It's a global phenomenon that people are living longer and longer. And while the demand for retirement villages is growing, the supply is not growing at the same pace. To help fill the gap in this market, the multi-award-winning Val de Vie luxury estate between Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands has added to its multigenerational lifestyle offering a luxury retirement village on 34 hectares of land right in the middle of the estate. With the estates top-notch healthcare facilities and rich wildlife, Director of the Evergreen-Val de Vie joint venture Renier Swart tells BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg that he believes it to be the safest, best retirement village in the country. - Editor

Covid-19 has changed the rules of the game for property investors, with retail real estate owners under pressure because shopping centre tenants have been ordered to shut and, with no cash coming in, cannot afford to pay rent. In this sponsored podcast, seasoned real estate investor and property entrepreneur Mr Scott Picken of Wealth Migrate shares how his organisation identified opportunities in medical buildings where doctors are reliable tenants  - before Covid-19 struck. A South African entrepreneur and property investor who has built a global property business, Mr Picken picks up on how the digital revolution is increasingly playing a role in the property investment arena. And, he shares the details of how "collaborative investing" has been gaining popularity, setting out some of its potential risks and rewards. - Jackie Cameron

China kicked off a trend of converting iconic sporting venues into makeshift hospitals, starting in Wuhan with the Hongsham Gymnasium where the Covid-19 virus emerged. From the UK to Canada, other countries have followed suit, adding hotels and other buildings to their hospital capacity in preparation for vast numbers of desperately ill people needing help on ventilators and other specialist equipment. Johannesburg's calabash-style Soccer City is set to undergo a similar conversion. In this podcast with BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg, the architects who conceptualised the iconic stadium discuss the details of how they will transform their symbolic architectural masterpiece into a space where 1,500 people will be treated. Architect Bob van Bebber and director Jean Grobler, of the award-winning firm Boogertman Urban Edge & Partners, were part of a team that included medical experts who, as The Star reports, sketched out the details over 72-hours via the Zoom conference app. - Jackie Cameron

Dr Theuns Eloff, who has just left the FW de Klerk Foundation, has launched a strong appeal that the government should not extend the current lockdown for ‘even another day’. Dr Eloff said he believed that the lockdown has achieved what it set out to do. He also comments on the furore around former President FW de Klerk's recent statement on whether apartheid was a crime against humanity and what that has done to the Nobel peace prize winner's legacy. - Linda van Tilburg

In episode twenty two of Inside Covid-19, highlights of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa historic R500bn Coronavirus Budget; we hear from the architects commissioned to transform Soccer City into a 1 500 bed hospital; an architect of a different kind, Sweden’s scientific advisor who has taken the Scandinavian country away from the lockdown approach of the rest of the world; and two impassioned voices calling for an end to SA’s economic confinement – the spokesman for UCT’s Medical School class of 1993, and Dr Theuns Eloff, former CEO of the FW de Klerk Foundation.

In today's news headlines: * As the number of Covid-19 deaths in South Africa hovers around 60, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his team have found R500bn to boost the economy as it takes strain under Covid-19 containment measures; * Another State Owned Enterprise, this time the Land Bank, is in deep financial trouble, warning that defaults loom; * The Public Enterprises Ministry has promised to work with unions to develop a new airline out of the ashes of SAA; and * Sasol's share price, which has been decimated this year, has been unfairly treated by investors, says Old Mutual.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Government is putting an extraordinary budget in place of R500bn, which is 10% of the country's Gross Domestic Product to fight the coronavirus. This would include the reprioritisation of R130bn within the current budget. The rest of the funds will be raised from local sources, the Unemployment Insurance Fund and global partners and financial institutions. The World Bank, IMF, BRICS Bank and African development Bank have been approached for funding transactions. Mr Ramaphosa also announced increases to social grants and more help to protect jobs. He said he will give more details on Thursday with regards to incremental lifting of the lockdown. - Linda van Tilburg

GG Alcock is uniquely tapped into the informal economy in the townships and has long been a firm believer that it needs to be acknowledged for the entrepreneurial spirit it brings to South Africa. He warned at the beginning of the lockdown that it would be dangerous to deprive the sector selling vetkoek and veggies on the street from their livelihood. His predictions are starting to ring true as communities all over the country are starting to protest against the lockdown and real hunger is starting to set in. In an interview with Biznews, Alcock told Alec Hogg that if the informal sector is not normalised; people will loot or go back to work. – Linda van Tilburg

Clem Sunter is one of South Africa's most respected strategists, making an indelible mark on the birth of the new South Africa which followed his High Road scenario of negotiated settlement rather than the Low Road of political turmoil. In this in-depth interview with BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg, Sunter - a prolific author of strategy books who had a successful career at Anglo American - examines the options that governments have as they start to lift lockdowns designed to contain Covid-19. Sunter also shares his assessment of the mixed signals we have been receiving from the data and research produced on the incidence and transmission of Covid-19 and its death rate. Like Stanford professor of medicine Prof Jay Bhattacharya, who also has a PhD in economics and has concluded that the Covid-19 figures guiding government policies need to be reworked, Sunter points to a delicate balancing act between suppressing economies to save some lives and re-opening business to protect others. - Jackie Cameron

Mr Yusuf Abramjee, head of Tax Justice SA, has campaigned tirelessly for the South African government to bring to book the hardened criminals and dirty tobacco industry companies that have made huge sums on the backs of taxpayers. Although law enforcers were making some headway in pursuing charges in the criminal justice system against some of the villains, under the Covid-19 lockdown illegal trade has exploded. In this podcast, Mr Abramjee describes how industrial-scale illicit cigarette dealing and cross-border smuggling has flourished under the government's ban on the sale of tobacco products. He appeals for a rethink, telling BizNews journalist Jackie Cameron that the government is losing R35m a day in taxes - at a time when it could be shoring them up by allowing smokers to buy their poison through the formal retail sector. - Jackie Cameron

South African Airways (SAA) was at the centre of the state capture scandal, sucking up billions of rands of taxpayers’ funds under former President Jacob Zuma’s friend Dudu Myeni. Corruption and mismanagement have played a key role in pushing SAA towards collapse. The finger of blame has been pointed at the government, and in particular fêted former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, now minister of public enterprises, for allowing the airline to crumble through failure to take action against corrupt ANC-aligned individuals. Although many believe SAA should die, there is a case for resuscitating it. In this podcast with BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg, Forensics for Justice founder Paul O’Sullivan, market watcher David Shapiro and GG Alcock - an expert on informal economies - share many reasons why SAA should be kept going in the interests of the country. - Jackie Cameron

The country that has gone against the trend of locking down their citizens to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is Sweden. It is facing a rash of criticism for their approach, but their scientific adviser, an eminent virologist, professor Johan Giesecke insists that lockdowns are not the right policy to follow. In a straight talking interview with British website, UnHerd, Prof Giesecke said he believed that the British lockdown was based on “rather debatable” data and that strict measures are a problem as you can’t lock people up for extended periods in democracies. He also believes the novel coronavirus fatality rate is closer to 0.1%. - Linda van Tilburg

Man's best friend has been used to sniff out drugs at airports and even to detect cancers. Now the London school of Hygiene and Tropical Disease in the United Kingdom has started a programme to train dogs to sniff out cases of Covid-19 on carriers that may not have other symptoms like fever. This would be particularly useful at the end of the lockdown when ports re-open. Prof James Logan, the head of the School’s Department of Disease Control said the success they have had with dogs in sniffing out diseases such as malaria prompted the decision. He also sheds light on whether we can pass on the novel coronavirus to our pets. - Linda van Tilburg

In today's news headlines: * South Africa’s government is considering a range of proposals to help the economy recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, including the potential sale of a R100bn ($5.3bn) social-impact bond, says Bloomberg; * Tributes are pouring in for property doyen Marc Wainer, founder, former Chairman and CEO of Redefine Properties who has died at the age of 71; * President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised tough action against individuals who have stolen Covid-19 parcels for the poor; * Business leaders and consumers have slammed a government decision to ban the sale of hot cooked food; and * The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones headed lower on Monday following a strong two-week rally as oil prices crashed and investors grew cautious at the start of a week that is likely to bring more dismal quarterly earnings reports and economic data, reports Reuters.

In Episode 21 of Inside Covid-19 we look the end of a lockdown that costs SA R13bn a day, considering how that's likely to happen; also, the Stanford University prof whose research suggests Governments have massively overreacted to the virus; a counter of sorts from SA’s leading scenario planner Clem Sunter; and on a lighter note, how man’s best friend may end up saving the world from a confused post lockdown future – with sniffer dogs being trained to identify those who are Covid-19 positive.

World markets have suffered as Covid-19 containment measures have shut down economies and, in turn, profit prospects for publicly listed companies. But, in a sudden turn of events, US stocks have been powering up. As BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg notes: Wall Street has had its best two weeks in 80 years. Looking back on the year, US equities are only down 10% and tech stocks by a relatively modest 4%. For stockbroker David Shapiro, although the markets have recovered half of what they lost, making up the missing half could be very challenging. In this podcast, long-standing friends and stock-watchers Hogg and Shapiro discuss global developments, including new information that Covid-19 statistics may be problematic. In this podcast, they also dissect local factors that might play into a domestic rebound, covering terrain from the flaws in applying old-fashioned GDP measures to the contemporary environment as well as how the SA economy might come back to life as lockdown eases. - Jackie Cameron

A Stanford professor of medicine who also has a doctorate in economics, prof Jay Bhattacharya has questioned the conventional wisdom on the death rates from Covid-19 that governments all over the world are using to model their responses. He said it is likely to be orders of magnitude lower than the estimates of 3.4% of the World Health Organisation. The death rates, he believes, are much closer to that of flu. He has subsequently concluded a study in Santa Clare Country, California that he released at the end of last week that confirms his claims. In a Youtube podcast, he explained to Hoover Institution fellow, Peter Robinson that the study used an antibody blood test to estimate how many people had been infected. Prof Bhattacharaya said his study meant that governments need to rethink modelling and their policies on Covid-19. - Linda van Tilburg

For many people who live in townships; self-isolation is not really a viable option as people live so close together. It is very difficult for 10 people who live in a tin shack; to stay inside and to avoid their neighbours. Added to this is the fact that they can’t earn any money and fear of food shortages and anger about restrictions on alcohol and cigarettes has led to looting and protests on the Cape Flats and in Alexandra. Dr Jakkie Cilliers from the Institute for Security Studies told Biznews that community isolation might be a better idea for poorer communities and that government needs to work with the leadership of communities to try to persuade them to police themselves. – Linda van Tilburg

This week's full Rational Radio show features the regular in-virtual-studio guests David Shapiro and GG Alcock discussing the impact of Covid-19 on the formal and informal sectors. Plus fascinating interjections with Paul O'Sullivan on an alternative plan to closing South African Airways; and an update from Ian Ambler, co owner of the Pietermaritzburg engineering firm that has make its first respirator in 17 years - resuscitating a product that had been discontinued due to corrupt gatekeepers in the State's health care sector. He's had plenty of orders from desperate buyers, but nothing from SA.

In episode twenty of Inside Covid-19, a two month medical aid holiday for hundreds of thousands of companies, individuals; reality check of how the lockdown is affecting poor people; evidence that Black Americans and Brits are harder hit by Covid-19; and an in-depth report on how the coronavirus made the jump from animals to humans. - Alec Hogg

In today's news headlines: * The Covid-19 pandemic will likely kill at least 300,000 and risks pushing 29 million into extreme poverty across Africa, the UN Economic Commission for Africa warns; * The number of Covid-19 deaths in SA now exceeds 50. There have been more than 3,000 confirmed cases in SA, after more than 108,000 people have been tested, says the South African government; * As the government grapples with finalising a plan to feed a growing number of desperately hungry people amid the Covid-19 national lockdown, shelters say they are seeing starving people who have not eaten for up to a week, says the Sunday Times; * Warring gangs in the Western Cape have made international television headlines as they are working together in an unprecedented truce to deliver much-needed food to people under lockdown; and * Banks are in talks with the government and regulators over a loan-guarantee program largely aimed at keeping small business running, says Richard Wainwright, chairman of the Banking Association South Africa.

As people start to consider what it may look like when lockdowns lift, some are asking whether shareholder capitalism can survive Covid-19. Increasingly, workers are demanding better treatment from their employers and governments are attaching strings to business bailouts. With the fragility of even huge global businesses exposed by the coronavirus shock, many are asking if we can rebuild our economy to be stronger, more resilient, and fairer. The first idea on the chopping block may be bottom-line obsessed shareholder-first capitalism.

For a chilling picture on what the Covid-19 containment plan is doing to South Africa, listen to B4SA and Brand South Africa heavyweight Stavros Nicolaou. He pulls no punches, pointing out that for the economy there is “no good news, only degrees of bad news”. From a health perspective, a spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths will come, too, warns Nicolau. He is Aspen Pharmacare Group’s Senior Executive responsible for Strategic Trade Development and is involved in national strategic discussions on screening and testing for Covid-19 as well as efforts to procure the personal protective equipment necessary to protect medical personnel and others on the frontline. His message to BizNews editor-in-chief Alec Hogg in this podcast is that lockdown should lift soon as the country’s leaders address both the health and economic challenges, albeit unevenly. - Jackie Cameron

In today's news headlines: * South Africa is resilient enough to overcome the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as long as its policies are recalibrated toward economic growth once the crisis has passed, according to the International Monetary Fund; * Business leaders across industries are following President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet in taking about a third of their pay for the next three months and donating the money to a government fund to fight the coronavirus, says Bloomberg; * South Africa’s mobile phone network operator Vodacom said on Thursday that data traffic on its network has jumped 40%, while MTN reports a 30% increase in traffic as people work remotely; * Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk are getting richer, even though much of the world is under financial pressure as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; and * South Africa will allow mines to operate at 50% capacity during a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, says Reuters, which reports on amended government regulations published Thursday.

In episode nineteen of Inside Covid-19, the first easing of the lockdown in South Africa; in-depth interviews with the leader of Business4SA's Covid-19 public healthcare stream and with the founder of the suddenly popular video conferencing company Zoom; a good start for the free online consulting service; and lessons from Germany which has started to ease restrictions on its citizens.