Author of 'Thinking the Future', Clem Sunter, joins Alec Hogg to weigh in on the chaos currently gripping South Africa. Sunter says that "the red flag of [the] looting and destruction of shopping malls has just raised the odds on the second scenario and demonstrated that we are at a tipping point where urgent action to create a people’s economy needs to be taken."

In this week's Currency Focus podcast, Andre Cilliers of TreasuryONE discusses how the violence and unrest in KwaZulu-Natal will not only impact investor confidence in South Africa but the economy as a whole. "It's a major effect that will spill over into various areas."

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host David Shapiro; TreasuryOne's Andre Cilliers talls investor confidence as protests spread across South Africa; we get an on the ground protest report from KZN business man Donovan Carter, who is is Mooi River; Connie Mulder of The Solidarity Fund tells us why some citizens don't want to take the vaccine and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

News headlines: *Protests triggered by last week’s jailing of former South African President Jacob Zuma have claimed six lives, seen scores of businesses looted and weakened the currency, with the police struggling to contain escalating violence. *The World Bank has sent a warning to South Africa, saying the country can bolster hiring by temporarily extending tax incentives, suspending rules that increase labour costs and introducing measures to support entrepreneurship and self-employment. *Eskom has urged the public to reduce electricity usage as the South African Weather Service forecasts extremely cold weather this week.

A comprehensive report published by the Solidarity Research Institute found that vaccines are an effective and safe way to end the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the report also supports South Africans' freedom to decide for themselves. Strong criticism is levelled at the government’s central control of the vaccine programme and as Connie Mulder, head of Solidarity's Research Institute, told BizNews, "mistrust in the government has created a situation where mistrust in the vaccination can foster as well. Hopefully, we can get good information to people because people do not trust government information at the moment, and I can understand why. Get them good information so that they can make the best possible choice for themselves regarding their health situation and their risk management of Covid-19." Mulder joined BizNews to discuss the report and its findings.

On a day when chaos reigns - with many South African’s wondering how they’re going to protect themselves - the ongoing debate on the proposed ban on firearms for self-defence is particularly important. Joining the BizNews Power Hour to discuss this is Gideon Joubert, a firearms activist who has spoken out against the proposed bill, and Nicholas Lorimer of the IRR. Lorimer recently wrote a piece (published on BizNews) about the reality of firearms ownership - and whether civilian ownership is a contributor to crime.

South Africa's favourite market commentator and Monday's regular co-host David Shapiro talks about the chaos unravelling throughout parts of the country. No matter which way you slice it, the scenes are horrific and reminds David of the 70s. David unpacks the factors at play, including the high unemployment rate which has been aggravated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. One can understand the anger and frustrating felt by many across the country, however, acts of violence and looting seen today cannot be tolerated. Surprisingly, the JSE All Share Index ended the day up more than 1%, mainly as a result of the rand-hedge heavyweights.

The widespread looting and plundering in KZN since Friday night is hitting global headlines. Among the worst hit areas is Mooi River, site of the busiest toll road on South Africa's arterial N3 highway between one of the continent's most active ports, Durban, and SA's commercial heartland of Gauteng. Donovan Carter, who has been operating businesses in Mooi River for three decades, has a front row view of the chaos which has erupted in the town. He shared what is happening with BizNews.com's Alec Hogg - a former resident.

In ons vorige twee gesprekke het ek met Gustav oor Discovery en AECI gesels, hier vertel hy ons meer oor Imperial (die onderhoud het twee dae voor die Imperial-oorname aankondiging gebeur).

In die tweede episode van ons reeks van in-diepte gesprekke oor spesifieke aandele gesels ek weer met Gustav Schulenburg, die keer oor AECI.

It’s been quite a week for the South African spirit with news of Zuma’s arrest - something which many did not believe they would live to see. On the other hand, interviews with Magnus Heystek and Russell Lamberti on yesterday’s BizNews Power Hour may have left our listeners feeling particularly disheartened at the prospects of South Africa - which some are already calling a failed state. Counterpoint Value Fund manager Piet Viljoen joined the BizNews Power Hour as our regular co-host on Thursdays, during which he managed to - very rationally - point out that opportunities still exist for South African who are, understandably, gatvol. Viljoen, while ‘not wearing rose-tinted glasses’, says that the bubbles that these South Africans are creating for themselves - due to an incapable government - also creates opportunities.

Expert banking analyst Kokkie Kooyman unpacks Nedbank's decision to permanently employ a semi-flexible, work from home model. Nedbank is the first large South African corporate to come public about the permanent shift which has become a global trend, especially amongst technology companies in the West. Kooyman delves into the positive and negative consequences of the model and whether other large banks such as FirstRand will follow.

News headlines: *Former South African President Jacob Zuma, who was convicted on contempt-of-court charges last week, spent the night in prison after he failed in a last-ditch bid to delay serving his 15-month sentence. *The National Prosecuting Authority has backtracked on its statement that Interpol had issued red notices for the Gupta family. *Africa had its worst week of the pandemic, with the number of weekly cases rising 20% as the delta variant spreads across the continent and becomes dominant in most regions. *Former President Donald Trump is suing Facebook, Twitter, Alphabet’s Google and their chief executives, raising the stakes in his battle against social media giants who have blocked him.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Piet Viljoen; Denker Capital's Kokkie Kooyman on Nedbank's work from home hybrid model; the Financial Times' Gideon Rachman gives a global view on Zuma's arrest and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

News headlines: *A SHOCKING new report shows a tsunami of illegal tobacco is flooding South Africa as a result of authorities’ failure to act on damning evidence of the world’s biggest black market. *Steinhoff International, which is still grappling with the consequences of an accounting scandal that wiped out R200bn in shareholder value, says Dublin-based Hamilton has withdrawn an appeal relating to voting procedure in its proposed settlement plan. *One of the world’s fastest pace of deaths from Covid-19 infections hasn’t been able to trounce widespread hesitancy over vaccines in South Africa. *South African police plan to arrest former President Jacob Zuma by midnight on Wednesday in the absence of any further instruction from the Constitutional Court, Police Ministry spokeswoman Lirandzu Themba said.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Magnus Heystek; Russell Lamberti on his appointment as Sakeliga chief economist; John Robertson on the troubled Zimbabwean economy; Andrea Taverna-Turisan on Equites Attacq and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

Logistics and warehousing focused real-estate investment trust (Reit) Equites, the best performing South African listed property company over last three to five years, has acquired logistics properties from Attacq in the Waterfall node. The transaction is complex, however, and the details are explained by Equities chief executive Andrea Taverna-Turisan in the discussion. The Waterfall node is quickly becoming another business hub in the Gauteng region, being a convenient interlink between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Recently, the Zimbabwean Minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss his role and future plans four the country's economy. While he remained optimistic about Zimbabwe's economic future, there are two sides to every coin. Joining Alec Hogg on the BizNews Power Hour is John Robertson. Now retired, Robertson served as the financial editor of the Rhodesia Herald and worked at a merchant bank in Harare. He gives the other side to the optimistic story that is being propagated. He shares how he's reading the economic recovery of the country.

Magnus Heystek, journalist who started his own investment advice company, Brenthurst Wealth Management, is no stranger to criticism for his grim outlook on the South African economy. One of the most high-profile investment advisors who have recommended offshore diversification, Heystek tells it like it is. This conversation between BizNews founder Alec Hogg and Heystek is no exception. Heystek paints a very gloomy picture of the reality that South Africans face today, with a disappearing tax base and gaping budget deficit being two of the many issues the country is confronted with. While he is not hopeless, Heystek states that optimism is not an investment strategy. Turning the spotlight onto local asset managers, he makes the point that ‘Asset managers, fund managers - call it what you like - are not investment advisors, they have no consequences that come back to them if they get it wrong.’

One of South Africa's top economists Russell Lamberti forms part of the BizNews Power Hour in this intriguing discussion with Alec Hogg. Lamberti, founder and strategist at ETM Macro Advisors has been involved in the econometrics space for a number of years, guiding a number of institutional and professional investors on the broader economic backdrop. He joins activist group Sakeliga as chief economist in September, pivoting from a more quantitative intensive background. Lamberti expresses his excitement for his new role, stating that he desperately wants to make a difference to a deteriorating South Africa.

Mining took center stage in most of today’s discussion after our partners at Bloomberg reported that iconic South African mines are the ‘unlikely saviour’ to the ravaged South African economy. Steven Nathan, founder of 10X Investments, joined the BizNews Power Hour as our regular Tuesday co-host to discuss, among other things, the record mining-company profits that are bolstering government revenue. Nathan referred to SA mining as our ‘get out of jail free card’, but also stated that ‘it's never all good or all bad with economics.’ Another insightful topic was the accountability of auditors for not doing their job properly - particularly relevant in light of EOH going after its former directors.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Steven Nathan; Stephen Van Coller on righting EOH wrongs; Jean-Pierre Verster favours Naspers share swap; mining veteran Peter Major weighs in on the new Anglo Gold CEO and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

News headlines: *The world’s deepest precious-metals mines, together with giant iron-ore and coal pits are providing an unexpected boon to a South African economy slowly recovering from its biggest contraction in a century. *AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. appointed former BHP Group executive Alberto Calderon to its top job, ending a nearly year-long head hunt that’s weighed on the shares of the No. 3 gold producer. *The government will most likely extend the two-week adjusted level four lockdown regulations as Covid-19 cases in South Africa continue to rise. *South Africa’s ruling African National Congress distanced itself from former President Jacob Zuma’s attempt to discredit the Constitutional Court after it found him guilty of contempt, and slated threats by his supporters to block the authorities from arresting him.

A piece on Bloomberg (head over to BizNews.com to read it) noted that the old South African mines have, in fact, rescued the country from a very dire economic situation. Bloomberg reports that "surging demand and prices for commodities including platinum-group metals, iron ore, manganese and coal are generating record mining-company profits and bolstering government revenue." Joining BizNews founder Alec Hogg to discuss this is veteran mining analyst, Peter Major. "To say old mines are saving us - I take a little bit of offence to that. It's like saying these old I.T companies are really saving the [United] States. Because a mine is old doesn't mean it isn't profitable or doesn't have a long life."

EOH chief executive Stephen van Coller joins BizNews founder Alec Hogg on the BizNews Power Hour on the day of another setback for the once high flying darling of the local bourse. EOH has been plagued by legacy issues, following years of fraud and corruption. Van Coller, who is adamant to save an under fire business, is a well-respected level-headed corporate executive with previous stints in banking and telecommunications. Although it has been and will continue to be a long-winded process, Van Coller says that saving jobs and a good underlying business is of utmost importance.