Counterpoint Value Fund manager Piet Viljoen joins BizNews founder Alec Hogg as co-host of the BizNews Power Hour to weigh in on a number of topics in the news. Viljoen shares GG Alcock's sentiments on the SA unemployment rate and says that pharmaceutical companies should make money from producing vaccines, despite what many might say. "If they make money out of this, I think it's a good thing. I'm all for people making money by solving problems for other people. I think that's how the world should work and it should work that way more often," he says. Viljoen also chats briefly about investing, Old Mutual, and Italtile's positive results despite 18 months in a brutal Covid-19 pandemic.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Piet Viljoen talking vaccine producing company stocks; Advocate Paul Hoffman unpacks judge Hlophe's impeachment; Italtile CEO Jan Potgieter on the group's year-end results; Paul Whitburn, director and portfolio manager at Rozendal Partners, on China’s current communist moves and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

News headlines: *A substantial majority of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) voted to uphold a gross misconduct finding against Western Cape judge president John Hlophe, paving the way for an impeachment process by parliament. *State-owned airline company South African Airways (SAA) has announced it will resume flights on 23 September 2021. *SA’s greenhouse gas emissions increased 10% in the 17 years since 2000, according to the latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report, which was published by the department of environment, forestry and fisheries this week.

Italtile's outgoing chief executive Jan Potgieter joined the BizNews Power Hour on a day that the retailer announced record financial results. Italtile has been one of the best performing companies on the JSE for the better part of a decade with management's decision making and capital allocation at the centre of its success. The home improvement trend has been a tailwind for the industry but Jan remains confident that its disciplined investment in organic growth will continue to lead the business to new heights. Jan's tenure ends in December, another unfortunate case of 'brain drain' in South Africa, although he outlines his successor Lance Foxcroft is a more than able replacement to lead one of the darlings of the local bourse.

GG Alcock joined the BizNews Power Hour, on the day after the unemployment data for South Africa were released. The figures showed horrific numbers, but Alcock provides some context on the numbers - and the way they’re put together. The author of “Kasinomics: African Informal Economies and the People Who Inhabit Them” weighs in on the world-leading unemployment figures, noting that “we have to define how we measure unemployment. One of the big problems with the numbers that we see is that it says unemployment, not formal unemployment.”

"A mandatory vaccine policy is absolutely critical," says Professor Keymanthri Moodley, a bioethicist and director of the Centre for Medical Ethics and Law at Stellenbosch University. Professor Moodley joined BizNews to explain exactly why she believes that a mandatory vaccine policy is necessary for 'high-risk environments'. She says that healthcare workers are exhausted and will soon develop compassion fatigue, a dangerous prospect for anyone who needs urgent medical attention. She also says it's the only way to ensure an increase in economic activity and prevent further lockdowns. "It's in the best interest of the government and the country to have a good mandatory policy in place and to ensure that people are healthy and safe and can return to employment and other activities as soon as possible," she says.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Magnus Heystek; Kasinomic's GG Alcock on unemployment stats versus the local economy; the launch of Altron Fintech's Household Financial Resilience Index with Dr Roelof Botha; why mandatory vaccination is in the public interest with Keymanthri Moodley and the BizNews Power Hour team.

News headlines: *South Africa’s government unveiled a master plan aimed at harnessing a R28bn cannabis industry that could potentially create as many as 25,000 jobs and help attract foreign investment. *South Africa’s economy is 11% bigger than previously estimated, after statistics authorities changed the way they calculate gross domestic product. *National Treasury has submitted the Second Special Appropriation Bill to parliament, seeking to unlock R32.9bn in extra funding.

Dr Roelof Botha is the economic advisor to the Optimum Investment Group and the brains behind the Altron Fintech Household Financial Resilience Index. Dr Botha joined BizNews contributor Bronwyn Nielsen to discuss the index, the purpose of which is to assess the state of micro-lending in South Africa from the perspective of the ability of borrowers to repay their loans. ”If one looks at micro financing in South Africa, if you can extend access to finance to relatively poor households - who have some source of revenue - then it stands to reason that you can expedite expenditure and productivity. Many of these Altron Fintech customers actually use these loans for working capital, to buy welding rods and fuel for the bakkie, so that they can get out to site and build houses. It plays an invaluable role,” says Roelof.

Hard-hitting Magnus Heystek joins BizNews founder Alec Hogg to talk about the hidden agendas that plague the investment industry. Magnus has been adamant on having offshore exposure for the better part of the last decade for two reasons, firstly because diversification is the only free lunch you're afforded in investing and secondly because of the unsteady macroeconomic backdrop within South Africa. He's called it perfectly. Unfortunately, some of the large institutions and investment houses in South Africa are plagued with conflicts of interest. As a result, clients suffer. Magnus emphasises the importance of doing due diligence before investing, even if it costs a few thousand rand.

10X founder Steven Nathan joins Alec Hogg to talk on a number of topical political and investment matters. The unemployment rate, which rose by 1.8% to 34.4%, surged to the highest on a global list of 82 countries monitored by Bloomberg. The expanded definition, which includes discouraged workers, rose to a staggering 44.4%. Nathan outlines the dire need for the ruling party to implement reforms in order to overturn this crisis. The Naspers and Prosus share buybacks, which have eroded more than R20bn in shareholder value, was also one of the main talking points - with Nathan stating that buybacks are often a corporate action fraught with conflicts of interests for a number of reasons. Lastly, the sad situation taking place in Afghanistan is discussed.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Steven Nathan talking Chinese tech stocks; Hameed Hakimi, an Afghan national and Research Associate at Ruhr-University Bochum Germany on the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan; Gerhard Papenfus takes on Arcelor Mittal SA; Standard Banks' PowerPulse and the BizNews Power Hour team.

News headlines: *South Africa’s unemployment rate surged to the highest on a global list of 82 countries monitored by Bloomberg. *The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Gauteng will prosecute former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini in connection with the social grants payments fiasco in 2017. *Cilo Cybin Pharmaceutical is considering an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 12 months after becoming the first SA company to win the right to grow, process and package cannabis products.

ArcelorMittal South Africa announced recently that the second half of 2021 may be even better than the profit record of nearly R2.5 billion that the company achieved in the first half of the year. NEASA chief executive Gerhard Papenfus joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss why he says that “government’s continued protection of AMSA is just another ideological blunder.”

The Chinese regulators' crackdown on Big Tech - which has been intensifying since November 2020 - as well as the drastic measures taken by the country to move back towards a communist state has serious implications for the rest of the world, South Africa included. BizNews contributor Charl Botha spoke to Paul Whitburn, a Director and Portfolio Manager at Rozendal Partners, to get his perspective on the ways in which these developments in China - which is currently the world’s second largest economy - will affect the South African economy. Whitburn provided interesting insights, particularly with reference to the parallels that can be drawn between patterns in US history in comparison with China’s current communist moves.

The Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan, soon after the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces, could bolster other Islamist terror groups like ISIS in Mozambique. This is according to Hameed Hakimi, an Afghan national and Research Associate at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany. Hakimi says he has family in Kabul who have not been able to leave their home since the Taliban took over. Afghans with any ties to the US are being shot and women's movements are completely restricted. Hakimi calls on Western powers to impose sanctions on the Taliban government before it's too late.

There are amazing grants and programmes in South Africa, which have put enterprising young people on a path to invent, grow and thrive. One of them is the Urban Agriculture Initiative (UAI), operated by an organisation called Wouldn’t it Be Cool (WIBC). Khaya Maloney secured a sport and completed a three-month scholarship to grow hops. This young entrepreneur was thinking big and started growing four season hops on a Johannesburg rooftop, a first for South Africa. The founder of Afrileap told BizNews about his passion for hop growing.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that - according to Emile Stipp, the chief actuary at Discovery - as many as four out of five South Africans had already had Covid-19. This finding naturally led to many questions surrounding the implications of this estimated infection rate, particularly in respect of achieving herd immunity in South Africa. BizNews founder Alec Hogg spoke to Emile Stipp who unpacked his findings and the notion of herd immunity, which Stipp stated is ‘something that we must all forget now.’ Stipp further commented on the differences between symptoms and infection susceptibility of those who have been vaccinated as opposed to those who have not.

South Africa was placed on the UK’s dreaded red list in December 2020 - a status which the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates could lead to the South African economy suffering losses that equate to more than R26m every single day. A petition spearheaded by the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) is gaining traction and once 100,000 signatures are obtained - the issue of travel between South Africa and the UK will be considered for debate in parliament. BizNews journalist Linda van Tilburg spoke to the CEO of SATSA, David Frost, as well as Tourism and Hospitality Adviser Gillian Saunders to discuss South Africa’s placement on the red list, which Frost argues is due to the UK ‘not following its own science’ as well as the progress of the petition.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host David Shapiro talking shares after his first Tesla ride; Chief actuary at Discovery - Emile Stipp - on estimated real Covid-19 infection rate in SA; Private Investigator Sean Peirce on the Bitcoin brothers case, SATSA CEO David Frost and tourism specialist Gillian Saunders unpack the SA petition on the UK red list and the BizNews Power Hour team.

Ameer and Raees Cajee (and their company, Africrypt) started making headlines earlier this year when the pair sent out a notice to investors informing them of a security breach. According to a company announcement, the investing platform had allegedly been hacked - with all of the funds stolen. Since then, the story has taken many turns. Silent for weeks, Raees Cajee finally spoke up, saying that he and his family were forced to flee the country, "with our immediate family, including my disabled father — after receiving numerous death threats." It was also reported that the brothers had bought citizenship in Vanuatu, a small island nation which gives its citizens visa-free access to over 130 countries, including the UK. Joining BizNews is private investigator Sean Peirce, who was tasked by Africrypt clients to investigate the alleged hack. Peirce explains the process into investigating the cryptocurrency scandal that has rocked South Africa.

Rentia van Tonder and Berrie de Jager of Standard Bank join Alec Hogg to discuss PowerPulse, a new digital platform introduced by Standard Bank that provides alternative energy solutions by connecting clients with appropriate power suppliers. As Alec Hogg says, the shift from centralised to decentralised power generation could not come at a better time. Earlier in the week, state-owned power utility Eskom confirmed that an explosion at unit 4 of its Medupi power station caused “extensive damage” to a generator. With years of electricity supply challenges already behind us, business owners will surely be only too happy to take matters into their own hands, but as our guests explain, we're not out of the woods just yet.

Sasfin Securities David Shapiro joins the BizNews team as Monday night's BizNews Power Hour co-host, with the veteran analyst outlining that markets have had a solid start to the week after a period of concern. Commodities came off strongly during the latter part of last week with the JSE All Share Index negatively effected due to the lopsided weighting of resource counters on the local bourse. Shapiro and Bronwyn Nielsen touch on a variety of topics during the discussion, with the rand and Shapiro's 'pick-and-shovel' stock picks the main talking points. Visibly excited, Shapiro talks us through his first experience in a Tesla, of which he is extremely complimentary.

News headlines: *South Africa plans to extradite former Mozambican Finance Minister Manuel Chang to his home country, rather than the U.S. where he also faces corruption charges, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. *The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) suspended the exchange licence of ZAR X on Friday. *Woolworths will no longer have a CEO for its SA operations after the current person in the role, Zyda Rylands, is stepping down after leading the division for six years.

Chief executive of UK streaming service BritBox, Reemah Sakaan joins the BizNews team to discuss the arrival of the streaming on demand platform to South African shores. The streaming era has merely begun, as a number of entertainment providers fight for market share in an increasingly competitive market. It’s great for us as consumers, with a plethora of entertainment options at one’s disposal – and at competitive prices. The unique offering will have a host of British entertainment options, which Sakaan says is a fan favourite amongst South African households – it’s the reason BritBox has decided to penetrate the South African market. The streaming on demand industry as a whole is discussed at length, with Sakaan outlining the huge runway ahead for the industry.