In today's news headlines:

- Sanlam celebrates new business growth of 40%;

- Eskom puts strain on mining investment plans;

- FirstRand suffers 38% drop in normalised profit; and

- George Bizos passed away at 92

In today’s news headlines:

- Growthpoint publishes bleak results for the year to end-June;

- Momentum suffers 58% fall in headline profit;

- Ecsponent announces second probe into dubious transactions; and

- Zondo Commission delves deeper into Eskom-Gupta tender.

In this episode, we talk to a data and privacy law specialist Emma Sadleir on the skepticism surrounding Covid-19 contact tracing apps and Professor Shabir Madhi, one of South Africa’s pre-eminent experts on vaccines. Professor of Vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand, he has published more than 350 studies in his field. Professor Madhi speaks to us about the latest developments in Covid-19 vaccine trials, including the news that the AstraZeneca Oxford trial has been temporarily put on hold. And he shares the details of a study that explores the possibility that South Africans may have developed immunity to Covid-19 as a result of exposure to other, similar diseases. Professor Madhi also sets out how the pandemic might develop - and says he disagrees that SA has a low Covid-19 death rate.

It was recently revealed that Japanese-based SoftBank was behind the "Nasdaq whale" - buying billions of dollars in technology company stock options in the past month. According to the Wall Street Journal, SoftBank bought $4bn in options on stocks such as Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Facebook and Tesla - driving up volumes and contributing to a trading frenzy. In this excerpt from the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg delves deeper into Nasdaq's SoftBank-related drop with market commentator David Shapiro.

In this episode (81) we talk to Professor Christophe Fraser, of the University of Oxford, the man who advised the South African and British governments on the Covid-19 contact tracing app. And we speak to Stellenbosch university’s Professor Wolfgang Preiser, a virology expert of global standing on diseases that jump from animals to humans - and what the latest thinking is on Covid-19, which is a zoonotic disease. He tells us the world did very little to safeguard against a disease they knew about some years back - and he shares his views on the Covid-19 app. - Jackie Cameron

In today's news headlines:

- South Africa's second quarter GDP plunged by 51%;

- Aspen will sell European Thrombosis business to Mylan; and

- Former Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi gives evidence at Zondo Commission.

South Africa possesses many extraordinary people few of us ever hear about until they get pushed into the spotlight by unusual circumstances. Like the Covid-19 pandemic which was grabbed as an opportunity by politicians to stir up fears enabling them to wield unfettered power. In episode two of the Alec Hogg Show, the founder of Biznews.com taps into one of the few consistently dissenting voices. In this podcast, we get to hear what makes PANDA co-ordinator Nick Hudson tick. And discover a well-travelled, widely-read, deep-thinking actuary from a long line of community-focused Eastern Cape physicians who makes his living in private equity and intends becoming an educator. Riveting.

Gaurang Tanna is the head of policy co-ordination and integrated planning at the Department of Health and the ideal person to put together the app that South Africa has launched, for contact tracing.

In today’s news headlines:

- A bleak second-quarter GDP figure to be announced today;

- Eskom has suspended the managers of two power stations;

- Capitec warns shareholders to brace for earnings loss of at least 70%;

- Ex-Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona in the hot seat at the state capture inquiry on Monday; and

- The Competition Tribunal has approved the sale of parts of Edgars to Retailability.

BizNews founder Alec Hogg speaks to Mark Barnes and Sean Emery - founders of the newly established Kisby Fund who have distilled the intention of the fund into putting money to work into the M of SMEs. While the fund has generated much excitement, Emery and Barnes explain the red tape they are faced with in forging the bridge that is needed between the private equity box and the debt box. As disruptors, they believe that once they have overcome this obstacle and ‘crafted the new’ - many more funds will follow this exact approach of investing into the mid-sized space. - Nadya Swart