JOHANNESBURG — Well-known South African interior designer Nthabi Taukobong - who is the Founder and Managing Director at DITAU - African Luxury Lifestyle has just published a book highlighting her 23-year career in the space. Taukobeng has been a trailblazer, thanks to her work for several high profile people and establishments on the continent. In this interview, she opens up about her life journey and her new book, 'The Real Interior'. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — Cape Town-based Frank Solomon is famous around the world for being a big wave professional surfer and for having featured in a popular Red Bull film dubbed 'Let's be Frank - the double life of Frank James Solomon'. Frank has been described by some as breaking the stereotype of surfers by having never really been sponsored and having first gone to university before taking on the world's biggest waves. But he's started breaking new ground by also launching something called 'The Sentinel Ocean Alliance' - a programme which helps underprivileged kids learn more about the ocean, surfing and even enabling them to become lifeguards. In this interview, Frank tells us all about the initiative. - Gareth van Zyl

In today's news headlines: Massmart announced on Thursday that it had hired an American heavy hitter, Mitch Slape, as CEO. Brait’s share price hit a 7-year-low on news that the net value of its assets has fallen sharply. There was another development in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s strategy to root out corruption in government yesterday when Deputy President David Mabuza asked to delay his swearing in. Steinhoff faces a mass investor lawsuit in Germany. The rand closed at R14.47 to the US dollar on Thursday. The SA Reserve Bank also announced earlier that interest rates would remain unchanged at 6.75%.

When it comes to world happiness, it probably comes as no surprise to South Africans, that we are low on the list. The latest United Nations and Gallup poll put us 106th behind other African countries like Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Burundi and Benin. You would think that all that lovely sunshine and some of the most beautiful natural spots in the world, would improve our sense of happiness. Surprisingly one of the coldest, darkest countries in the world, Finland topped this year’s list. So, what would it take to increase our sense of happiness? More income, better relationships, a better government - is there a magic formula to happiness or are we just a bunch of grumpy sods at the southern tip of Africa? In a new book titled the Algebra of Happiness, Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business, explores what could make us happy and he does not have any kind words for the social media giants and their role in the deteriorating state of mental health across the world. He speaks to Bloomberg's Carol Massar and Jason Kelly. - Linda van Tilburg

In today's business headlines:  The Rand gained on news that Deputy-President David Mabuza will not be sworn in as MP. Corruption busting at Prasa gathers momentum with suspensions. South Africa has decided to extradite Mozambican Manuel Chang wanted for the tuna bond scandal to his home country not the US. Sasol shares fall by almost 13% due to ballooning costs at the Lake Charles project. and Eskom bond holders kept in the dark about funding and restructuring.

In today's business headlines: Morgan Stanley sees Tesla at $10 as market for electric cars goes soft. Huawei goes to EU warning it could happen to any international company. Ex-Credit Suisse banker pleads guilty in Tuna Bond scandal. Jamie Oliver restaurants in the UK declared insolvent. JSE is flat with Rand holding on despite emerging market jitters of US-China trade war.

The news that Tesla shares have dipped to below $200, which is the lowest level since 2016 this week is not the end of bad news for Elon Musk's electric car company. Morgan Stanley has slashed its worse-case scenario for the share price to just $10 over concern that the company has saturated the electric-car market. Analysts say that demand is at the heart of the problem and that Tesla has grown too big relative to near-term demand. David Kudla from Mainstay Capital Management told Bloomberg's Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney that Tesla may be shifting to insolvency. - Linda van Tilburg

173 companies including footwear giants, Nike and Adidas have signed an open letter to US President Donald Trump in which they say that tariffs on shoes made in China will be a catastrophic for the American economy. They posted it on the Footwear Distribution and Retailers of America's website. This came after the Trump administration barred American companies from selling to Huawei without a US government license in what is regarded a significant escalation of the trade war with China. Michael Hirson, of the Eurasia Group told Bloomberg's Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney that the ban could derail the US-China trade negotiations. - Linda van Tilburg

President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved quickly to show he is serious about cleaning up his cabinet following May 8 elections. On the JSE, Pioneer Foods was the big loser of the day. Its share price plunged about 12% after the release of its half-year results. Also dragging down the JSE FTSE All-Share Index was Naspers, which dropped about 4% on Monday. South Africa’s Naspers, with 31%, is the biggest shareholder in Hong Kong listed Chinese tech giant Tencent, which took a hit earlier in the day. Also hammering Hong Kong stocks were concerns about US sanctions against Chinese mobile phone company Huawei. The top gainers on the JSE on Monday were Liberty Holdings and Harmony, up around 3% by the end of trading. The rand was trading at just over 14 to the US dollar, and 16 to the Euro, while R18 could get you one pound.

PRETORIA — Although the Democratic Alliance has managed to hang on to the Western Cape, their support has dipped since the 2014 elections. This raises the question whether the leadership of Mmusi Maimane could be challenged. Political analyst Theo Venter from the North West University spoke to Biznews about the DA leadership, has a look at a smaller Cabinet Ramaphosa may be looking at after the election and whether he would be able to rid the Cabinet of  members of the ANC NEC implicated in state capture. He also comments on whether the investor climate for South Africa has improved- Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA - There is a deep division in the ANC between the Cyril Ramaphosa faction and the Zuptoids now led by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule. And while the IEC was still tallying how big a win the ruling party managed to attract, ANC secretary-general Magashule arrived at the IEC nerve centre at the Pretoria show grounds to claim victory. And he did not want to give credit to Ramaphosa for the ANC's majority, a clear indication that the cracks have not been papered over. He later claimed he was quoted out of context. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — President Cyril Ramaphosa may not have received the 60% support of national votes in the 2019 elections that he wanted, but he has a big enough mandate for decisive leadership. A political analyst from the Stellenbosch University, Dr Collette Schulz-Herszenberg told Biznews that the election result is the most appropriate result right now. -Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — The Democratic Alliance was hoping to increase its support from the 22% they managed in 2014, but all indications are that they are not going to be able to replicate their previous national performance. The party's leader Mmusi Maimane said at the IEC centre that he is proud that his party managed to retain the centre ground. There are rumours that his leadership may be challenged due to the lack in growth in support for the party. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — She may have only one seat, but the leader of the GOOD party, Patricia de Lille, who broke away from the Democratic Alliance after a controversial stint as the mayor of Cape Town, is likely to be a vocal voice in Parliament. Her party also has at least two seats in the provincial legislature of the Western Cape  We could not pin down De Lille, but her spokesperson Nthabiseng Lephoko promised that they will make good on their promises to hold the DA to account in the province and the ANC in Parliament - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — Many of the smaller parties in the election did not manage to gain a single seat. One of the parties that have been more successful is the ACDP which have doubled their number of MPs. The party's leader, Kenneth Meshoe says they will oppose land distribution without compensation, and want to create an environment which attracts investors to the country. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — The Economic Freedom Fighters are increasing their share of the seats in Parliament from just over 6% to around 10%. Firebrand leader Julius Malema, a former ANC-member in a distinctive red overall, has increased the temperature in Parliament considerably with debates becoming more contested and has often been ejected. His party targeted former President Jacob Zuma and was probably one of the driving forces for the ANC to adopt plans for land distribution without compensation. The party's national communications manager Sixolise Gcilishe says they are not planning to let up on their confrontational politics, but are prepared to work with other parties to achieve their goals. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — The Inkatha Freedom party has increased its share of the vote in the elections and is running neck and neck with the Freedom Front Plus. IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa says the party was negatively effected by floods and unrest in the province. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — The Democratic  Alliance is on track to maintain control of the Western Province and could be part of a coalition in Gauteng, but have lost votes to Patricia de Lille's Good Party and the Freedom Front Plus on a national level. The Chairperson of the DA Federal Council, James Selfe says his party could be negatively effected by the split-vote. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — Foreign Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says the election has proven that South Africa is a stable democracy and adds the Government is opening its arms and inviting investors to come and invest in the country. Sisulu however ducked a question on whether there are internal forces in the ANC that are threatening President Cyril Ramaphosa's agenda. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — The Australian High Commissioner Adam McCarthy, who is one of the international observers at the election headquarters says he is impressed with voter turnout especially when it is compared with other countries. In Australia voting is compulsory. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA - The American civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson has always taken a keen interest in South Africa and was a staunch opponent of the apartheid regime in South Africa. Jackson sent representatives to the #Elections2019 to observe the elections. One of them is James Gomes from the Rainbow/Push Coalition who inspected voting that took place in the Soweto area. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — The Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC Jessie Duarte says she has applied to the Zondo Commission to testify about allegations made about her on state capture. Biznews gave her the right to reply to the various allegations against her and her fractious relationship with the media. She also commented on the halfway mark of the election results saying that she was happy with the ANC's performance, especially the areas of the Bo-Kaap they have taken from the Democratic Alliance. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — With the first results in, a couple of interesting trends are starting to emerge. Very few of the smaller parties are doing well, although one or two might get a seat in Parliament. Political Analyst and former South African Ambassador to Ireland Melanie Verwoerd says the ANC is performing well. - Linda van Tilburg

PRETORIA — With a third of the results in South Africa's sixth general election now in, the Freedom Front Plus has a surprising strong showing. It is a party that openly says it represents white interest in the country, but it has seen growth among Afrikaans speaking members of the coloured community and more recently black people in the townships have started canvassing members for the Freedom Front Plus. Here's the chairperson Anton Alberts. - Linda van Tilburg

Pretoria — South Africans turned out in their millions to vote in the first general election where social media played a major role. And although problems were reported with some voting stations in Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape not opening because of continued unrest, in general the election process could be regarded as a success. By midday 14 stations in these areas had not opened which the IEC managed to whittle down to a handful by early evening. Considering the fact that they had around 22,000 polling stations, the IEC has been successful in carrying out a smooth voting process. Problems that were experienced at some polling stations were more visible than previous elections due to posts on social media, but it also enabled the IEC to address issues and encourage voters to bring problems to the attention of electoral officers. The Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo regretted the disruption experienced due to unrest and said he was happy with a smooth election process despite some glitches. - Linda van Tilburg