PRETORIA — South Africans will go to the polls for the country's sixth democratic election today. After a hotly contested election campaign, the politicians will fall silent while voters get the chance to give their say on who they want to rule the country. The first two days of special votes were marred by some incidence of violence and disruption by protestors about services delivery, but the IEC's Sy Mamabolo says the special voting has helped the IEC to fix glitches. 22,924 voting stations will be open from 7 in the morning until 10 at night for the country's 26.7 million voters. - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — Most opinion polls on this week’s election give the ANC a majority, anything from the mid-50s to 60%. With the recent tsunami of corruption in the Zuma-era unearthed by the Zondo and Mpati commissions, it raises the question of why so many South Africans would still feel inclined to give their support to the ANC. It appears that the answer to that question is that although it is a quarter of a century since the country’s first election, the political struggle against the apartheid government still dominates when voters have to decide who they want to govern South Africa into the future. This was also evident among ANC-voters we interviewed here in London, who acknowledged that the ANC lost its way, but they believed firmly that their organisation would find its way back to the principles of the anti-apartheid struggle. But many of them told us, this is the last chance they are giving the ANC. - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — The long queues before the South African Embassy in London before the polls opened this weekend for overseas voting, is a good indication of how enthusiastic overseas voters are about the 8 May elections. According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), there are 26.7m registered voters for the elections. The latest Ipsos poll puts ANC support at around 61%, with 16% for the DA and 9% for the EFF. The predictions by the Institute for Race Relations differ though. The IRR predicts 54.7% nationally for the ANC, 21.8 % for the DA and 12.2% for the EFF. Both polls see the EFF as the party that will gain the most votes. A higher turnout will favour the ANC, while a lower turnout is better for the opposition. If the voting in London where people turned up despite bad weather is any indication, the turnout in South Africa could be high. I caught up with the Senior Manager of the Electoral Operations of the Independent Electoral Commission, Granville Abrahams at the polling booths in London, who said the commission has learnt from the mistakes of the past and was pleased with how smooth the voting went. - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — The first votes of one of the most contentious elections in South Africa's history were cast by overseas voters this weekend. With just over a week to go, the expats in the United Kingdom have given some indication of what we can expect in the election on the 8th of May. Most of the voters we spoke to indicated that they will go for the bigger parties on the national list and it appears that it is unlikely that the long list of smaller parties on the ballot paper will be favoured by voters. Smaller parties may however be a factor in the provinces with many parties talking about coalitions. The two provinces where this may be a factor is Gauteng, where polls predict that the ANC may lose its majority and the Western Cape, where the Democratic Alliance is trying to hold on to its dominant position. The DA, which managed to gain as much as 80% of the vote in Britain in the previous national election in 2014 seems to be the favoured party in the UK and in tweets and interviews we did at the South African Embassy in London, the diaspora in the UK has indicated that it is the DA that most of them supported. - Linda van Tilburg

In the Cape property development scene they don't come bigger than Jonny Rabie. From humble beginnings, his Rabie Property has become an institution in the Mother City. Among its achievements has been the mixed use development of a staggering one million square metres at Century City, which after a slow start has become one of the most successful property developments in South African history. Now Rabie is heading into a new geography, inviting fellow investors to join him in Lisbon. With Portugal's Golden Visa - which transforms into an EU passport five years on - an optional extra. Appropriately, the offshore development arm is called New World. I caught up with Rabie and fellow director Malcolm Lobban ahead of next week's presentations to potential investors in Johannesburg and Cape Town. - Alec Hogg

LONDON — Trade union movement, Cosatu has never been a fan of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni. When he set his sights on the position in 2014, powerful allies on the left flank of the ANC prevented him being considered. His name was withdrawn from the ANC ‘s 2014 Parliamentary list after it was made clear to Mboweni that he would not be considered for the position as Finance Minister. With a new President in Tuinhuys, Mboweni did become Finance Minister and the battle between him and Cosatu was reignited. Cosatu has openly condemned some of Mboweni’s statements on e-tolls, South African Airways and state owned enterprises. When he told investors that South African Airways was worthless junk, Cosatu issued a statement describing him “a raving street corner derelict…a potty mouth without any impulse controls…someone, who is looking for easy applause and nods of approval from his neoliberal overlords.” They also called on the ANC to reign in Mboweni. The latest salvo from Cosatu is that Mboweni who has previously stated that people should retire at 55, should “practice what he preaches” and go. But Mboweni is unlikely to heed their advice. In his budget speech in February Mboweni promised that he will be around for a while if the ANC wins the election. - Linda van Tilburg

JOHANNESBURG — Over the last few decades, the world has changed dramatically with the advent of internet technologies together with handheld smart devices. Today, most of us walk around with devices in our pockets that can provide us with any information we desire almost instantly at the press of a button. While this has become normal for many of us, the reality is that the benefits of this tech are still difficult to attain for many a South African, especially in the country's poverty-stricken areas. But an organisation called Closed Loop Learner Network is trying to change this state of affairs by implementing a viable way of allowing thousands of our country's high school learners gain access to specially designed tablet devices that will help them improve the way they learn. In this interview, a director of Closed Loop Learner Network, Michelle Rocke, explains how the initiative works. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — When Nick Dreyer and two of his mates from school decided to start an online business selling veldskoens about two-and-a-half years ago, they were mainly looking for a clever way to enter the burgeoning e-commerce retail market. They launched their business, aptly named 'Veldskoen', as an e-commerce store first and focused on jazzing up the traditional South African attire with brightly coloured shoelaces and soles together with an appealing story. Since then, the business has taken on a life of its own, surging in success and grabbing the attention of top local and global investors. Apart from the likes of Brian Joffe's Long4Life having invested in Veldskoen, the business this year received an investment from actor Ashton Kutcher and celebrity investor Mark Cuban. The famous pair now effectively have a 50% stake in Veldskoen. In this interview, co-founder Nick Dreyer gives us the backstory to the success and future plans of Veldskoen. - Gareth van Zyl

LONDON — When you think of the company Apple, the first person that most of us associate the brand with is Steve Jobs. Jobs was unparalleled at developing new technology that looked so sleek, minimalistic and beautiful, ok I am an Apple fan, compared to other clunky products that competitors turned out. Some commentators however believe that Jobs was not that great as CEO and that Tim Cook, who has turned Apple into the world’s first trillion-dollar company is shaping up to be the better CEO. One of them is the Editor of the Cult of Mac.com, Leander Kahney who has written a book, ‘Tim Cook: The Genius who took Apple to the Next level’. This is Kahney's fourth book on Apple; he also published the title, ‘Inside Steve’s Brain’. Cook did not make himself available to be interviewed by Kahney. The author told Bloomberg’s Carol Massar and Jason Kelly that the narrative when Jobs died, was that Apple is doomed under the leadership of Tim Cook. - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — An e-commerce business has proven that Africa is not only the continent of the Big Five animals, elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards and rhinos, it is also a continent that can grow unicorns, the $1bn kind. There are now three unicorns in Africa, South Africa’s Promasidor Holdings, Cell C and Jumia in Nigeria, which is regarded as the African Amazon. Jumia listed on the New York Stock exchange at an initial opening price of $18.90 on 12 April and has doubled in value in the first five days of trading. This is good news for the largest shareholder in Jumia, MTN. Jumia co-CEO and co-founder Sacha Poignonnec explained to Bloomberg’s Carol Massar and Jason Kelly the vision they have for the company… - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — The devastating fire at the Notre Dame in Paris that has almost destroyed the 800 year old cathedral has attracted donations from all over the world and the total amount of money is expected to reach €1bn. This is more than any disaster in history which thousands and thousands of people have died in. The generosity of people, including many of the super rich of the world has raised the question whether it is appropriate to spend so much money on rebuilding a monument. Many architects weighed in saying it will cost billions to repair the Notre Dame and that perhaps it should not be restored as it was; that it should evolve. The timeline that President Emmanuel Macron set of five years for restoration is also said to be unrealistic and would probably take much longer. In Britain, several commentators were asking where the donations were when the Grenfell tower burnt down killing 233 people to which the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu who is originally from Uganda replied that he did not think you should either give money to restore the Notre Dame or save people, you could do both. The Notre Dame fire has also raised the question of how safe the historic buildings in Britain are. The Palace of Westminster that houses Parliament is said to be a serious fire hazard where fire safety teams constantly patrol the building that has caught fire 40 times just in the years between 2008 and 2012. Bloomberg’s Bob Moon was in Paris at the Notre Dame and he believes it will rise again. - Linda van Tilburg

JOHANNESBURG — Despite a tough economy and the political uncertainty of land reform hanging over South Africa's agricultural sector, Afgri South Africa, with the help of Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), has managed to get a group of investors together to create a new silo investment unit. In a bold new deal, the new strategic storage platform, dubbed 'Afgri Grain Silo Company', has been created to acquire 100% of Afgri’s South African portfolio of owned grain silo and bunker facilities, representing 25% of South Africa’s grain storage capacity. The deal is expected to dramatically increase the unit's capacity for storage while also boosting food security in the region. In this interview, David Jones, who specialises in infrastructure finance at Rand Merchant Bank, tells us more about his bank's role in the deal and its significance to the local agricultural sector. - Gareth van Zyl

LONDON — Cryptocurrency and blockchain is a bit like marmite. People are either utter crypto believers advocating how it is free from government interference or are fiercely against it, calling it a glorified Ponzi scheme used by criminals. It was founded a decade ago by a mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto who published a white paper describing an electronic cash system, free from government interference and shared instantly online. That it has shaken up the banking system, was acknowledged by International Monetary Fund Managing Director, Christine Lagarde who cautioned that digital currencies should be monitored to maintain stability. China announced that it wants to ban cryptocurrencies adding another blow to the technology, which has been tumbling in value. One of the fiercest critics of both cryptocurrencies and blockchain is  Dr. Nicholas Weaver, a Berkeley computer scientist who has been studying the technology and believes that the entire space ought to be burnt down in a fire. He told Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway the entire ecology is rife with fraud, criminalities and he is surprised that government authorities have not acted against it. - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — Tesla had a rocky start to the year with vehicle deliveries down by 31% from 2018’s fourth quarter. But there may be a lifeline for electric vehicle makers including Tesla from American lawmakers. A bi-partisan group plan to introduce a bill to expand federal tax credits for buyers of electric cars. This after an existing $7,500 tax credit which phases out over 15 months was halved for Tesla buyers in the beginning of the year. The bill dubbed the Driving America Forward Act would grant automakers a $7,000 tax credit for an additional 400,000 vehicles. Tesla shares rose by 1.6% on the news. In the meantime, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk is in a legal dispute with the US Security and Exchange Commission after the SEC said Musk violated their 2018 agreement when he tweeted in February 2018 that Tesla will make half a million cars in 2019. On the 4th of April 2019, a federal judge gave him and the SEC two weeks to come to a settlement urging Musk “to put his reasonable pants on.” In a Bloomberg debate on Tesla’s future, the CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth Management, Ross Gerber dismissed the controversy around Musk saying he was becoming a folk hero in America, while David Kudla, the CEO of Mainstay Capital said that Tesla was past its peak. - Linda van Tilburg

JOHANNESBURG — Soweto's Vilakazi Street is a hive of activity these days, with the street dotted with several restaurants and hugely important historical sites that include the home of former President Nelson Mandela. However, it was only 18 years in 2001 that the first restaurant, Sakhumzi Restaurant, opened in the famous street. In this interview, the restaurant's owner, Sakhumzi Maqubela, gives us the backstory to how his establishment set a trend and now employs over 100 people. In total, the 10 restaurants in the street today employ over 800 people. It's an inspiring story and one that shows the true entrepreneurial spirit and potential that South Africa has. - Gareth van Zyl

LONDON — The online video-streaming service Netflix, which many or should I say most of us access for a binge watch of a favourite series or movie has had little competition over the last years. It has been the reigning media stock in the S&P 500 Index for six of the last eleven years and its gain so far in 2019 is 37%. But serious competition is coming with the announcement that Walt Disney, Apple and AT&T, which now owns WarnerMedia will begin to roll out their own Netflix-like products. And just to give you an idea of what that means; in the case of AT&T, it now has HBO in its stable which is a major draw card for viewers of “Game of Thrones”. When Apple announced its streaming service, it brought in Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey for the launch. Some may say Netflix is so far ahead, it is like Usain Bolt at his best smiling for the cameras as he breaks another world record. But Laura Martin, a senior entertainment analyst at Neeham & co told Bloomberg’s Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney that Netflix could be in for serious competition… - Linda van Tilburg

CAPE TOWN — When vested-interests close ranks and reassure the public that all is well, that’s often exactly the signal for just how wrong things may have gone. A case in point is Boeing admitting that a software fault was responsible for both 737 Max crashes that took 346 lives - after the entire US aviation industry closed ranks to say it was safe to fly the plane. The US was the last nation to ground the 737 Max as most other countries opted for this guaranteed, no-risk approach - long before the Ethiopian black box revealed its feared confirmation. The Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, hardly covered itself in glory. The cause of the Lion Air tragedy five months earlier, was (also) the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, known as MCAS, “activating in response to erroneous angle of attack information.” Boeing techno-speak for the pilot, despite following override protocols, being unable to pull out of a fatal nose dive automatically induced by the software mis-diagnosing the plane as stalling. Boeing quotes its pilots as saying MCAS dysfunction “can add to what is already a high workload environment”, opening the door for a legal argument that a pilot may have been able to over-ride the system. It’s all about reducing culpability while showing maximum contrition and restoring profitability (aka plane safety). Meanwhile budgets are surely being quietly adjusted for pre-emptive offers to victim’s relatives. - Chris Bateman

JOHANNESBURG - On a recent trip to South Africa, Professor Ilian Mihov, the Dean of renowned global business school INSEAD, took the time to chat to us at BizNews. In this wide-ranging interview, Mihov explains why business can be and, in many ways, already is a major force for good in the world. He also explains how he thinks South Africa has tremendous potential and why it too can benefit dramatically from just getting on the path of becoming a more business-friendly destination. He also explains the value of an MBA in today's world and why INSEAD wants to see more students from Africa joining its ranks and alumni. It's fascinating to hear an outsider's perspective on the challenges and opportunities that South Africa and Africa face. Take a listen. - Gareth van Zyl

LONDON — The professional services consultancy, McKinsey is often mentioned in the story of graft and the erosion of Eskom in South Africa. With Trillian, the Gupta-owned company they managed to siphon off R1.6bn from the power utility. McKinsey has repaid the money and has apologised to South Africa. However, this is not the end of the company’s name being associated with scandal. Earlier this year it appeared again in the headlines in the US where McKinsey is accused of benefiting from measures to help companies that are in trouble. And now former McKinsey CEO and Goldman Sachs director, Rajat Gupta has just surfaced after spending time in prison after he was found guilty of insider trading and released his memoir “Mind without Fear”. In an interview with Bloomberg’s Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney he says he is innocent, while the big villains of the financial crisis managed to get away. - Linda van Tilburg

Boeing stock is continuing its downward move. Bloomberg’s industrial columnist Brooke Sutherland told Paul Sweeney that Boeing’s supply chains is also affected and says it is puzzling that Boeing finds it difficult to fix the software.

LONDON — Many of our readers sat upright when we published an article in which financial planner, Alec Riddle told us that people who retire earlier, can expect to live longer. Just spending more time in your own garden and local haunts with more frequent travel may be a good retirement prospect for some; for the more adventurous a retirement overseas may be more alluring. But it is not always easy to choose a destination. Sitting in a café in Paris, munching a croissant and looking at the stylish Parisians, may sound like a good idea, until you try chatting with the locals and you discover that they frown upon or are plain ‘bleddie ongeskik’ to anyone not speaking their language. Or maybe they just don't like the English. You get more done trying Afrikaans or Zulu first. And even if you do have a smatter of French, they tend to answer you in English. So, all those lessons count for nothing. But don’t despair you do not only have to consider the obvious destinations like the United Kingdom and the places where you know people. Kathleen Peddicord, founder of Live and Invest Overseas has whittled the list down for English speaking retirees. She shares some of her 2019 top 21 destinations including 10 new entries with Bloomberg Business Week’s Carol Massar. Here is a spoiler alert, Portugal tops the list, but it is worthwhile looking at the other places. - Linda van Tilburg

LONDON — In a world where salaried executives and their spin doctors boast when they post growth in single digits, it's refreshing to find those for whom those numbers don't cut it. So after another strong year, this time of 43% growth, I tapped insurance company BrightRock's CEO Schalk Malan for an update. We've been privileged to have BrightRock as a partner virtually since the creation of Biznews, so not surprisingly have followed their progress more closely than most. The tall, strapping and super-bright Malan reminds me both physically and intellectually of the late Simon Marais, whom I also watched closely over the years as he built Allan Gray into South Africa's leading money manager. Might we be witnessing something similar with BrightRock? - Alec Hogg

JOHANNESBURG — Sustainable, or ESG, investing is becoming a more prominent form of growing your wealth in many parts of the world. While South Africa's JSE is internationally respected as among the world's top bourses with good liquidity, the very nature of the companies on it (especially the big presence of mining giants) means that it isn't a great fit for ESG investing. This is according to London-based Mike Abbott who works with Sable International's Wealth Team. In this interview, Abbott tells us more about the growing momentum behind ESG investing and why you need to look offshore to get involved. - Gareth van Zyl

LONDON — Bitcoin once flew high and peaked at around $20,000. Compare that to the recent price of a mere $4,000. The vision of a token-driven decentralised economy and off course untold wealth for people has imploded and it is now almost a dirty word as it struggles for legitimacy. And many wondered if it is over for blockchain as well. But to use a good old saying, ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water’ as blockchain has many other uses. If you have been pouring over blockchain for dummies trying to understand the technology behind it, Stephen P. Williams, the author of “Blockchain, the next everything”, explains to Bloomberg’s Carol Massar and Jason Kelley that you need not understand the science behind it to use it. - Linda van Tilburg

JOHANNESBURG — The GADRA Matric School in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) has quickly become the biggest feeder school to Rhodes University. The school only focuses on learners who have previously done matric and essentially gives them a second chance to get a bachelor's pass. But as the school's Dr Ashley Westaway explains to us in this interview, he sees the school as being more of a bridging school, and its strong reputation has resulted in learners from all across the country flocking to it to better their results. - Gareth van Zyl