JOHANNESBURG — The IRR's latest snap poll on the build-up to the 2019 election has drawn a lot of interest. It's been lauded for being among the most credible yet and paints a picture of what could happen to the vote in 2019. While the ANC has been gaining lost ground, the DA seriously risks either not growing or going backwards. In the meantime, the EFF is still on a small base of just 10%-11%, but if it achieves this in 2019 it would have almost doubled its support base in 2019. In this fascinating interview, the IRR's Head of Politics and Governance, Gareth van Onselen, explains what this snap poll means and why a lot could still change in months to come. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — Load shedding has been on many South Africans' lips over the last few weeks. Rolling blackouts commenced in late 2018 again as Eskom grappled with its coal supplies and power plant breakdowns. But looking to the future at times like this is important. And in this interview, RMB Investment Banking Transactor Keith Webb looks at what the years ahead hold for South Africa's energy mix. It's certainly a potentially a more promising picture than the one we have today with prospects for wind, solar, gas and even clean coal playing a bigger part in our lives in future to meet the demands of the economy. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — Advocate Mark Oppenheimer of the Johannesburg Bar is probably the most sensible and rational voice you'll hear when it comes to those opposing a current process to change the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation in South Africa. After attending a recent summit where various interested parties came together to discuss their opposition to land EWC, Oppenheimer had an opportunity to chat to us at BizNews again about what can be done now to fight back against a recent move by Parliament to amend the Constitution. What makes this situation tricky is that there's a lot of uncertainty around what the wording of an amendment would entail exactly. President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously tried to allay fears around threats to private property rights and suggested the changes might only entail a clarification of what exists currently in the Constitution. But by changing the Bill for Rights itself for the first time in our young democracy's history, we are entering risky waters as Oppenheimer explains in this interview. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — Energy and mining expert Ted Blom always offers rather different opinions on what's gone wrong at Eskom. He touts himself as being energy agnostic and has controversial views about the sustainability of clean sources such as solar and wind in a country like South Africa. Nevertheless, Blom has some interesting insights and experience with regard to what's gone wrong with Eskom's coal supplies of late. Coal supply has become a major factor behind the recent bouts of load shedding in the country, and Blom doesn't hold back any punches in this interview. Take a listen... - Gareth van Zyl 

In this fascinating interview, South Africa's ace crime fighter Paul OSullivan tells the story of how a call to the Forensics for Justice tip-off line resulted in the termination of a corrupt R4bn contract at Transnet, the country's rail and port utility. It also explains O'Sullivan's confidence that his country will overcome its challenges, helped by a SA equivalent of Brazil's Operation Car Wash. He explains how the corrupt network used a now well-exposed template, which in this case involved a major Italian construction group and with beneficiaries including the husband of one of South Africa's 11 Constitutional Court judges - the highest law making body in the land.

JOHANNESBURG — Local crime-fighting technology startup Memeza is doing something rather unique. They've built low-cost alarm technologies that connect to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and which alerts nearby safety community members. There's essentially a one-off affordable cost involved with the system plus small monthly data charges. The technology has already shown to reduce crime by up to 100% in one area. Now Memeza has bigger plans after winning a $250 000 prize from global tech giant Google. In this interview, Thuli Mthethwa - who is the CEO of Memeza - tells us more. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — The Public Investment Corporation together with the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) have been under the spotlight this week amid revelations that they have effectively written off loans of R7.4bn to a Steinhoff connected entity and Sekunjalo, which is headed by controversial media owner Iqbal Surve. This is effectively a huge jump in impairments from the previous year when GEPF impairments were a cool R995m. The latest developments have sparked the ire of those keeping a close eye on the PIC and GEPF, and now the Association for Monitoring and Advocacy of Government Pensions (AMAGP) wants accountability. In this interview, AMAGP spokesperson, Adamus Stemmet, explains what's going on. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — For the first three days of December 2018, the country has been plunged into electricity shortages as Eskom restarted rotational load shedding. While coal problems have come to haunt Eskom once again, this time it's a range of other issues that have created this latest mess, according to energy expert Chris Yelland. In this podcast, Yelland explains why Eskom's entire model is increasingly under the spotlight as concerns mount over the state energy provider's long-future and sustainability. - Gareth van Zyl

After a devastating October, the global tech sector has posted a significant recovery in recent weeks. Many of the shares included in the Biznews Global Share Portfolio, like Apple and Amazon, clawed back a good portion of their share price decline. But one share in particular, Microsoft, outshone the rest and managed to overtake its long-time competitor Apple in market cap terms. In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan discuss the tech turnaround and look at how company's like Amazon, Apple, and South Africa's Discovery are combing tech and healthcare in exciting new ways. They also discuss the sad story of SA-listed Intu Properties – Intu is the unlucky victim of the political uncertainty created by the disorderly Brexit process. They wrap up with a look at the latest news about Theresa May's Brexit deal.

JOHANNESBURG — Motus Holdings, the automotive unit that unbundled from Imperial Holdings, listed on the JSE on Thursday. In this interview, Motus Holdings CEO Osman Arbee and his CFO Ockert Janse van Rensburg explain the story behind the new listing. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — GG Alcock is no stranger to BizNews as he's been interviewed previously by Alec Hogg as well as having had one of his articles published on BizNews. It was therefore great to catch up with GG and find out about his latest book, 'Kasinomic Revolution - The Rise of African Informal Economies'. In this podcast, GG explains how the book consists of a series of fascinating case studies that illustrate how the informal economy in South Africa should be taken far more seriously. GG also goes on to explain how government officials in South Africa - both at local and national level - just don't fully grasp the massive importance and potential of this sector. Take a listen. - Gareth van Zyl  

In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan look back on a chaotic week in Brexit. Theresa May secured a draft agreement, but defections from her own party have put its future in doubt. With some calling for a hard Brexit, it's anyone's guess what the future holds. Meanwhile, markets and businesses try to muddle through the uncertainty, at great cost. They also discuss Bitcoin, which had almost as difficult a week as May. Down over 60% on the year (and more than that from its December 2017 high), Bitcoin has broken free from a months-long period of relative stability and started to fall again. Alec Hogg has some interesting theories about why that is.

JOHANNESBURG — Fewer issues than land expropriation without compensation elicit such highly, emotionally charged feelings among South Africans. So, when a Parliament committee on Thursday controversially announced that it would start the process of changing the Constitution to affect so-called land 'ELWC', the likes of the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) were already waiting in the wings to fight back. The battle has started with the IRR launching a legal process to take the committee on judicial review. And as Anthea Jeffery - who is the Head of Policy Research at the IRR - explains in this podcast, her organisation is of the view that there is a good chance of successfully reviewing the committee's decision because the committee has ignored 99% of all written submissions on the matter. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — Stories from the Partners for Possibility (PfP) programme continue to amaze me. Listening to this interview with Mediclinic ICT Ops Manager, Deon Myburgh, you'll realise how solutions to South Africa's education crisis lie with better, more cohesive partnerships with different stakeholders in society. We can improve education in this country, we just need the will do so. And we don't need to wait for politicians to come to the party. Take a listen to Deon's story with Cloetesville High School in the Western Cape. - Gareth van Zyl  

JOHANNESBURG — Some major and rather unreported events have happened in South Africa's still relatively new democracy in recent days. Just this week, COPE leader and Member of Parliament, Mosiuoa Lekota, presented a private member's bill in the House to get the ball rolling on changing the country's Electoral Act to allow for independent candidates to run for election. According to a former Member of the Provincial Legislature in the Western Cape - Dr Michael Louis - these changes to the Act are essentially guaranteed following a key judgment by the country's Constitutional Court judges. Dr Louis has been at the forefront of fighting for such changes as he's previously also launched legal bids to change the law. Ultimately, changes to the Act could alter politics dramatically in South Africa. Take a listen. - Gareth van Zyl

In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan discuss new Tesla chair Robyn Denholm and the tough task she faces. With a strong finance background, she is well-positioned to help Tesla address their reporting issues - can she also rein in outspoken CEO Elon Musk? They also look at Pravin Gordhan's leaked state capture testimony - Gordhan explicitly names Jacob Zuma as complicit, in a striking shift in the narrative. What does this testimony mean for power in South Africa. They wrap up with a look at the future of the SA mining sector.

JOHANNESBURG — South African-born mining veteran Brian Menell is shifting his focus to what looks set to become the next gold rush. Demand for minerals that make up batteries, for the likes of electric cars and other smart devices, is expected to soar over the next few years. Many minerals such as cobalt, lithium and tungsten are contained in modern batteries that have driven the globe's tech revolution. Miners have sat up and taken notice as the likes of Glencore has made big plays in the space. However, as Brian Menell in this interview explains, China has come to completely dominate the mining and supply of these key materials. But Brian — who is part of the Menell family that is well-known for having founded successful SA mining and industrial conglomerate the Anglovaal Group — sees new opportunities in tapping mining operations outside of China in order to provide an alternative source of these key minerals for the world's ever-growing battery market. Menell, from his office in London, tells us more in this interview. - Gareth van Zyl

Irina Filatova is a Russian professor who moved to South Africa in 1992 when she joined the University of Durban-Westville, now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In this fascinating interview with Alec Hogg, the two explore the communist movement in South Africa and how it ties in with the Soviet Union. Filatova says the ideological influence of the Communist Party on the ANC leadership cannot be disputed and is evident if one goes through the ANC documents. Filatova is an accomplished author with seven books and many other publications to her name. Her last book The Hidden Thread: Russia and South Africa in the Soviet Era  explored relationships between South Africa and Soviet Russia and won the Recht Malan Prize for Best Non-Fiction book of 2014 at the Media 24 Literary Awards. 

In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan discuss why South Africa needs a healthy dose of truth. They look at KPMG's latest series of setbacks in SA and abroad, and ask why some South African companies are still pretending that KPMG isn't the problem. They also ask if Ramaphosa's truth-telling is the dose of reality that the country needs. To wrap up, they take a look at the implications of the global stock market downturn and the return of volatility.

JOHANNESBURG — Cape Town-based Jessica Bester and Nastasha Coetsee quit their previous daytime jobs to launch a dance school in Gugulethu. The school targets giving a sense of hope to underprivileged children in the township while teaching them valuable life skills. In this interview, Bester and Coetsee tell us why they decided to launch the initiative. Take a listen. - Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — More South Africans than ever before are trying to get Australian visas, according to Sable International's Sam Hopwood. A poor South African economy, as well as political uncertainty, are sparking a mass exodus among many skilled Saffers looking to ply their trade elsewhere. Australia is an attractive option owing to its similar climate and lifestyle. But if you're seriously considering the big move, there are a few things to know before you go. In this interview, Hopwood explains the ins and outs of obtaining two particular Australian visas. - Gareth van Zyl

In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan dig into the Budget, asking what message Cyril Ramaphosa and Tito Mboweni are sending investors and what that means for South Africa. With all the bad news so clearly and honestly laid out, how will Ramaphosa entice investors? And what will happen if he fails to do so? They also look at the latest news on Tesla - it's a mixed bag, with a strong quarter undermined by news of a criminal investigation into the company's production figures. They also chat about South African entrepreneur Brian Joffe and his take on BEE.

JOHANNESBURG — If you invest in actively managed funds, this interview with Zack Bezuidenhout of S&P Dow Jones Indices is sure to make you sit up and take notice. According to the latest SPIVA South Africa Scorecard Mid-Year 2018 report, over a one-year period, 51% of actively managed South African equity funds and 82% global equity funds failed to beat the S&P South Africa DSW Capped Index and S&P Global 1200 Index respectively. Meanwhile, during a three- and five- year period, the percentage of actively managed South African equity funds underperforming the S&P South Africa DSW Capped Index increased to 60% and 76% respectively. But there's more as Bezuidenhout explains...take a listen. Gareth van Zyl

The folks at KPMG complain, sometimes, that their critics (including Biznews) are unfair and too quick to pass judgement. But evidence has emerged that KPMG played a role in facilitating the VBS bank heist. Add this to the auditing firm's role in a laundry list of scandals around the world, from state capture in South Africa to shenanigans at Carillion in the UK, and you have a distinct picture of an organisation with some real ethics problems. Obviously, this is not to say that everyone who works at KPMG is on the take. There are many hard-working and honest auditors there - some even appear in the VBS story, trying to raise questions about the bank's books during the audit process. But with so many problems and so many scandals, it's getting very hard to believe that there is not some kind of rot at KPMG, or at the very least, a desperate need to revise ethics controls and start to take these issues seriously. In this episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan talk about KPMG's role in the VBS heist. They discuss the lessons that the seeming failure of Saudi Arabia's investment push has for South Africa and they reflect on the upcoming Uber IPO.

South Africa’s internationally admired renewable energy programme was jumpstarted by the Ramaphosa administration, with the new president’s immediate deployment of a new Minister helping to accelerate the latest agreement with the private sector. Biotherm Energy, a participant in the very first Renewables round back in 2011, returned to the fray for the latest edition. But with Round Four dragging on four two years, when the green light finally came, Biotherm needed a different BEE solution. That opened the way for a new association between the leading Renewables group and a well established RMB and Thebe partnership. With the funding completed the construction phase of a R6.5bn investment now begins, with four new plants built, adding 283 megawatts to the South African grid. Solar plants will be built in the Northern Cape at Konkoonsies – 86 mw – and Aggneys – 45MW. And winds generating plants in the Cape at Bedford – 120 mw - and Swellendam – 32Mw. In this special podcast we hear from RMB transactor Mphokolo Makara who was intimately involved in shepherding the all important financial side of the transaction.