In today's business headlines: - President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that the economy is in a crisis and says 2020 is the year to fix fundamentals; - South African gold output surged the most in four years in December, providing an unexpected boost for the country’s mining production; - Eskom has begun offering managers voluntary severance packages as part of a programme to cut costs; - South African Airways may sell its two prized night-time operating slots at London’s Heathrow Airport as the state-owned carrier battles to stave off financial collapse; and - Tesla is selling about $2bn of common stock, taking advantage of its surging shares just two weeks after Elon Musk said raising capital didn’t make sense.

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave his 2020 State of the Nation speech in Parliament last night which was disrupted for more than an hour by the Economic Freedom Fighters who wanted former President FW de Klerk, who was a guest at the event, to be removed from the chamber. They later also insisted that Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan be removed. In his speech President Ramaphosa said this year was the year to fix the fundamentals in South Africa and he acknowledged that the country was facing the stark reality that the economy has not grown at any meaningful rate for over a decade.

Credit Suisse's CEO Tidjane Thiam resigned last week in the fallout from revelations the bank was spying on employees . The Wall Street Journal's Margot Patrick explains...

South Africans are people with a ‘lekker’ sense of humour. This can be seen in how we approach advertisements which reflect our sunny and humorous side and we have the ability to joke about serious matters. But are South Africans really people with a positive outlook? If you listen to conversations around the braai and comments on social media, it is clear that South Africans are presently exceptionally negative about the country and its future. And who can blame us as we grapple with electricity blackouts, economic growth that barely registers on a graph; rating agencies waiting to tell us that our economy is junk and people ready to blame it all on race. Michael Charton, the inventor of ‘My Father’s Coat’ found this attitude reflected in a book that he found in London by Bobby Duffy about human misperception, which helped him to get a better idea of human bias and why humans are attracted to negative news. And the book dispels our perception of ourselves as funny people who can roll with the punches.  Duffy said South Africans perceptions about reality were the worst out of 40 countries. He discusses this and a book that provides more insight into the American psyche with fellow bookworm Alec Hogg. - Linda van Tilburg

In today's business headlines: - South Africa’s fading gold industry has a new champion as Anglo exits gold mining in the country; - The JSE has its best trading day in a week as fears over the coronavirus fade but the Rand retreats again after a string of bad data; - How much Eskom has hurt South Africa’s economy is starting to show up in official data with manufacturing production falling the most in five and a half years in December; - A report card for President Cyril Ramaphosa by Bloomberg indicates that the economy has shrunk, unemployment has increased with investment levelling off but there have been improvements in governance at Eskom and SARS is being rebuilt; and - Investec says it is upping its climate investment and is increasing its focus on environmental, social and governance issues to bolster its profits and address concerns raised by investors over climate change.

A Deputy Master at the High court in Mbombela, Bina Masuku who was arrested in November last year for allegedly siphoning off R1.7m from people seeking help with deceased estates, appears to be the tip of the iceberg of problems at Master’s offices who deal with estates, the Guardian’s Fund, trusts and insolvency. In another instance, 45 000 files at the Master in Pretoria is said to have gone missing. There are also several complaints against the Acting Chief Master Theresia Bezuidenhout who is accused of interfering in disciplinary cases against Deputy-Masters and of irregular expenses. At the end of last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the Special Investigation Unit a year to investigate the allegations which lead to the countrywide closure of all Master’s offices for two days last week during which the SIU raided and seized desktops and laptops it had identified as necessary for the investigations. Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said he wanted to close all the loopholes that currently existed and restore offices that work for minors, orphans and widows. The investigation has been welcomed by insolvency practitioners. René Bekker, the Chief Operating Officer at the South African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association (SARIPA) told Alec Hogg that working with the master’s offices around the country was a challenge. - Linda van Tilburg

New Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has been burdened with the hopes of a nation long tired of rolling blackouts and high annual tariff increases. With so much at stake, it's not surprising his track record is being scrutinised in great detail. Sources inside the group whisper of the great job he did at Sasol when charged with turning around one of the energy group's problem children. But that success was not replicated after he became CEO of troubled packaging group Nampak in 2014 - long-suffering shareholders experiencing a 90% meltdown in the value of their investment while De Ruyter was at the helm. Chris Logan of Opportune Investments, who has been jousting with the Nampak board of directors for years, posed some tough questions at yesterday's Annual General Meeting. Logan shares them with us - and in the wake of the disaster De Ruyter left behind, applies his mind to the obvious question of whether Eskom's new CEO is the right person for his new hot seat. - Alec Hogg

A passenger flown to the US from Wuhan, China tests positive for the coronavirus after earlier getting a clean bill of health. We also get more from the Wall Street Journal's Stephanie Yang, herself quarantined in San Diego. Charlie Turner hosts.

In today's business news headlines: * South African Airways continues to teeter on the brink of collapse as unions fight to preserve jobs and bankers warn that no funding will be available until the government delivers a clear plan; * Eskom woes are filtering into economic data, with analysts linking widespread power cuts in December to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs; * Power cuts are also feeding into a decline in manufacturing output; * The Zimbabwe government has warned of severe food shortages, blaming a drought for the lack of maize, a staple; * Travellers are panicking about coronavirus but widespread fear has not translated into suppressed equities. Analysts give three reasons why investors may have nothing to fear from the nasty virus that has claimed at least 1,000 lives and has infected more than 40,000 people.

The official unemployment rate in South Africa increased to 29.1% in the third quarter of 2019; from a rate of 27.5% the year before. Even if there are researchers who say that the statistics are not fit for purpose and do not capture what is really going on in South Africa; what remains undisputed is that we have a huge unemployment problem in the country. The hardship of the jobless makes the story of a Johannesburg father who found a way not only to find income for himself, but started creating jobs for others in just six months, is particularly moving. He is Itumeleng Lekomanyane who took the last R800 he had that was supposed to go for maintenance for his daughter and started a sandwich business, which he managed to grow quickly and now he even employs other people. Itumeleng gave it a modern spin; he told Biznews that he uses social media to promote his business and get feedback from his customers to improve his products. - Linda van Tilburg

The new coronavirus outbreak's death toll surpassed the total people who died as a result of SARS in 2002-2003. Stu Woo has the latest from Beijing. Plus, Andrew Jeong on Parasite's surprise best picture win at the Oscars last night and Mike Bird on why the dollar is rallying. The Wall Street Journal's Kim Gittleson hosts.

In today's business news headlines: * Eskom loses court battle to dramatically hike electricity tariffs; * Analysts rubbish a proposal by trade union group Cosatu to use government employee pensions to take over about half of Eskom’s debt pile; * Angolan president takes hard line on state capture by Isabel dos Santos, daughter of the former president and Africa’s richest woman; * Billionaire Pieter Thiel dumps more Facebook stock; * Donald Trump snubs Boris Johnson as bromance sours over Huawei deal in UK; and * Coronavirus hasn’t yet filtered through to the global economy, even though nearly 1,000 people have died, says Reuters.

Johan van Loggerenberg, the former Group Executive Head of the South African Revenue Service has spoken about the toll that he had to carry with the ‘rogue unit’ label. Not only did he lose his job, but the charges against him, SARS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Pillay and Andries Janse van Rensburg of illegally intercepting communications at SARS led to the deterioration of his health and Van Loggerenberg could no longer afford to pay for his mother’s home. Last week the criminal charges against the three were finally withdrawn by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shamila Batohi. The so-called ‘Rogue Unit at SARS’ was a narrative used by the state capturers since 2014 and became the weapon of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, who is accusing Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan of illegally establishing the unit when he was SARS Commissioner. But, the fable of the rogue unit at SARS is slowly being deleted as the fightback against state capture gathers momentum. Bernard Hotz from Werkmans Attorneys who represented the three former SARS employees told Alec Hogg that the National Prosecution Authority was hopefully being restored under Batohi’s guidance. - Linda van Tilburg

Captain Grant Back, experienced flyboy and chairman of the SAA Pilot's Association, is convinced the national airline can replicate the turnaround achieved by Air New Zealand, which was revived from dumpster into among the world's most successful. He believes the key lies in the appointment of an experienced and knowledgeable chief executive, and the sooner the better. Stressing the urgency, Back, whose organisation speaks for over 99% of SAA's 540 active pilots (only three are not members) shared his thoughts on this week's episode of Rational Radio. He maintains SAA's pilots are keen to be part of a successful solution for the airline - and is convinced there is one. - Alec Hogg

David Shapiro, South Africa's original "raging bull", has turned cautious on the big stories of the moment. He explains why in the latest episode of Rational Radio where he likens Tesla to a fan club rather than an investment opportunity; cautions investors to tread warily while there is still so much uncertainty about the coronavirus; and reckons the President's State of the Nation Speech will be more of the same muddling through without addressing any of the urgent issues. Love him or not, SA's favourite market commentator always makes for great listening. - Alec Hogg

A story of exposing skullduggery of the worst kind - where a patented and design protected product owned by a small business has been counterfeited by tenderpreneurs and knowingly purchased by the South African State. But in Groenvoer's co-owner Cathy Khoury-Prinsloo, the crooks are messing with the wrong person. She hired a patent lawyer and is determined to see the matter through to its ultimate conclusion. Having been a former colleague of hers, from what I know of Cathy, there will only be one winner in this scrap. And it won't be the public servants and the crooked cohorts they are protecting. - Alec Hogg

Li Wenliang became a folk hero in China for his early warnings about the dangers of the new coronavirus - his death from the disease has sparked outrage in China. The Wall Street Journal's deputy China bureau chief Josh Chin has more. Plus, Uber's shares rise despite another billion-dollar loss. Kim Gittleson hosts.

In today's business headlines: - The administrators for SAA have defended their decision to cut routes as part of a turnaround plan after objections from President Cyril Ramaphosa, the government and labour unions saying they intend to make the airline commercially and operationally sustainable; - Cosatu has recommended that at least 10% of all pension funds, whether private or government owned be invested in government bonds geared towards social investment and employment creation; - Health officials in Africa are bracing themselves for the worst of the coronavirus and South Africa is according to Bloomberg one of the countries especially at risk according to the World Health Organisation while an airline doctor says "forget masks, wash your hands." - The South African Government is seeking to unlock stalled arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates by amending a clause in an export document that requires the inspection of the countries facilities to make sure weapons aren’t transferred to third parties; - Loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 1 this week with Eskom stating that there will be blackouts the whole week.

In January 2019, Alphabet – the parent company of Google – was dropped from the Biznews global portfolio after delivering returns of over 100% in four years. Since the global portfolio sold the share at $1,091, it has risen to just under $1,480. But as the latest results illustrate, the things that worried us last year are still prominent concerns. In this podcast, which features content from The Wall Street Journal’s Tech News Briefing, Felicity Duncan explores Alphabet’s latest results and ask the question: Did we make the right call?

It is not uncommon for people who are going through a life threatening disease like cancer or even a major emotional upheaval, to consider changing their lives and their diets drastically. There is also with greater awareness of what we are doing to our planet a big shift to a meat-free diet. But these diets mean that our bodies may be lacking many nutrients such as iron and Vitamin B12 and most importantly; many find that they have to add some kind of protein to their diets. This is what Catherine Clark found when she wanted a major change. And when she could not find the products she wanted locally; Clark searched overseas and started the company The Harvest Table with her own blend of products which contain collagen. - Linda van Tilburg

The best interviews are often those where listeners have a sense of eavesdropping in on an interesting conversation. That's the feeling you're sure to get from this podcast featuring anti-apartheid icon Peter Storey focusing on his newly published book, I Beg To Differ. Storey is as forthright now as when he was internationally famous for his Pulpit Activism during the darkest days of apartheid. It's a fascinating discussion in which the former head of the Methodist Church in SA urges his theological successors to become more vocal - and to remember their Christian duty lies with supporting and representing the poor and downtrodden, and not to cosy up to the rich and powerful. Peter Storey is a former bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Duke University in North Carolina. Once chaplain to Nelson Mandela and others on Robben Island, he spent most of his 40-year ministry in inner cities, including District Six and central Johannesburg. He led the South African Council of Churches with Bishop Desmond Tutu when it was a fierce opponent of the apartheid state, chaired the National Peace Accord body intervening in pre-election violence in the Witwatersrand and served as a member of the panel that selected the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Storey founded Life Line SA and Gun Free SA and has preached and lectured in more than 160 cities around the world. He lives in retirement in Simon’s Town and sails on False Bay. He and his late wife Elizabeth had four sons and seven grandchildren. - Alec Hogg

In today's business headlines: * SAA, which entered a form of bankruptcy protection in December, will scale back some of its domestic and international routes from the end of February * The Johannesburg High Court has ruled that another state-owned airline SA Express should be placed into business rescue, but the airline is going to appeal against the ruling * State owned entity, Denel has announced that it is at an advanced stage of exiting the greater part of its Aerostructure Manufacturing business and has put in place major steps to minimise job losses in the company * South African business confidence had the worst start to a year since 1993. The South African chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Index measuring sentiment declined to 92.2 in January from 93.1 in December * SA stocks may have become too cheap for investors to ignore and Old Mutual Investment Group is among money managers seeing an increasing number of attractively valued shares

Porter Bibb, Managing Partner for MediaTech Capital Partners, discusses Disney results, the streaming wars, and why to pay attention to Quibi. Author and activist Seth Siegel discusses his latest book, "Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What We Drink," and how utility consolidation may solve the drinking water crisis. Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, on Vanguard’s new private equity fund. Lanhee Chen, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and former adviser to Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio, on the State of the Union, impeachment, and the Iowa mess. Bloomberg's P&L podcast is hosted by Lisa Abramowicz (pictured) and Paul Sweeney.

Adam Grossman, founder and CEO of Papa & Barkley, on cannabis wellness products, and why companies need higher production standards. The interview was conducted by Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney on Bloomberg's P&L podcast.

In today's business headlines: - President Cyril Ramaphosa is “favourably disposed” to a proposal by Cosatu to use funds from the Public Investment Corporation to reduce Eskom’s debt, his spokeswoman Khusela Diko told Reuters yesterday. It follows after Cosatu proposed a package of rescue measures for Eskom and the cornerstone of its plan is for the PIC and two local development finance groups to invest about R250bn in Eskom via a special purpose vehicle; - Members of parliament scrutinising amounts owed to Eskom are discovering to their frustration that there may be more than one version of the truth. The Inter-Ministerial Task Team on Municipal Debt to Eskom, claimed in a submission to Scopa in December that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure was the biggest debtor, owing R3bn as of June 2019 but the department now says it is much less; - Trade union Numsa says South African Airways is planning to accelerate job cuts. A meeting is planned for today with the unions and the airline declined to add any further comment; - It is “almost inevitable that the British discount retailer Poundland would be sold by Steinhoff." That is according to Pepco Group CEO Andy Bond. Bond told Reuters he was ‘genuinely open-minded' on the various disposal options; - The incredible six-day 60% rally in Tesla shares that left Wall Street watchers scratching their heads, screeched to a halt yesterday. Shares of the electrical vehicle maker fell 9.4% to just more than $803 after rising to $968 in what looked like an unstoppable advance.