‘The trucking business appears to be under co-ordinated attacks with more than 20 trucks petrol bombed in the past week alone. Two truckers were reported killed earlier this week. We ask ‘Why is the trucking business under attack and why are the authorities incapable of responding to this ‘economic sabotage’? Veteran broadcaster Tim Modise quizzed Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association and Simon Zwane of Road Traffic Management Corporation.

With billions of dollars a day disappearing as much of the northern hemisphere is shutdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, it is critical for vaccines to be rolled out as soon as possible. In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we focus on vaccine roll out in Africa and elsewhere. Coming up: We hear from Professor Shabir Madhi, vaccines expert at the University of the Witwatersrand, and  Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca Pascal Soriot who says supply partners are getting ready to produce hundreds of millions of doses of their vaccine. Also in the programme, Nobel Laureate, Michael Kremer, shares insights with the International Monetary Fund on his research into how to expedite the production and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. We also share some highlights from the first BizNews Great Debate, which featured Panda's Nick Hudson and healthy policy expert Professor Alan Whiteside exploring the pros and cons of lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19. First, the Covid-19 news making world headlines. - Jackie Cameron & Jarryd Neves  

BizNews journalist Bernice Maune summarises some of the big stories at this week's Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture. Hear about how Johannesburg's mayor, Geoff Makhubo, had a prime seat on the EOH gravy train. Also coming up: Stephan Burger, former Denel Land Systems CEO, willingly violated the company’s procurement policies so he could enter into an agreement with VR Laser, a company owned by Gupta lieutenant Salim Essa and Duduzane Zuma. And, we hear how Stephan Van Coller, the CEO of EOH, got forensic investigators into the company, excised the corrupt and made plans to return funds siphoned from taxpayers for bribes and work that was never done.

The speaker of South Africa’s lower house of Parliament has authorised a vote on a motion of no-confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa. DA's Jack Bloom asks Covid-19 field hospitals are kept operational. Mr. Price sales take a Covid-19 hit. SA's PPI is on the rise.

A new regulation issued last month by South Africa's financial regulators removed the 30% cap on foreign investment of local retirement funds. On Monday, Pretoria suspended the change. Firebrand Magda Wierzycka, founder of independent asset manager Sygnia, and outspoken independent financial advisor Magnus Heystek are blaming lobbying by large money managers for forcing the backpedalling. Alec Hogg caught up today with Leon Campher, head of ASISA, the industry body whose letter to the authorities sparked their decision to suspend what had been hailed as a breakthrough in the relaxation of SA's foreign exchange controls.

Veteran broadcaster Tim Modise caught up with Adam Craker, CEO of IQBusiness and convener of COBRA, a network of businesses and organisations that support companies and entrepreneurs facing closures and other difficulties and Graeme Butchart. The topic: A consortium of companies have come together to promote shared values to support struggling businesses to thrive in a difficult economic environment.

Portugal has attracted many South African and Chinese investors who like the appeal of owning a piece of prime Portuguese real estate that gives access to European residency and citizenship. But the rules have changed in some areas, which means you may not get what you want. In this sponsored interview, Andrew Rissik of Sable International explains the changes and also sets out some other attractive alternatives for South Africans looking for a Plan B in the Mediterranean country as well as the opportunity to generate returns in a hard currency.

In episode eleven of the Inside Investing podcast, Sygnia’s Magda Wierzycka and Magnus Heystek take a swing at the country’s large asset managers who they say have put their own pockets ahead of South Africans trying to save for retirement; Cemair’s Miles van der Molen highlights the impact which erratic Covid-19 policies are having on the global airline travel; renewable energy company Bright Light Solar says despite the disruption of the lockdowns it will go ahead with a limited capital raise in February – but restricting the offer to existing investors and Biznews community members; and we pick up on two questions posed in Tuesday’s webinar updating the global share portfolio – whether it’s time to go big into the under-performing JSE; and where to put your money – Tesla or General Motors.

The PIC will invest more in Eskom, SA pays for a place in the vaccine queue, SA business confidence surges and Zondo hears about the EOH turnaround from CEO Stephen van Coller.

More than 200 individuals have enjoyed free air flights paid for by taxpayers. These include former apartheid government ministers and individuals named in the state capture scandal - including some who are facing criminal charges in connection with graft. Each former minister got a maximum of 88 business class flights a year. In this interview with BizNews editor Jackie Cameron, Leon Schreiber shares what sparked the investigation, what was uncovered, who the primary beneficiaries are - and what's next. ‘We need to repurpose the state so that it serves the people and not just the state,’ he says.

For the past 10 years, young African entrepreneurs have been recognised by the Anzisha Prize, which provides a cash prize, mentoring and training for the winner. This year – out of more than 1,200 applications – a 22-year woman who farms vegetables in Limpopo, Mahlatse Matlakane, has been elected as one of the 20 top finalists. Matlakane spoke to BizNews about her business, Wozilex Farm (which is 100% woman-owned) about her experience as a finalist for the Anzisha prize, the challenges of acquiring land in South Africa and how the pandemic affected her business. She is clearly not scared to break stereotypes and also likes to hunt and fish.

The BizNews Share portfolio, launched in December 2014, has delivered spectacular returns for South African investors. Every month, BizNews founder Alec Hogg updates the latest developments at the companies whose stocks are held in the portfolio. Although the strategy has been to buy and hold, the portfolio has seen some adjustments over the five and a half years since its creation. Today roughly two thirds of the assets are invested in US exponential growth stocks and the balance in carefully selected JSE-listings. This is the November 2020 update.

Candice Paine, of PR Financial Services, unpacks the latest developments on exchange control regulations. Inward-listed Exchange Traded Funds and the controversial Regulation 28 are at the centre of this debate. A new circular allowed investors to diversify 100% offshore through ETFs - but this has been suspended. At stake are: how much money might flow out of SA; and consequences on the value of the rand. However some argue that many big companies have a material interest in continued exchange controls that require South Africans to invest in domestic assets.

Regulations surrounding the reclassification of inward listed instruments have been suspended. Coronation out performs, Mboweni mulls over SAA and Sarb worries about debt.

In this BizNews Property Talk, property journalist Denise Mhlanga takes a look at what the latest property market research is telling us about property prices and the state of the property market - with snapshots of performance in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Free State. Denise also shares what the data is saying about whether it is a good idea to buy now, or rent.

A special episode of the noontime webinar which features a debate on Covid-19 between PANDA co-founder, actuary Nick Hudson; and SA and UK academic and HIV/AIDS activist Prof Alan Whiteside. In a recent interview - Whiteside referred to the drafters of the Great Barrington Declaration as misguided idiots. Hudson, whose organisation's advisory board includes the creators of that globally publicised declaration and who believes lockdowns are a crime against humanity, has challenged the more conventionally minded Whiteside to a debate on the whole Covid-19 matter. Biznews founder Alec Hogg moderated this Webinar.

Prosus prospers during the pandemic, ANC angers unions and High court bangs the gavel on SA's infamous 2015 oil sale.

As the chaos in the US continues, amendments to South Africa’s electoral laws to allow for electronic voting have been under consideration at a portfolio committee in Parliament. It has led to an outcry from civil society and the public, with1,200 written submissions. Following this, it was agreed that the power it would give to the Independent Electoral commission to simply introduce a different method for future elections on national, provincial and local government level, may be a step too far and the wording was amended to only allow for a pilot study. Listen to the risks of electronic voting in SA, with insights on data breaches across corporate SA.

South Africa is junk status among international credit ratings agencies. In this interview with BizNews editor Jackie Cameron, Andy Rissik - MD of Sable International's Forex Division - tells how the downgrades took the markets by surprise. He explains how the decisions affect South African consumers and shares his updated forecasts on the Rand's trajectory.

South Africa has fallen deeper into junk territory after Moody’s Investors Service joined Fitch Ratings in lowering the country’s credit ratings. Former Absa CEO Maria Ramos and her husband, former finance minister Trevor Manuel, have been named among former officials and spouses who are flying around the country at a cost of millions of rands to the taxpayer. The FSCA has published a draft declaration defining and regulating crypto assets as financial products in South Africa.

The dramatic changes opening up the world for your retirement funds are in focus in Jackie Cameron’s Finance Friday this week. Jackie discusses this with expert guests including Magnus Heystek, of Brenthurst Wealth Management, and Gareth Leonard of Netto Invest.

In this episode of Inside Covid-19, we look at whether pharmaceutical companies can make enough Covid vaccines. We also pick up with actuary Nick Hudson, who shares how SA-grown Panda has transformed into a global organisation, with the experts behind the Great Barrington Declaration on their advisory board. Panda is fiercely opposed to strict lockdowns. Also signalling the alarm about lockdowns is US psychology professor Leonard Jason, who has co-authored a paper on long Covid - and shares how depression is a significant feature of a pandemic, for those living through it as well as people who contract the disease. Plus, the latest Covid-19 developments making world headlines.

South Africa has the highest number of unemployed youth with thousands of graduates jobless. It appears the Higher Education system provides free or heavily subsidised education and training that produce skills that employers do not need. In the Covid-19 era, the delivery of content is another challenge, are the institutions adapting to the new virtual world. Veteran broadcaster Tim Modise poised all these questions and to the Deputy Minister of Higher Education; Mr Buti Manamela.

Jacob Zuma's recusal application is denied, ABSA warns of plummeting profit and SA makes cheques obsolete.

In this episode of The Editor's Desk with Jackie Cameron, BizNews political journalist Bernice Maune provides a detailed update on Zuma's application to have Zondo recused from the commission has been dismissed. Right after hearing the outcome of the recusal application, Zuma and his lawyers staged a walk-out. This is in defiance to the commission which required him to take the stand and testify in response to affidavits filed by witnesses. Zondo said he would reflect on Zuma's walkout and make a statement in due course. Also hear where the former president's crime cases are - 17 years after he was arrested - and what the Zondo commission has been doing to piece together the industrial-scale state capture that brought SA to its knees.