In today's news headlines: * President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the alcohol ban - even though it has emerged that the country has lost as much, if not more, in tax revenues as it has received in emergency Covid-19 funding. * Elsewhere there are concerns that the spread of Covid-19 is picking up. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering sealing off Greater London and ordering at-risk members of the population to stay at home under a potential scenario designed to avert a second national lockdown, according to news reports. * South Africa lost more in tax revenue in the first three-and-half months of its fiscal year than it borrowed from the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank combined. * South Africa’s economy could contract by more than 8% this year, if a second wave of Covid-19 cases hits the country and its main trading partners, the OECD says.

Executive for Corporate External and Legal Affairs Microsoft South Africa - talks about the Microsoft Global Skills initiative that has been introduced in South Africa to assist unemployed people or anyone seeking to reorient or improve their skills in the digital world. The additional benefits include job opportunity searches and certifications.

The ANC and its alliance members have been in power since 1994 and it is almost unthinkable to imagine South Africa without the organisation that Nelson Mandela led. Dr Frans Cronjé, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Race Relations, told the BizNews Midweek Catchup webinar that he believes that the demise of the ANC is inevitable and the Covid-19 pandemic could be the catalyst that speeds up the process. Dr Ralph Mathekga said he believes it is unlikely President Ramaphosa will have a second term. – Linda van Tilburg

For the past three weeks I’ve worn an Oura ring, Fitbit, Garmin fitness band and Apple Watch, along with two high-tech skin patches, all packed with sensors. They’ve sent hundreds of temperature readings, blood oxygen levels, heart beats - even cough counts - to my phone. All to find out if I have Covid-19. (I don’t. Confirmed with a real fun nasal-swab test.) Podcast courtesy of BizNews partner Wall Street Journal.

ProductivitySA CEO- discusses the R104m grant from the Department of Labour to help improve small and medium sized operational capacity. He says South Africa’s competitiveness is constrained by some policy choices that must be reviewed and explains what companies can do to improve their capacity and the assistance ProductivitySA gives to businesses to improve their performance.

The 'Emperors of the online economy' testify: The CEOs of Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon appeared before Congress to face questions about anticompetitive behaviour. BizNews partner the Wall Street Journal breaks down lawmakers' showdown with Big Tech.

In today's news headlines: * Diversified miner Anglo American on Thursday said first-half profits fell 39%. * Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa fell deeper into a half-year loss as demand for steel dropped and output declined after operations were shut during a lockdown. * AB InBev says volumes in South Africa have dropped over 60% in the quarter. * Diamond giant De Beers is to axe staff.

South Africa is set to sign up for a R71bn loan from the IMF. What does a loan of this magnitude mean for the country and the future of the economy? Here, BizNews founder Alec Hogg chats to Peter Leon, a partner at Herbert Smith Freehills, about the IMF loan and the terms and conditions South Africa will have to comply with. - Jarryd Neves

Apple is well known for its ability to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to business strategy and product development. In terms of its response to Covid-19, the tech giant has been just as innovative. In February, Apple warned investors that it would fail to meet its previous estimated revenue targets of $63bn to $67bn. It has also donated over $15m to help provide treatment for patients and to try and mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. Siri can even help you figure out your symptoms, guiding you through a series of questions to determine whether you have the virus. In this compelling piece from the Wall Street Journal, we discover why Apple is the company to watch in the fight against Covid. - Claire Badenhorst

We know that Covid19 spreads through close contact, making crowded areas potentially deadly. But when some members of a crowd are immune, that begins to change. This is called herd immunity. It's what's protecting much of the population from diseases like measles and polio, and it's what's driving vaccine efforts today. Listen to the experts explain herd immunity, in this piece courtesy of BizNews partner Wall Street Journal.

In episode 66 of Inside Covid-19, we take a deep dive into what’s killing South Africans, including the relative impact of Covid-19; hear from the Africa partner of a major global law firm why the fine print will make yesterday’s IMF loan a game changer for the economy; we hear how the closing – and opening – of Apple stores is an accurate way to see how the virus is moving around the world; and insights into the working of herd immunity, a concept which some scientists believe will be required before the Covid-19 pandemic peters out. - Alec Hogg

In today's news headlines: * Guardrisk and Old Mutual have opted to settle with small business clients who have claimed for business interruption from Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. * IMF funding could be a game-changer for SA, says lawyer Peter Leon. * Standard Bank has warned of a profit plunge. Banks are preparing for their worst reports since WWII. * Sasol was the best performer at the end of Wednesday.

Insurance companies have refused to pay up for business interruption insurance, insisting that they are not liable for Covid-related shutdowns. But, a court has ruled against them. Instead of giving their clients what is owed, insurers have offered relief payments to some - with the caveat that they are not legally liable. In this interview BizNews founder Alec Hogg asks Willie Lategan, Hollard CEO, to explain the Hollard stance - and whether he thinks the insurance sector can survive this scandal.

Entrepreneur and former Mayor of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba is an independent politician. After resigning from the Democratic Alliance and his mayoral position, Mashaba launched The People’s Dialogue in December with the objective to “engage” South Africans in a conversation about the future of our country. Mashaba has even gone as far as to assure the people of South Africa that come 2021 - he is going to intensify the dismantling of the patronage network, and come 2025 - ‘we will remove the ANC’. In this excerpt from Monday’s Rational Radio webinar with BizNews founder Alec Hogg, Mashaba confirms that The People’s Dialogue will officially be launching at the end of August. - Nadya Swart

Business for South Africa representative Martin Kingston discusses Covid-19 models and fixing South Africa with BizNews founder Alec Hogg. "There are as many models as there are epidemiologists and statisticians as far as I'm concerned. But I feel the one that we have now seen and been shown today is conservative and responsible and gives us the sort of information that we require to be able to give advice to businesses and to input on our advice, indeed to other central stakeholders."

In today's news headlines: * SAA’s rescue plan is ready for implementation say the state-owned airline’s administrators. But funding still needs to be found, that’s according to Reuters which says the plan needs R10bn in new funds to work. * South Africa’s economy is likely to contract by 7.2% this year as a result of Covid-19 shutdowns - and growing debt repayments will hamper its recovery, says the International Monetary Fund. * Kenya’s biggest telecoms operator Safaricom - part-owned by South Africa’s Vodacom - has launched a programme in partnership with Google that allows its customers to pay for 4G-enabled phones in instalments. * RMB Attorneys – a legal firm representing over 340 business interruption claimants countrywide and those insured by South Africa’s biggest insurers including Santam, Hollard, Old Mutual and Guardrisk has slammed “interim once off” payments as a PR ploy.

In episode 65 of Inside Covid-19, some upside from the pandemic as we hear from Martin Kingston that business and government are forging a working relationship that’s closer than ever before, but B4SA expects a surge in cases, mortalities until late August; The Foundry restaurant's owner launches his own Tips For Trevor campaign with a difference; a positive development in the search for a coronavirus vaccine as Moderna, one of the frontrunners, is in the final testing stage and could have a solution by November; and a leading member of SA’s charitable sector waves a flag about SA's mushrooming market in fraudulent PPEs. - Alec Hogg

Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer, has been making headlines in recent months - for all the wrong reasons. Even after a precedent setting and significant court victory between a small Cape Town restaurant and Guardrisk, Santam has not budged on its stance that the lockdown is not covered under its policies. In this podcast, BizNews founder Alec Hogg speaks to Santam CEO Lizé Lambrechts in an effort to try to understand the thoughts behind the insurance heavyweight's decisions. Santam announced at the weekend that it is setting aside R1bn for some of its clients, with the caveat that its bosses continue to believe it is on firm legal footing in repudiating business insurance claims. RMB Attorneys – a legal firm representing over 340 business interruption claimants countrywide - have slammed this relief. - Nadya Swart

We all know about the physical impact of Covid-19. But what effect does the deadly virus have on our mental health? In this interview, BizNews founder Alec Hogg chats to Dr Seranne Motilal, a clinical wellness specialist at Vitality, about the negative impacts that living through a pandemic can have on us and those around us.

In today's news headlines: * President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to take a hands-on approach to Covid-19 corruption - and it appears that he is starting in his own office. * World Bank researchers estimate that an Africa-wide trade deal will lift 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and 68 million from moderate poverty by 2035. * More power cuts loom, with Eskom warning on Monday that it may implement load shedding after six generation units tripped. * Shareholder rights group European Investors VEB said on Monday it supports Steinhoff’s proposal to pay around $1bn to settle outstanding legal claims following a massive accounting fraud, according to Reuters. * The rand rallied on Monday.

In episode 64 of Inside Covid-19, mental health is in focus as the pandemic sends societal stress levels surging - we have some tips on how to know you need help and how to get it; Santam’s CEO unpacks the company’s R1bn relief package for lockdown affected clients; we’ll get insights into why home-bound workers have turned to day trading shares, which now accounts for a stunning 20% of US trading activity; and also from America, companies are now insisting on testing before allowing workers back into the building. - Alec Hogg

Steinhoff has set aside R16.5bn to settle about 90 claims against it. In the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg picks up with stock market expert David Shapiro and asset management heavyweight Thys du Toit, founder of Coronation, on whether the deal looks like a good one for shareholders. Steinhoff was a stock market darling until its share price crashed amid allegations of financial irregularities. Former CEO Markus Jooste stepped away, leaving forensic experts to unpick a web of complex, questionable deals.

Kenton Fine is the London-based executive chairman and founder of Servest, a R10bn turnover, 45,000 employee multinational group. Fine sold Servest for a whopping £540m in 2018 and announced last week that a group of South Africans are getting together to buy Getronics - a Dutch IT services company - for 200 million euros. Fine has teamed up with two other ‘Durban lads’ and a Pretoria boy as ‘a bunch of 'SA boikies' get stuck into this 300m euro global services business’. - Nadya Swart 

South Africans first heard of the US's new day trading force after seeing embattled Sasol shares surge from R20 to R180 in a matter of weeks. Less spectacular price-wise but far bigger in volumes was a tripling in the Tesla share price - the favourite of stay-at-home traders who now drive 20% of the total turnover in US stock markets. Charlie Turner and Michael Wursthorn of our partners at the Wall Street Journal take a look at the new phenomenon that is massively distorting US share prices....

Magnus Heystek, a personal finance expert and former journalist who runs his own investment firm, Brenthurst Wealth Management, has put his own family's money into the Sygnia Oxford Sciences Innovation Fund. This invests in the shares of Oxford Sciences Innovation Plc, a company that has partnered with the University of Oxford to convert its patents and research ideas into commercial enterprises and in select spin-out companies that have achieved scale and success, while having a positive impact on humanity. In this piece, Heystek answers a question at a BizNews Finance Friday webinar about the fund.