In this week's Currency Focus, Andre Cilliers explains why the rand showed a surprisingly small degree of weakening despite the looting and unrest in KZN last week. He added that we still need to get our house in order as we are not one of the emerging markets that attract the most money. "The event takes place over three days but the consequences stay with us for years thereafter," says Cilliers.

A Moody’s Investors Service report downgraded five South African cities, placing them into junk territory. Among them is Cape Town, a city that, last month, received feedback from Moody’s saying that the city is in a “strong position.” Joining BizNews is Ian Neilson, the Deputy Mayor of the Mother City. “We’re able to deliver on our budget and on our plans. We don’t see any merit in this downgrade,” he says.

As is customary for a Monday, David Shapiro talks all things civil unrest and its effects on the JSE, which has held up relatively well during these trying times in South Africa. Shapiro notes that what's happening around us and what's happening in the markets are two different animals altogether.

Tekkie Town's Bernard Mostert discusses the Steinhoff settlement saga with BizNews founder Alec Hogg and veteran analyst David Shapiro. Mostert and his partner Braam Van Huyssteen are fighting tooth and nail to recover their business which was exchanged for Steinhoff shares in 2016. The business was valued at over R3bn at the time of acquisition by Steinhoff.

In hierdie potgooi het ek met Schalk Louw van PSG Old Oak gesels oor edelmetale. Om die waarde van edelmetale in ons portefeuljes te verduidelik deel hy 'n baie interessante storie uit die ekonomiese geskiedenis.

Counterpoint's Piet Viljoen, who BizNews founder Alec Hogg often refers to as ‘the most rational person he knows’, joined the BizNews Power Hour today - with his first comment being that it is super hard to to stay rational in times like these. Viljoen believes that the civil unrest that has been raging in parts of South Africa over the last few days may be a watershed for this country and that ‘things could either change for the positive or for the negative, but things will have to change.’ Viljoen says that the thing that struck him most was the complete absence of government, and that it is this continuation of this incapable government that has led to the massive inequality. The crux of the issue, Viljoen states, is that the disempowered portion of the population has just become bigger as a result of lockdowns and other associated measures to fight the pandemic. Viljoen also provides an alternative perspective on communities pulling together to fend for themselves. While he admits that it is a positive thing for communities, he notes that it will lead to large parts of the infrastructure falling away if it starts to replace the state.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Piet Viljoen; founder of Gift Of The Givers Dr Imtiaz Sooliman on SA's looting locusts; OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage on SA communities uniting; Action SA leader Herman Mashaba unpacks his reasons for suing the government; township mall owner Jason McCormick on the grave details of violent looters and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

ActionSA has announced that it will be seeking a lawsuit against the ANC, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Police Minister, following looting and violent rioting that has gripped KZN and Gauteng over the past week. Party founder Herman Mashaba said that Ramaphosa, Cele and other government ministers have a legal duty to maintain law and order in South Africa. “In so doing, they ensure the protection of our constitutional order and the rights of every South African.” Mashaba also said that the country now finds itself in this state because government failed to act swiftly, “wilfully failing” to coordinate law enforcement at an early stage. The party founder has invited South Africans who have been impacted by the looting and civil unrest to join the lawsuit against “the ineffectual and incompetent Ramaphosa and his government.” Mashaba speaks to BizNews about the class action lawsuit that ActionSA plans on pursuing.

The McCormick family are well known property moguls in South Africa. Their property portfolio consists of listed and unlisted assets, mainly malls and shopping centres around the rural and township areas of South Africa. It's listed assets are held through a real-estate investment trust called Exemplar, which is an illiquid counter with a market capitalisation of approximately R3bn. It is controlled by the family. Jason McCormick, chief executive of Exemplar, joined Alec Hogg in a story that tells an extremely sombre tale. A number of the McCormick's properties have looted, vandalised and all but destroyed. The fight isn't over, he says, as the family will look to rebuild and come back stronger as the communities in which they operate depend on it.

News headlines: *South Africa mustered its army reserves in a bid to quell several days of looting that has ravaged supplies of food and other essentials and dealt a crippling blow to its economy. *he World Health Organisation’s Africa director has warned that South Africa should prepare itself for a surge in coronavirus cases following the widespread rioting and looting that has occurred in the two most populous provinces. *Santam says the recent spate of looting and destruction to property could have long-term implications on the cost of insurance and investor confidence in South Africa.

Following days of rioting and looting in South Africa, reports of South Africans pulling together in communities are becoming common. Joining BizNews to discuss this phenomenon is Wayne Duvenage, the CEO of OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse). He comments on the camaraderie seen in afflicted areas, noting that this assistance "is in so many South Africans, coming to the fore in times of disaster and need." Duvenage also notes that now is the time for South Africa to ask why this happened. "If we can take from this, the journey forward to fix what is fundamentally wrong, I think there's going to be a good road ahead."

It is often during times of great adversity, that we witness the extraordinary strength of the human spirit. Dr Imtiaz Sooliman founded the Gift of the Givers Foundation in 1992 and has spent the last 29 years dedicating himself to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief. BizNews founder Alec Hogg spoke to Dr Sooliman about the crisis wreaking havoc in South Africa right now. Dr Sooliman shares an incredibly insightful view of the four categories of persons who are fuelling the riots and the looting. What really hits home, though, are his stories about ordinary South Africans who have united to defend themselves and each other where the government has dismally failed its people and its citizens. Describing these events, Dr Sooliman says; “It's an incredible thing. I've never seen anything like this in my 29 years of working in disaster in South Africa.”

Brenthurst Wealth Management founder Magnus Heystek doesn't mince his words on a good day, let alone on another day of suffering for South Africa. Magnus has been advising diversification and offshore investment for more than a decade with many local fund manager's in disagreement despite his investment thesis proving correct. This time of crisis is of serious concern and offshore diversification has never been a more prudent strategy with many of the world's largest banks downgrading the Rand over the course of the week.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Magnus Heystek; GG Alcock on the effects of looting on the informal economy; Nedbank's chief executive Mike Brown on employing a hybrid work model; Melanie Veness of PMCB on the need for a State of Emergency in the area, and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

News headlines: *South African taxi drivers, private security companies and ordinary civilians are stepping up to protect their businesses and communities following days of rioting and looting that the authorities have failed to quell. *South Africans are expected to face major food shortages in the wake of the violent unrest, as rioters upend supply chains by looting supermarkets and torching goods trucks. *In response to the civil unrest, changes have been made to South Africa's Adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown regulations, allowing for community gatherings hosted by politicians, councillors, religious and traditional leaders "to deal with emergency matters".

Third World Child GG Alcock uniquely straddles the First And Third Worlds courtesy of being brought up in a mud hut by political activist parents in the dirt-poor Msinga district in rural KZN. His unique insight into the unrest currently raging in South Africa is therefore unparalleled. Alcock believes that what’s happened in parts of South Africa over the last few days is a reflection of divides in our country, not between races, but between the haves and the have nots. While many theories that the uproar was planned have been floated, Alcock argues that - while the spark that lit the unrest may have been planned - the fire was completely unplanned. Alcock has been on the community-banded frontlines in and around Diepsloot since Monday. It is precisely this ‘standing up for themselves’ that Alcock believes ‘is one of the strengths that is going to be the future of our country.’ Fascinating as always.

The chaos continues in KwaZulu-Natal. Now, major food shortages are expected to affect the entire country as grocery stores are looted, petrol dries up, and highways are barred. Melanie Veness, chief executive of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business, paints a grim picture of what's happening on the ground. She believes that only by declaring a state of emergency can we hope to gain control of a dire situation. "People are saying, is the army so well camouflaged here that we can't see them? To deploy 2,500 people to the hot spots in South Africa to try and quell this is just ludicrous. We need a show of force on the ground that is going to ensure that we can get our economy back on track."

Nedbank's chief executive was the flagship guest for today's BizNews Power Hour, with the veteran banking executive providing us with his rational perspective on the widespread looting and vandalisation that has caused devastation in KZN and parts of Gauteng. Brown also elaborated on the hybrid work model Nedbank is employing going forward. He says that the pandemic has accelerated this shift and it fits into Nedbank's digital journey. Fascinating insights on all accounts.

Francois Marais is the founder of Safari, one of the bigger investors in South African township shopping malls. Marais joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss the developments of looting and rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in particular, detailing the damage done to the group’s properties. Marais notes that while Safari’s properties saw damage, it was nowhere near as bad as what KwaZulu-Natal has gone through. Marais speaks in his personal capacity and no longer represents the views of Safari. – Jarryd Neves

The violent protests raging in South Africa have dealt a grievous blow to the country’s efforts to rebuild an economy already ravaged by the recurrent lockdown regulations that have been imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. The protests, which have turned deadly, also pose the sternest test yet to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s authority. Steven Nathan, founder of 10X Investments, joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss the country’s latest trauma. Nathan noted that President Ramaphosa has, thus far, not really shown a strong leadership position and that he ‘hasn’t created a platform and given confidence to the various stakeholders that things are going to change.’ The President’s impunity, he says, ‘erodes people's confidence and gives them greater license to do things that they ordinarily would not do if it wasn't for operating in a society where they see people getting away with what they believe is unfair practices.’

Sakeliga's CEO Piet Le Roux joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss the wave of violent protests and looting that is currently wreaking havoc in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Le Roux remains hopeful about the situation, arguing that local communities have helped to contain it. "What's happening now is bad, but it's controlled. It's contained to a significant degree. It's localised; it's very bad where it is. If only the police were to handle this, it would have been - and even the army - it would have been a complete disaster. But we are seeing communities and businesses taking a stand. I think that is very good. So in this vacuum of state failure, we're seeing a rise of decentralised decision-making, even at the level of personal and community security. To me, that's very hopeful."

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Steven Nathan; Futurist Clem Sunter on the low or high roads that SA may follow; Institute of Race Relations outgoing CEO Frans Cronje on where the ANC is heading; a spotlight on the proposed firearm bill with Nicholas Lorimer and Gideon Joubert; founder of Safari Investments Francois Marais on township mall looting, and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

News headlines: *Deadly protests that erupted in South Africa following former President Jacob Zuma’s jailing showed no signs of letting up, even as the authorities pledged to clamp down on the violence. More than 2,500 soldiers have been deployed to Gauteng and KZN to quell violent looting, but the defence minister has stated that SA is not yet considering a state of emergency. *South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccination program has been partially halted as violent protests rage in two key provinces. *French authorities fined Google €500m after the search giant failed to follow an order to reach a fair deal with publishers to use their news content on its platform. *Officials at the US Food and Drug Administration warned of a rare but serious neurological disorder linked to Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine. 100 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome have been reported among people who received J&J's vaccine, the FDA said in a statement.

In this thought provoking interview, the outgoing CEO of the Institute of Race Relations, Frans Cronje, joined Alec Hogg to unpack the violent anarchy that has tormented parts of South Africa. Cronje has been warning South Africa about the prospect of what has happened over the last 72 hours. "Regrettably, we've got this call right," he says. When asked what he sees happening in South Africa, Cronje notes that "it's straightforward. More than half of young people do not have a job. They wake up every morning, not sure of what the day is going to hold for them. They don't have the dignity of labour and earning something. That's a very powerful social force. Our schools are rubbish, frankly. About four in 100 kids will pass maths in high school - with a grade of 50% of higher."

Andrew Bannister’s article ‘Don’t mention Ivermectin; it’ll upset the vaccine rollout’ was published on BizNews.com in May. The article gained an extensive amount of traction, which isn’t all that surprising considering mainstream media’s lack of coverage on alternative Covid-19 treatment. Bannister, a photographer and hotelier by trade, wrote a follow-up article titled ‘Conflict of Interest in WHO Recommendation Against Ivermectin’ which takes a deep dive into the sordid nature of the ‘financial and ideological conflicts of interest that have blocked the usage of this life-saving medication.’ BizNews spoke to Bannister about the various conflicts of interest which he outlines in his article as well as the various studies which have been released - both advocating for and against the use of Ivermectin as treatment for Covid-19. Bannister states that the World Health Organisation needs to ‘prove that it followed a scientific and ethical process in its recommendation against the use of ivermectin’ and that without the minutes of the meeting in which the organisation made its recommendation on ivermectin ‘the recommendation against the use of ivermectin remains mired in suspicion of corporate overreach.’ As global citizens all facing the same unprecedented crisis, surely - at the very least - we have a right to information which may assist us in making the best decisions possible for our health.