Magnus Heystek runs a successful and burgeoning investment boutique Brenthurst Wealth Management – which just won the Boutique Wealth Manager of the Year Award at the Intellidex Annual Wealth Manager Awards, the ‘Oscars of the investment world’. In this excerpt from the BizNews Finance Friday webinar, editor Jackie Cameron discusses retirement annuities with Heystek, who stresses that there is a crisis developing for people who rely on the traditional methods to fund their retirement – because the instrument that they’re using is busy failing them. To address this crisis, Heystek recommends that, the minute you are over 55, you should seriously consider getting your money into a living annuity where you can get a 100% offshore allocation. – Nadya Swart

In this episode, we hear about what driving patterns tell us about the impact of Covid-19 on the South African economy. Discovery Insure’s Head of Technical Marketing and Vitality Drive engagement, Precious Nduli, speaks to BizNews founder Alec Hogg about the effects of the national lockdown on behaviour, and how this evolved as the country began to re-open. As South African experts explore why death rates may not be as high in the country as elsewhere, an international expert speaks to BizNews about t-cells, which may account for higher immunity in township communities. Immunologist Dr Daniela Weiskopf of the Jolla Institute for Immunology speaks to BizNews reporter Linda van Tilburg about whether immunity is more prevalent in poorer, more crowded communities - and why this might be the case. - Jackie Cameron

In today’s news headlines: - Possible interest rate cut on Thursday; - Bidvest posts 23% drop in headline profit; and - AngloGold Ashanti sells the last of its SA mines to Harmony Gold.

In BizNews founder Alec Hogg's weekly podcast Rational Radio, analyst Sean Peche shares his views on top-performing global growth stocks, including Amazon.

In this interesting interview, Vaccinology Professor Shabir Madhi talks with BizNews Editor Jackie Cameron about a myriad of fascinating topics. The Professor shares his thoughts on the recent halt in the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trials and what that means for other vaccine trials, South Africa's relatively low Covid-19 death rate and gives his thoughts on the lockdown South Africa saw itself going into in late March of this year.

The Cape Independence Advocacy Group is a political pressure group that is hoping to help separate the Western Cape from the rest of South Africa. In this intriguing excerpt from the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg chats to co-founder Phil Craig about the viability of this breakaway.

Just over a quarter of South African adults are believed to have been infected with Covid-19, says Discovery Health CEO Ryan Noach, in a hard-hitting interview with BizNews founder Alec Hogg. In Cape Town's Khayelitsha, about 50% are believed to have contracted the disease. Noach advocates the safe opening of the economy so that there is no second wave. Hogg underscores the 'dire' economic consequences of strict lockdown and that it cost R46m for every life saved.

In today's news headlines: - Sanlam celebrates new business growth of 40%; - Eskom puts strain on mining investment plans; - FirstRand suffers 38% drop in normalised profit; and - George Bizos passed away at 92

In today’s news headlines: - Growthpoint publishes bleak results for the year to end-June; - Momentum suffers 58% fall in headline profit; - Ecsponent announces second probe into dubious transactions; and - Zondo Commission delves deeper into Eskom-Gupta tender.

In this episode, we talk to a data and privacy law specialist Emma Sadleir on the skepticism surrounding Covid-19 contact tracing apps and Professor Shabir Madhi, one of South Africa’s pre-eminent experts on vaccines. Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand, he has published more than 350 studies in his field. Professor Madhi speaks to us about the latest developments in Covid-19 vaccine trials, including the news that the AstraZeneca Oxford trial has been temporarily put on hold. And he shares the details of a study that explores the possibility that South Africans may have developed immunity to Covid-19 as a result of exposure to other, similar diseases. Professor Madhi also sets out how the pandemic might develop - and says he disagrees that SA has a low Covid-19 death rate.

It was recently revealed that Japanese-based SoftBank was behind the "Nasdaq whale" - buying billions of dollars in technology company stock options in the past month. According to the Wall Street Journal, SoftBank bought $4bn in options on stocks such as Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Facebook and Tesla - driving up volumes and contributing to a trading frenzy. In this excerpt from the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg delves deeper into Nasdaq's SoftBank-related drop with market commentator David Shapiro.

In this episode (81) we talk to Professor Christophe Fraser, of the University of Oxford, the man who advised the South African and British governments on the Covid-19 contact tracing app. And we speak to Stellenbosch university’s Professor Wolfgang Preiser, a virology expert of global standing on diseases that jump from animals to humans - and what the latest thinking is on Covid-19, which is a zoonotic disease. He tells us the world did very little to safeguard against a disease they knew about some years back - and he shares his views on the Covid-19 app. - Jackie Cameron

In today's news headlines: - South Africa's second quarter GDP plunged by 51%; - Aspen will sell European Thrombosis business to Mylan; and - Former Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi gives evidence at Zondo Commission.

South Africa possesses many extraordinary people few of us ever hear about until they get pushed into the spotlight by unusual circumstances. Like the Covid-19 pandemic which was grabbed as an opportunity by politicians to stir up fears enabling them to wield unfettered power. In episode two of the Alec Hogg Show, the founder of Biznews.com taps into one of the few consistently dissenting voices. In this podcast, we get to hear what makes PANDA co-ordinator Nick Hudson tick. And discover a well-travelled, widely-read, deep-thinking actuary from a long line of community-focused Eastern Cape physicians who makes his living in private equity and intends becoming an educator. Riveting.

Gaurang Tanna is the head of policy co-ordination and integrated planning at the Department of Health and the ideal person to put together the app that South Africa has launched, for contact tracing.

In today’s news headlines: - A bleak second-quarter GDP figure to be announced today; - Eskom has suspended the managers of two power stations; - Capitec warns shareholders to brace for earnings loss of at least 70%; - Ex-Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona in the hot seat at the state capture inquiry on Monday; and - The Competition Tribunal has approved the sale of parts of Edgars to Retailability.

BizNews founder Alec Hogg speaks to Mark Barnes and Sean Emery - founders of the newly established Kisby Fund who have distilled the intention of the fund into putting money to work into the M of SMEs. While the fund has generated much excitement, Emery and Barnes explain the red tape they are faced with in forging the bridge that is needed between the private equity box and the debt box. As disruptors, they believe that once they have overcome this obstacle and ‘crafted the new’ - many more funds will follow this exact approach of investing into the mid-sized space. - Nadya Swart

Dinesh Govender, CEO of Discovery Vitality, talks to BizNews editor Jackie Cameron about "the world's largest incentives programme" - and how it has been adjusted to continue rewarding its members. Meanwhile, Discovery Vitality members have been using their rewards to help people in need. - Jarryd Neves

In today's news headlines: * The plan to fix Eskom is working. So says Deputy President David Mabuza as South Africa has been hit hard by extended power outages - partly the result of Eskom management ineptitude. * Forensics for justice founder Paul O’Sullivan has stopped a R184m fraud in its tracks by busting a KZN ANC official who tried to steal funds from the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government. * America’s ambassador to Zimbabwe has urged the Southern African Development Community to be more proactive in helping resolve the challenges faced by the country. An SA delegation heads to Harare on Tuesday to help the country fix its problems. * Truworths, like other retailers of non-essential services, has been hit hard by Covid-19 containment.

BizNews founder Alec Hogg speaks to Volker Schütte about what Schütte had to say at the virtual Hulamin AGM regarding the company's staggering loss of approximately R2,5bn over the last 10 years. Schütte has been been in the aluminium industry in South Africa, Shanghai, Singapore, Panama and Germany since 1985. As a shareholder in Hulamin, Schütte poses critical questions to Richard Jacob, the chief executive of Hulamin - who has presided over the massive destruction of Hulamin's value over the last 10 years. Market commentator David Shapiro also joins the discussion with his insight. - Nadya Swart

In the inaugural episode of the Alec Hogg Show, the Biznews founder engages with Paul O'Sullivan, nemesis of the corrupt. In this half hour, O'Sullivan opens up about his Irish childhood that sounds a lot like that in Frank McCourt's classic Angela's Ashes to the reason why he has channelled the fruits of a successful business career into bringing the powerful to society's heel.

In episode 80 of Inside Covid-19, Alec Hogg talks to musician Danny K about the way he is leveraging celebrity status to play a positive role in fighting the pandemic; and we take a close look at how the world is changing tertiary education, perhaps for good, with massive changes on university campuses – in South Africa and abroad.

In today's news headlines: * Comair will require up to R1.2bn of funding and will have to cut a fifth of its workforce to restart operations; * The business rescue plan for Phumelela has been approved and its implementation will herald a new dawn for horseracing in South Africa; * Impala Platinum’s annual earnings jumped by nearly 400% after higher metal prices and a weaker rand offset the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; and * US debt has reached its highest level compared to the size of the economy since World War II and is projected to exceed it next year, says BizNews partner Wall Street Journal.

In this excerpt from the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg chats to Patrick Duff about the future of Phumelela and horse racing in South Africa. Ahead of the creditors of Phumelela voting this week between two offers: one by Mary Oppenheimer and Daughters (MOD) and the other by UK operation Betfred. Duff had been mandated by MOD with the task of advising them around restructuring the assets going forward to effectively help MOD and the South African Racing Restructuring Task Team (RTT) in a way that would be helpful for the future of the racing industry in South Africa. Phumelela’s creditors vote was overwhelmingly in favour of MOD. - Nadya Swart

US debt has reached its highest level compared to the size of the economy since World War II and is projected to exceed it next year, the result of a giant fiscal response to the coronavirus pandemic, says BizNews partner Wall Street Journal. The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that federal debt held by the public is projected to reach or exceed 100% of US gross domestic product, the broadest measure of US economic output, in the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1. That would put the US in the company of a handful of nations with debt loads that exceed their economies, including Japan, Italy and Greece.