…
First it was tobacco – now big food is in the firing line
LONDON — South Africa is high up on the list of the heavy weights in the world when it comes to obesity. Our diet of ‘slap chips’, ‘pap and sheba’ and increasing reliance on fast foods at outlets where you do not even have to get out of the car…
Cold War games in Venezuela? – ex CIA chief Jack Devine
LONDON — The Venezuelan people are bearing the brunt of the socialist policies of their President Nicholas Maduro. Images of people looking for food in the rubbish and telling the world of their plight can be seen daily on news outlets all over the world. But Maduro is blocking aid…