The name Davos is almost interchangeable with the World Economic Forum, even though WEF holds several other international meetings every year. For five hectic days, the world's elite come to a tiny town in the Alps where it becomes the place to be heard and the place to be seen. This year, at WEF's 50th anniversary,  the discussion on the tables was the increasing revolt of people around the world against economic elites which they feel betrayed them and that "efforts to keep global warming limited to 1.5°C are falling dangerously short." And it did seem as if Greta Thunberg’s call to the forum last year that it’s time to panic about climate change might be finally starting to hit home as attendees showed more alarm at the teenage activist’s message. Companies and governments are likely to be increasingly measured against a scorecard on how they shape up to a form of capitalism where not only the shareholders, but the planet and communities are also taken into account. But what happens to Davos once everybody has packed up and leave? Biznews spoke to a local newspaper editor and resident, Barbara Gassler who has for the past years hosted the team. Barbara who likes a big jug of tea every morning and evening, tells a story of a town with "shops left like empty eyes" and how the "fair" that accompanies the WEF has evolved into an uncontrollable beast. - Linda van Tilburg

The overall message from most of the participants and speakers at the World Economic Forum was that we need to change how we conduct business to save a planet that is experiencing more extreme weather and an increase in temperatures. At WEf George Soros pronounced that the ‘fate of the world' is at stake. US President Donald Trump however rejected that it was a crisis denouncing the 'prophets of doom' earlier in the week. It comes as bush fires are still burning in Australia; drought is leading to food shortages in Zimbabwe and most areas of the world are experiencing more extreme weather. The southern countries of the planet and Africa in particular is predicted to be the most vulnerable to climate change. But what does that mean for us at the southern tip of Africa? The Head of the Food Systems Initiative and member of WEF's Executive Committee, Sean de Cleene says the exact impact is hard to predict. He said there were ways in which southern Africa could adapt with innovation and not only survive but turn it into an opportunity. - Linda van Tilburg

There are many overseas companies operating in South Africa somewhat under the radar and if economic conditions improve it would enable them to expand investment in the country. At World Economic Forum in Davos Biznews met a CEO of a German company that  is supplying automatic milk machines to South Africa. The Chief Executive Officer of GEA, loosely translated as Global Engineering Alliance is Stefan Klebert who said his company’s technology can provide fascinating insights in to the mindset and moods of milking cows. They are also using technology to tap into our changing tastes. - Linda van Tilburg

It is estimated that over 5 billion people globally and 90% of the world’s poor do not have access to surgery which often leads to preventable deaths. It has prompted a South African businessman, Rali Mampeule to become a founder of a Global Surgery Foundation that was launched  at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Mampuele told Biznews that his involvement in the Global Surgery Foundation, which now has UN backing stems from tragic circumstances involving his twin sister. We also spoke to one of the CEOs of the foundation, Dr Geoffrey Ibbotson who is a surgeon that has decided to put his weight behind this drive to prevent people from dying because they could not get what is often regarded as basic operations. – Linda van Tilburg

Despite the advent of new tools like Slack, email remains the communication mode of choice for most of us in the office. While email is a useful tool, it can quickly become overwhelming – we can spend hours trying to get through all of our messages and important information can slip through the cracks. The team at Works For Me, a popular Bloomberg podcast on office life, has felt the pain of the email crunch and turned to Inbox Zero to solve it. Take a listen to find out how they found their own inbox zen.

In today's business news headliens: * De Ruyter may take longer to consider the potential effects of the unbundling, including tax implications and the company’s relationship with financiers, the Johannesburg-based Rapport newspaper cited him as saying. * The deadly coronavirus has arrived in Africa and is spreading fast in China and elsewhere. The new virus that originated in China threatens to depress retail sales in the world's second-largest economy and tourism in Asia. * South African Airways has saved enough cash to pay January salaries, specialists appointed to try to turn around the struggling airline said on Friday. * Billionaire Patrice Motsepe told President Donald Trump in Davos that Africa loves the US president. Not everybody in his home country shares that sentiment, reports Bloomberg. * The International Monetary Fund estimates that growth in developing countries fell to 3.7% last year, the slowest pace since 2009 and well below the IMF’s July 2019 forecast of 4.1%, says Bloomberg.

The power blackouts in South Africa have severely hampered businesses and especially mines over the past months. Eskom has been declared  by many business leaders as a national energy crisis and many are now looking towards generating their own power. Also geared to take advantage of this, are the companies who want to speed up the use of renewable sources like wind and solar energy to fill the gap left by Eskom. While the Government has committed itself to have renewable energy in its mix of resources, Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe is accused of stalling the process as he is said to be protecting the jobs of coal miners. One of the companies that are ready to offer solutions to the Eskom crisis, is African Rainbow Energy and Power, the company started by Patric Motsepe. Motsepe has been in the firing line back home after he told President Donald Trump in Davos "that Africa loves America. Africa loves you" with many South Africans disagreeing on Twitter. Speaking to Biznews at Davos, the Chief Executive Officer of African Rainbow Energy and Power Brian Dames said he believed the electricity grid in South Africa should be expanded. - Linda van Tilburg

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni responded this morning to criticism from the business sector attending the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos Switzerland about the pace of structural reform of the economy saying that a process like this does take time. Mboweni also questioned whether the "business confidence forms" were actually being filled in by the Chief Executive Officers of the companies or by their staff. Responding to this Nedbank CEO Mike Brown said there are good starting points but what business wants to see is delivery, such as Mboweni's strategic plan from Eskom, which will give more certainty. - Linda van Tilburg

The youth and how they believe the present generation is messing up their future has dominated the past year and at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland they were again given ample opportunity to tell delegates what they wanted for the future. Spearheading this movement is Greta Thunberg, a teenager from Sweden who has received a fair amount of flack for standing up for what she believes in. President Donald Trump's treasury secretary has followed his leader in taking a swipe at Thunberg suggesting the climate activist should study economics at university before she offers advice on how to tackle global warming. Somebody who has studied maths at university in South Africa is clearly able to offer his input on how teenage unemployment in our country should be tackled. Sai Govender, from Johannesburg, has been chosen by the WEF as a Global Shaper. He spoke to Biznews about his experience at Davos. - Linda van Tilburg

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni accompanied by other cabinet members, Naledi Pandor and Ebrahim Patel came to the World Economic Forum to ensure investors that they are on track to bring about the reforms needed to increase growth in the South African economy. The message they received was loud and clear from both local and overseas investors; the process needed to be speeded up and Eskom, called an energy crisis, is in emergency care. Mboweni said that South Africa had to change the way it does business. In an interview with Biznews, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor said more changes to visas was high on the list of foreign investors. Pandor also said in her discussions with foreign representatives she emphasised the importance of a resolution for the US-China trade war that was having a detrimental impact on the whole world. - Linda van Tilburg

In today's business news headlines: * State entities SAA and Eskom are in the grip of a serious cash crunch. SAA has cancelled dozens of flights with more to come; Eskom can't keep the lights on; * Isabel dos Santos, Africa's richest woman, is accused of corruption of the industrial scale executed by the Gupta family - and they all have political connections in Africa and are all protected by Dubai; * As a deadly virus creates a health crisis in China, leading to at least five cities going into lock-down, markets have reacted to the negative impact on the world's second largest economy. Plus: what the SA authorities are doing to prevent the spread of this virus.

The big tech giants have stolen the lunch of many businesses. The rise of Amazon has closed many a small businesses and has in places like the United Kingdom led to high streets, the former kingdom of businesses, turning into rows of "To let" signs. In the world of banking, the question could very well be asked, is everyone a bank? One of the predictions of Bloomberg for 2020 is that Facebook, Google and Apple could step up fintech ambitions. This is something that the Group CEO of Standard Bank, Sim Tshabalala is well aware of. He spoke to Biznews at the World Economic Forum in Davos about the competition that is looming with digitisation and how he as a self-confessed "left-brainer" has noticed that there appears to be a return to "contemplative traditions". - Linda van Tilburg

Investors, both local and international are not holding back on their criticism of what they perceive to be the slow implementation of structural reforms to the economy. The Head of Investec bank South Africa, Richard Wainwright told Biznews at the WEF 2020 summit in Davos that there is no denial that South Africa is dealing with an energy crisis that is impacting all sectors of the economy, but he believes there are immediate steps that can be taken to start addressing it. Referring to stakeholder capitalism, which is the theme of Davos this year Wainwright said he believed that South African corporates have always been aware of stakeholders unlike their American counterparts. - Linda van Tilburg

After a turbulent period in which Old Mutual shares fell sharply because of its protracted battle with Peter Moyo; the insurer managed to get a favourable outcome from courts this month when it was granted permission to sever ties with its former chief executive officer. Old Mutual sacked Moyo citing a material breakdown in trust and confidence and barred him from its offices. There was also an embarrassing incident when an unhappy Kwazulu-Natal family brought a body of a loved one in a bag to an Old Mutual branch to settle a funeral policy. Old Mutual's Managing Director for Wealth and Investments, Khaya Gobodo told Biznews at Davos in Switzerland that the company was now able to look forward. Referring to the government's investment drive at Davos, Gobodo says the rate of change is too slow. Policy articulation is better under Ramaphosa... but the government is far behind in execution." - Linda van Tilburg

In December South African miners were hit by the country’s biggest blackouts as Eskom implemented 'stage 6' blackouts for the first time. It forced some of the producers, including Sibanye-Stilwater and Petra Diamonds to close their underground mines, and prompted the mining industry to ask Mineral Resource Minister, Gwede Mantashe to allow them to build their own power plants. They estimate that they can generate 800MW of conventional power and 800MW of solar power. Speaking to Biznews in Davos at the World Economic Forum, Nolitha Fakude, the Chair of the Managing Board and Group Director of Anglo American in South Africa, said the mining group was currently engaged with Eskom and the Government, talking about the self-generation of power and looking at pilot schemes. - Linda van Tilburg

Big banks in South Africa are in a fierce battle to claim the top spot of the biggest and best bank in the country. And now there are several new digital banks that have popped up who want to challenge the hegemony of the big banks. This year there were retrenchments at Nedbank, which can be attributed to an onslaught from smaller, nimbler banks such as Bank Zero, Tyme Bank and Discovery Bank. And now South African regulators approved a bank operating licence for Goldman Sachs, which seeks further expansion in the South African economy. Deputy Group CEO of Absa, Peter Matlare told Biznews that all banks are in transition. - Linda van Tilburg

In today's business news headlines: * South African Airways cut 38 local and international flights this week, as its bosses move to downsize the cash-strapped national carrier; * The inflation rate has risen to 4%, and another interest rate cut is possible towards the end of the year; * Shoprite shares rose almost 5% on Wednesday on news of healthy sales growth at its core South African supermarkets business, even as a tough economy weighs on consumer finances, reports Reuters; * Power shortages cost South Africa as much as R118bn ($8bn) last year, a drain on the economy that’s set to continue for two to three years unless urgent action is taken, a new study has found. * A murder drama is unfolding in Lesotho and threatens to destabilise the small country. Lesotho’s government faced demands from protesters to step down immediately amid an investigation into the murder of the prime minister’s second wife and allegations that it gave Chinese businessmen control of the country’s key wool, mohair and meat industries, says Bloomberg.

Blockchain is a technology that is proving to be useful all over the world and experts in the field believe Africa is the one place that could benefit the most. The Head of Blockchain and Distribution Ledger Technology at the World Economic Forum, Sheila Warren told Biznews that Africa was generally not burdened by "tech debt" and it would be easy to leapfrog the developing world in deploying blockchain and it could used to make systems more efficient.  One of the areas where blockchain could be deployed is to root out corruption.   The WEF is currently running a pilot programme in Columbia that it is focused on reducing corruption in procurement and Warren said they have been speaking to South Africa to bring the programme to our shores. - Linda van Tilburg

The attacks on foreigners in South Africa that took place last year have been widely criticised by other African governments with the Nigerian government taking the unusual step of repatriating 600 citizens after it led to tensions between the two countries. Xenophobia and refugees are the issues that South Africa’s ambassador in Switzerland, Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele says foreign governments most often question her about. Biznews ran into the ambassador where she was waiting for the arrival of the Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor at Zurich Airport. Referring to the World Economic Forum in Davos, she said that South Africa wanted to take the opportunity of assuring foreign investors that the Government is tackling the issue of growth and Eskom. - Linda van Tilburg

As President Cyril Ramaphosa decided not to attend the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland this year, and instead focus on issues back home, it's in the hands of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to fly the South African flag. This has put a little dampener on events this year as some of the sparkle and enthusiasm that Ramaphosa brought last year appeared to be absent from this year's Brand SA event. Mboweni did however strike a sober tone when he addressed the South African delegation last night and said he is here 'to tell the truth'. - Linda van Tilburg

In today's headlines: * South Africans are more optimistic about the future, a trust barometer shows; * A scandal involving lottery funds has erupted; * Naspers, which was once the major force behind the SA media sector and then found Chinese tech start up Tencent before it became a giant, is eyeing the second-hand clothing market; * Central banks are seriously investigating digital currencies; * Zimbabweans are preparing to embark on protest action.

For many WEF attendees, the most eagerly awaited event of the Davos week is the annual unveiling of the Edelman Trust Barometer, a 20 year old thermometer of how citizens in 28 countries perceive Governments, Business, the Media and NGOs. As in recent years, trust in institutions continues to decline and in some cases has reached crisis levels. Including in South Africa where the survey found Ramaphosa's Government is trusted by a mere 20%. But there's also good news. Stakeholder capitalism, which has been entrenched in Japan for a quarter century, is being embraced. And as the president of a trillion dollar multinational explained, although seemingly under siege right now, democratic societies will adjust to the new reality - as they have done during similar transformational periods in the past. - Alec Hogg

South African Arran Kerkvliet, a property specialist who relocated to the UK well over a decade back, enjoys the advantage of being able to directly compare returns from the two countries. In this special podcast he explains the differences in the yield in his area of specialisation, buy-to-let properties: concluding that in addition to its hard currency shield, the UK also delivers a substantially higher yield than SA. - Alec Hogg

Ace forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan applies his mind to the question that many South Africans keep asking - why are so many well exposed crooks not being put behind bars? In his inimitable style, O'Sullivan gets to the nub of the issue and refuses to pull any punches in unpacking the root cause. And proposes a quick-fire solution that imprinted on him after a long and frustrating case during the time he worked in law enforcement. - Alec Hogg

Former hedge fund manager Kevin Shames moved into the renewable energy field a few years ago, spotting the power of combining Government incentives with massive opportunity arising from the changing energy equation. The resulting creation, Bright Light Solar, is now a leading 12J company which is able to offer South African investors an effective 21% a year after-tex return. In this podcasted interview, Shames shares some interesting reactions to the recently released prospectus, and discusses the opportunity of solar-powered geysers. - Alec Hogg