In this episode, the driving force behind a charity that is feeding 100,000 desperately hungry people in deep rural areas puts the human face on the devastation Covid-19 lockdown has caused. Johannesburg-based Marilyn Bassin of the NGO Boikanyo – The Dion Herson Foundation, tells how a chain of about 35 NGOs is getting food parcels to people who are relying on a few tablespoons of porridge a day - and how many families don't eat for days. And, a leading sociologist Professor David Dickinson of the University of the Witwatersrand provides the macro picture of how life has changed dramatically for the worse for many people in cities too. - Jackie Cameron

In today’s news headlines:

- Lies from Eskom over stage 4 loadshedding limits;

- R200bn of government’s relief package may go unused;

- Magda Wierzycka accuses IRR of threat; and

- Harmony Gold suffers R800m headline loss.

It's been very interesting to track economic indicators of an economy that is hopefully going to recover faster than the gloomy expectations that people have had. One of these indicators could well be how much we are driving.

Magnus Heystek runs a successful and burgeoning investment boutique Brenthurst Wealth Management – which just won the Boutique Wealth Manager of the Year Award at the Intellidex Annual Wealth Manager Awards, the ‘Oscars of the investment world’. In this excerpt from the BizNews Finance Friday webinar, editor Jackie Cameron discusses retirement annuities with Heystek, who stresses that there is a crisis developing for people who rely on the traditional methods to fund their retirement – because the instrument that they’re using is busy failing them. To address this crisis, Heystek recommends that, the minute you are over 55, you should seriously consider getting your money into a living annuity where you can get a 100% offshore allocation. – Nadya Swart

In this episode, we hear about what driving patterns tell us about the impact of Covid-19 on the South African economy. Discovery Insure’s Head of Technical Marketing and Vitality Drive engagement, Precious Nduli, speaks to BizNews founder Alec Hogg about the effects of the national lockdown on behaviour, and how this evolved as the country began to re-open. As South African experts explore why death rates may not be as high in the country as elsewhere, an international expert speaks to BizNews about t-cells, which may account for higher immunity in township communities. Immunologist Dr Daniela Weiskopf of the Jolla Institute for Immunology speaks to BizNews reporter Linda van Tilburg about whether immunity is more prevalent in poorer, more crowded communities - and why this might be the case. - Jackie Cameron

In today’s news headlines:

- Possible interest rate cut on Thursday;

- Bidvest posts 23% drop in headline profit; and

- AngloGold Ashanti sells the last of its SA mines to Harmony Gold.

In BizNews founder Alec Hogg's weekly podcast Rational Radio, analyst Sean Peche shares his views on top-performing global growth stocks, including Amazon.

In this interesting interview, Vaccinology Professor Shabir Madhi talks with BizNews Editor Jackie Cameron about a myriad of fascinating topics. The Professor shares his thoughts on the recent halt in the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trials and what that means for other vaccine trials, South Africa's relatively low Covid-19 death rate and gives his thoughts on the lockdown South Africa saw itself going into in late March of this year.

The Cape Independence Advocacy Group is a political pressure group that is hoping to help separate the Western Cape from the rest of South Africa. In this intriguing excerpt from the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg chats to co-founder Phil Craig about the viability of this breakaway.

Just over a quarter of South African adults are believed to have been infected with Covid-19, says Discovery Health CEO Ryan Noach, in a hard-hitting interview with BizNews founder Alec Hogg. In Cape Town's Khayelitsha, about 50% are believed to have contracted the disease. Noach advocates the safe opening of the economy so that there is no second wave. Hogg underscores the 'dire' economic consequences of strict lockdown and that it cost R46m for every life saved.