Conclusions reached in a report into small town business in the North West province should be sending shock waves through South African society. Officially sanctioned, it is authored by NW University's Prof Ronnie Lotriet and supported by the NW Chamber of Business and SA's Department of Economic Development. The report exposes how around two thirds of these unregistered, tax-evading operations are operated by illegal immigrants and allegedly funded by "the Chinese Mafia". In this podcast Prof Lotriet and the NW Chamber's CEO Andre' Coertzen unpack their findings, urging action from central government to force registration as a starting point to address these dens of iniquity. They spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

Stefano Marani, CEO of emerging energy company Renergen, sheds light on the junior miner's R367m forward sale agreement with US company Argonon Helium, which is intended to bring price transparency to the currently opaque helium market.

News headlines: * In a watershed moment for crypto, the first-ever bitcoin-linked ETF will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange today. The exchange-traded fund - launched by ProShares - will invest primarily in bitcoin futures contracts, rather than bitcoin itself. * Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk regained the title of the world's richest person on Friday thanks to Tesla's soaring stock. Musk's net worth of $236 billion surpasses Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fortune of $196 billion. * Low-cost airline FlySafair wants the Public Holidays Act to change by moving midweek public holidays to Monday or Friday. According to the domestic airline, long weekends promote travel and this tweak could help the tourism sector’s recovery.

In this podcast, British actor Martin Clunes joins BizNews editor Alec Hogg for a wide ranging discussion which moves from the star's latest hit series where he plays DCI Colin Sutton in Manhunt; the 10th and final season of the iconic Doc Martin; his successful spousal business partnership with Philippa Braithwaite; the counter-intuitive impact of Covid on the entertainment industry; visiting South Africa and turning 60 (next month).

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, legendary British actor Martin Clunes talks about South Africa, his industry and the "Doc Martin" star's latest role, the BritBox series Manhunt II: The Night Stalker; Sasfin Security's David Shapiro offers his unique market insights; The FT ponders the link between economic and population growth; and Standard Bank's Deerosh Maharaj and Kevin Ssemwogerere unpack PowerPulse, an innovative digital platform that helps companies to install alternatives to Eskom power.

As is customary for a Monday, David Shapiro gives us his investment insights looking at what's happening in the markets both locally and abroad.

*South Africa’s finance minister urged investors not to be deterred by what he termed “isolated” incidents of criminality, and assured them that improving safety and security is one of the government’s top priorities. “I would argue that people must invest in South Africa,” Enoch Godongwana said in an online panel discussion on Sunday. “We cannot let an isolated incident, which is not a feature of our society, be a reason for lack of investment.” The latest police statistics show there were 5,760 murders in South Africa in the three months through June, an average of 62 a day. *Eskom has started court proceedings to review the regulator’s rejection of a price plan into 2025 that outlines how much the utility can charge electricity consumers. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa on Sept. 30 called for a pricing methodology review and discarded the so-called MYPD 5 revenue application of Eskom, which is unprofitable and struggles under about R400 billion of debt. “This is impossible both from a legal process and timing point of view,” the utility had said. *The spectacle of two South African cabinet ministers being held hostage by military veterans demanding an audience with the president has embarrassed the government and highlighted security concerns ahead of next month’s municipal elections. Defense Minister Thandi Modise, herself a former combatant in the fight against White-minority rule, her deputy Thabang Makwetla and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele were prevented from leaving a hotel near the capital, Pretoria, on Thursday after talks with the veterans collapsed. The stand-off lasted less than an hour before special forces stormed the venue, firing teargas and arresting 56 people who now face kidnapping charges. No one was hurt. “We were there against our will, but it was not a violent situation,” Gungubele later told reporters.

In the fifth episode of the Standard Bank PowerPulse podcast series, BizNews founder Alec Hogg is joined by Deerosh Maharaj, Senior Manager for Natural Resources, Power, and Sustainable Solutions at Standard Bank, and Kevin Ssemwogerere, Corporate Venturing Lead in Wholesale Clients Digital for the Standard Bank PowerPulse platform, to discuss how the platform has been received thus far. They also look at the common pitfalls associated with investing in solar PV and how PowerPulse aims to help its clients avoid these experiences altogether.

As the world attempts to move towards some semblance of normality, human beings face a host of consequential challenges relating to the unprecedented nature of the last (over) 18 months. IQbusiness, South Africa’s leading management and technology consulting firm, released a report in September based on a recent pilot study, which revealed over 66% of office-based employees surveyed are experiencing extreme stress, anxiety and depression. The study tested key empirical indicators of trauma including financial constraints, breakdowns in close relationships, retrenchments or caring for a loved one. While South Africans are – by virtue of the distress that has characterised our past and, regrettably, present – resilient by nature, it would be a mistake to assume we have not been fundamentally affected by these events. In order to further understand both the broader implications of the findings of the IQbusiness report as well as the ways in which the report can enable organisations to address these implications, BizNews spoke to Adam Craker, the CEO of IQbusiness, and Nadine Rix, the report’s originator. The importance of acknowledging the findings of the report as well prioritising ways to address these findings cannot be overstated. Engaging with an organisation that recognises this and is working hard to introduce other corporations to the imperative and related benefits was incredibly refreshing.

Walter Aylett, founding fund manager of Aylett and Co., shares their house view on Transaction Capital.

Following the passing of legendary media stalwart Allan Greenblo, Magnus Heystek and Alec Hogg reflect on the impact Greenblo had on the South African financial journalism landscape. Greenblo was fiercely independent with no hidden agendas, which is a similar characteristic shared by the hard-hitting Brenthurst Wealth founder. The conversation is dominated by pension funds and similar types of products to which many South African savers have fallen victim over the past decade. Owing to draconian investment restrictions within Regulation 28, retirement funds have had large exposure to South African investment instruments, most of which have performed poorly over the better part of the decade. Heystek argues that many of the country’s largest financial services institutions are partly to blame as the poor investment performance returns seem to have been swept under the rug. 

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by value fund manager Piet Viljoen; Bidvest Automotive CEO Steve Keys and WeBuyCars co-founder Dirk van der Walt unpack the effects of the semi-conductor chip shortage in the motor industry; fund manager Walter Aylett explains why Reinet is one their top house picks, Muir College celebrates two decades and the BizNews Team.

News headlines: *Rich nations shouldn’t force South Africa to ban new coal-power projects and impose other conditions as a requirement for funding to help reduce its environmental footprint, the country’s energy minister said. *South African steelworkers will continue to strike after rejecting an increased wage offer from employers. *Three months on, police minister Bheki Cele says that the South African police are ‘close’ to cracking the insurrection plot, which the state claims was behind the mid-July riots and looting in KwaZulu Natal and parts of Gauteng.

In 2022, Muir College will celebrate its 200th anniversary. Situated in Kariega, the anniversary is a landmark event in the history of education. It is an ideal moment of reflection and celebration of the power and hope of education in post apartheid SouthAfrica. In this podcast - Andrew Binning and Asanda Singata joined Alec Hogg for a detailed chat of the College's history, offers and this beautiful milestone.

Counterpoint Value Fund manager Piet Viljoen gives us the inside scoop of what is happening in the local and global investment markets. The conversation includes an array of topics, with Piet outlining the thesis behind Aveng's 500:1 share consolidation. Investment holding structures, namely PSG and Long4Life, are discussed at length as well as Brian Joffe stepping down from the role of CEO at Long4Life. The commodity counters and global markets primary fear, inflation, wrap up the conversation.

A shortage of semiconductor chips, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, has seen a surge in used and new car prices. BizNews Motoring correspondent Jarryd Neves spoke to two industry leaders; Bidvest Automotive CEO Steve Keys and WeBuyCars co-founder, Dirk van der Walt, to gain insights into this global phenomenon.

News headlines: *DNG Energy Ltd., a losing bidder for state contracts to supply emergency power in South Africa, made fresh corruption allegations against a winning bidder, Karpowership, and a government official. *South Africa’s ongoing steelworker strike is likely to lead to job cuts, further hammering an industry that’s been in decline for several years, according to the country’s main employer body. *South Africa's beleaguered tourism sector is preparing for an influx of British visitors ahead of the busy summer season.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by Magnus Heystek who warns about SA's "retirement crisis" caused by a bad decision ten years ago to force 70% of savings to be kept in the country; SAA's recently appointed Chief Commercial Officer, international airline veteran Simon Newton-Smith explains how it's now data-driven and business focused; and DA's Cape Town mayoral candidate - Geordin Hill-Lewis explains how he plans to "kick open the door" to extract the city from SA's load shedding nightmare.

Every Wednesday we have investment insights from Magnus Heystek. The founder of Brenthurst Wealth joined Alec Hogg, the duo covering a number of investment topics making headlines - including pension funds.

Elections are traditionally the time that politicians, some who are seldom seen outside their big cars with tinted windows, get outside to be seen as leaders who are in tune with the electorate. In other countries, kissing a couple of babies and knocking on doors would do it but in South Africa where the problems tend be more pressing, it takes more. The issue of Afrikaans as an indigenous language has even prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to speak Afrikaans to communities in the Cape, which has led to many internet memes. Finding issues that the electorate feel passionate about and are touching their lives every day, is normally a sure way of hitting the ball out of the park and in South Africa the most pressing issue for a local government election, is Eskom and loadshedding. To say that it is the Achilles heel of the ANC is an understatement, it is more like a giant size piñata that opposition parties can shoot with a laser gun without a blindfold. And the DA’s young Cape Town mayoral candidate has come up with a humdinger – Geordin Hill-Lewis is running on the promise of no more loadshedding for Cape Town. He explained to Alec Hogg how he would achieve it.

Airline veteran Simon Newton-Smith opens up to BizNews editor Alec Hogg in this fascinating interview on why newly relaunched South African Airways is unlikely to even need taxpayer funding again. The airline's new Chief Commercial Officer returned to SAA in August after a successful career at global majors including a long spell with Virgin Atlantic. Apart from being trimmed down - 4 000 pre-Business Rescue staff to 800 - Newton-Smith explains how a modernised approach to managing the airline is already starting to pay off. And how priceless assets like its brand and the large Voyager customer base underpin what not long ago appeared to be a most unlikely recovery.

South Africa's globally rated financial services analyst Kokkie Kooyman runs through the relative value offered by the country's top six banks. He explains to Alec Hogg how, at the current share prices, two of them are outstanding buying opportunities for investors following the long-overdue trend of switching from Growth to Value stocks.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by Steven Nathan paying tribute to Allan Grenblo; Denker Capital's Kokkie Kooyman unpacks it's new partnership with Janus Henderson; global editor at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism James Ball on Smoke Screen and the murky world of the tobacco industry and the BizNews Team.

For the past year and a half a team at UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism has looking into activity in the South African tobacco industry. The result of those efforts is a cracking eight series Podcast called Smoke Screen (on auddy.co). In this interview, the Bureau's international editor James Ball joins Alec Hogg with a taste of what's in Smoke Screen's Episode 5 - and explain how executives at multinational protagonist British American Tobacco have leaned on the boardroom ploy of "plausible deniability".

In this podcast, the founder of 10X Investments Steven Nathan pays tribute to the late Allan Greenblo, a rare independent voice in South Africa's retirement industry. He also explains the other side to SA Treasury's intervention which will require construction companies may only use (more expensive) domestically produced cement on all government-related projects.