* A large UK study at the University of Oxford is to investigate the use of Ivermectin, as a possible treatment for Covid-19. * At least two South African labour unions have vowed to support workers who are threatened with dismissal if they refuse to be vaccinated. * Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has painted a bleak picture of the state of the country’s municipal finances, telling Parliament how municipalities had racked up R26 billion in irregular expenditure, reports Eyewitness News (EWN). * In a bombshell day of testimony at the Zondo Commission, it was revealed that money from the Gupta enterprise paid Jacob Zuma’s Arms Deal legal fees – even while the state was ostensibly footing the legal bill, reports Daily Maverick. * South Africa’s headline consumer price inflation rose to 5.2% year on year in May from 4.4% in April, according to data from Statistics South Africa.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Steven Nathan; Brian van Rooyen, chief executive of Labat after missing their results deadline; Discovery's Craig Sher on a new fund partnership with Goldman Sachs, Dan Ariely and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

10x founder Steven Nathan dives into the market action for us on Tuesday, speaking to BizNews editor-at-large Jackie Cameron. Steven's in depth understanding of businesses, both locally and abroad, always makes for intriguing listening. Given the 'fasten your seatbelt' period markets find themselves in, Steven gives a rational perspective into a number of JSE heavyweights, including Naspers, Prosus and the darling of the local bourse over the past twelve months, Sasol.

Labat Africa, a JSE-listed company, missed its deadline for submitting financial results for the six months to the end of February. Last week, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange announced that the company is under threat of suspension. CEO Brian van Rooyen joined the BizNews Power Hour, telling Jackie Cameron what's happening behind the scenes.

*A yearly analysis of the SA retirement fund industry, shows that retirement fund members suspended their contributions for an average of four-and-a-half months in 2020 because of Covid-related lockdowns. * There is an exodus of senior staff at IT services company Dimension Data, with senior executives leaving the company at the end of the month including co-founder Jeremy Ord. * JSE-listed Omnia will return R1bn to shareholders. *Sotheby's, one of the biggest luxury auction houses in the world, has said it will accept bitcoin and ether in payment for a rare 101-carat diamond.

Craig Sher, head of product and development at Discovery Invest, joined Alec Hogg to unpack Discovery's latest fund in partnership with Goldman Sachs Asset Management - the Global Megatrends Fund. The fund focuses on four main themes that are shaping the world - healthcare provision, technology, environment and sustainability, and Millennials. As Sher explains, these are the shares "that are primed for growth in the future." - Claire Badenhorst

As is customary for a Monday, veteran analyst David Shapiro was the co-host for the BizNews Power Hour sharing his insights and expertise on a few long-standing JSE listed counters, many of which are showing signs of recovery following years of free-fall. Shapiro, who's 'takeover portfolio' has performed magnificently over the past year or so, still sees value in legacy stricken names such as PPC and Tongaat. He justifies his reasoning based on management overhauls and a generally more positive macro backdrop.

In die potgooi het ek met Chris Hattingh - adjunk direkteur van die Vrye Mark Stigting - gesels oor die waarde van 'n vrye mark stelsel. Ek het hom ook gevra wat ons as landsburgers kan doen om vrye mark beginsels en projekte in Suid Afrika te bevorder. Ons het ook geraak aan die oorsprong en inhoud van die ANC se "national democratic revolution" visie.

* China’s Covid-19 vaccine by Sinovac Biotech is set to be approved in South Africa soon, says The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority. * This news comes as world media outlets report on how South Africa, the worst-hit country in the continent, has reported a doubling of new daily cases over the past two weeks, with no sign of the rise slowing. * Prosus NV , the international investment arm of South Africa’s Naspers, reported a better than expected net profit of $7.45 billion for 2021. * The extraordinary recovery of the U.S. economy is likely to make the country the world’s top destination for overseas investment this year and next, according to new United Nations projections.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host David Shapiro; the chief executive of Naspers and Prosus Bob Van Dijk; PPC CEO Ronald van Wijnen; TreasuryONE currency strategist Andre Cilliers and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

Roland van Wijnen, CEO of cement company PPC, joined host Alec Hogg and market commentator David Shapiro on the BizNews Power Hour. The trio discussed PPC's results - released June 21st - and what happened to the share price in the past. In 2018, the share price was R9 and dropped all the way down to just 50 cents last year. CEO van Wijnen unpacks what happened and how the company got into that situation. In a statement released by the company, the CEO said "My gratitude goes to all my colleagues at PPC. They have worked tirelessly under very stringent health and safety protocols to keep PPC going and sustain our purpose of empowering people to experience a better quality of life."

TreasuryONE currency strategist, Andre Cilliers joined Alec Hogg and the BizNews Power Hour team to let us in on what the US inflation means for the rand and offshore investments.

Under-fire chief executive Bob Van Dijk was the flagship guest for Monday's BizNews Power Hour with the Dutchman unpacking Naspers and Prosus encouraging results with BizNews founder, Alec Hogg. Van Dijk, who has come under scrutiny in recent years regarding his inability to unlock value for shareholders, gave fascinating insights into the stables growing e-commerce assets. Naspers has made some big bets in the food delivery and EdTech space in recent years, which according to Van Dijk, are starting to bear fruit. Will the Van Dijk critics be proven wrong? Only time will tell.

Many of South Africa’s rural towns are a sorry sight. Thousands of potholes and infrastructure that is falling apart are the order of the day, with poor municipal services to boot. But a fresh breeze is blowing through many towns, as citizens from across the political spectrum are tired of waiting for government to fix things and are doing it for themselves. An organisation that sits behind many of the efforts to get communities together is South Africa Day. BizNews caught up with Barend la Grange, the Chief Operating Officer, who has just completed a 10-day tour of rural towns to see how the projects are progressing. He tells the story of how Senekal’s 4,852 potholes are being tackled.

BizNews editor-at-large Jackie Cameron had a fantastic interview with Counterpoint value fund manager Piet Viljoen today, in which they went back to basics. With many of us paying - perhaps - too much attention to Mr Market’s movements, it is refreshing to get Viljoen’s perspective on everything from the fundamentals of value investing to the benefits (or lack thereof, in Viljoen’s view) of investing in residential real estate in South Africa. Also, it’s always a plus to hear what this expert has on his radar and in his portfolio.

In today's headlines: *Former Eskom board chair and businessman Jabu Mabuza passed away on Wednesday night due to Covid-19 complications. *AngloGold Ashanti has had a bad year, with the company’s lack of a permanent chief executive officer and a suspension of its Ghana mine operations weighing on the stock. *Gold declined below $1,800 an ounce as the Federal Reserve sped up its expected pace of policy tightening amid optimism about the labor market and heightened concerns over inflation.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Jackie Cameron is joined by co-host Piet Viljoen; Sanlam CEO Paul Hanratty; former Johannesburg Major Herman Mashaba; Andrew Amoils of the New World Wealth and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

Andrew Amoils, an analyst at New World Wealth, specialises in keeping a close eye on how the world's wealthiest people spend their money. He joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss the report he's just compiled on the top 10 lifestyle estates in the world for 2021. No less than three South African properties have made the list, including Val de Vie, Steyn City, and Fancourt.

Herman Mashaba, the former Johannesburg mayor, joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss some of his plans for the coming elections. Mashaba is the leader of Action SA, a political party he launched in 2020.

Listed insurance company Sanlam recently bought Alexander Forbes’ life business (with an insurance premium income of R1bn) for R100m. Sanlam CEO Paul Hanratty joined the BizNews Power Hour to shed some light on the deal, on having close ties with African Rainbow Capital, and the recent string of resignations of Sanlam's top dogs.

A number of South Africa’s top asset managers recently teamed together against the complex shareholding structure and lack of management alignment in South Africa’s two largest businesses – Naspers and Prosus. The Naspers executive team, led by chief executive Bob van Dijk, has been under scrutiny by market participants for a number of years. The discount in its share price to its investment in Chinese tech titan Tencent has widened following a number of unsuccessful corporate actions. Star asset manager Delphine Govender joined the BizNews Power Hour to give her view of the situation as a steward of shareholder funds.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Jackie Cameron is joined by co-host Steven Nathan; Perpetua's Delphine Govender on the war between Naspers and its shareholders; former finance minister Trevor Manuel on a decade lost of SA economy and the BizNews Power Hour Team.

In today's headlines: *Tencent investor Prosus NV has agreed to buy a majority stake in European online employee-training platform GoodHabitz for 212 million euros ($257 million), extending the e-commerce giant’s push into education, reports Bloomberg. *Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has been facing death threats and unfounded allegations after starting a clean-up operation at the power utility. *Mauritius, which has been closed to international visitors throughout the pandemic, will reopen its borders to vaccinated tourists on 15 July. South Africans, however, are excluded from this reopening and will still be banned from entering Mauritius even if they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Naspers came to a crossroads last week as 36 activist investors teamed together against the complex shareholding structure and lack of management alignment in Naspers and Prosus - South Africa’s two largest businesses. The Naspers executive team, led by chief executive Bob van Dijk, has been under scrutiny by market participants for a number of years. Steven Nathan, founder of 10X Investments, joined the BizNews Power Hour to comment on the management of Naspers and the giant’s precarious position. Another significant deal, Alexander Forbes’ sale of its life insurance to Sanlam, was also discussed.

Magnus Heystek is seker een van dié mees bekende en invloedryke markkommentators in Suid Afrika. In die potgooi wou ek by hom hoor hoe dit als begin het; hoe hy in die bedryf beland het en dit reggerkry het om Brenthurst uit te bou tot een van Suid Afrika se beste boutiek welvaartsondernemings.