BizNuus Blitsbrief - ’n kragtige oorsig van die belangrikste plaaslike en internasionale nuus, vinnig en feitlik, binne minute. Bly ingelig met nuus wat saak maak.

African National Congress (ANC) policies are out of step with the majority - between 65 and 79% - of its remaining self-identified supporters. That is the finding of recent polling by the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR). In this interview with BizNews, Hermann Pretorius who wrote the report says: “…the most hard-hitting finding is that on all of these policies investigated in this report, from merit-based appointments, procurement spending, the Expropriation Act, government focus on jobs and choice-based empowerment programs, the ANC is currently at odds with its own voters by at least a two-thirds majority of its own base.” He warns that unless the ANC acts “rapidly” to bring the party back in touch with its own supporters, it might fall “even lower than the 29.7%, which we are polling them at at the moment”. Pretorius outlines what former President Jacob Zuma’s MKP - that supports property rights and merit-based appointments - would have to do to “take another few chunks out of ANC support by going where the ANC supporters actually want the ANC to go”. Meanwhile, he warns that the Democratic Alliance (DA) should not to allow opposing messages to come from the DA in government and the DA in the political party. “I sat next to Minister (Dean) MacPherson on the panel at NAMPO when he took this rather bizarre position of defending the Expropriation Act and undermining his own party's position, trotting out ANC talking point after ANC talking point. It was quite astonishing to hear a minister either lie about a piece of legislation he's responsible for or not understanding it.”

In this episode of the BizNews Briefing, Bronwyn Nielsen tracks President Cyril Ramaphosa’s high-stakes visit to Washington for his meeting with Donald Trump. With tensions running high, analysts warn against lecturing the US president, advising instead a strategic, focused approach. We hear from retired US intelligence officer Chris Wyatt, the Hudson Institute’s Joshua Meservey, and the Brenthurst Foundation on what’s at stake. Plus, Deputy President Paul Mashatile urges farmers at NAMPO to stay the course in South Africa.

Capitalist activist Rob Hersov was on the same Washington-bound plane as some of the SA delegation heading for tomorrow’s Oval Office meeting. In this riveting interview with BizNews editor Alec Hogg he shares what insiders tell him about the hot reception American leadership is preparing for Cyril Ramaphosa.

BizNuus Blitsbrief - ’n kragtige oorsig van die belangrikste plaaslike en internasionale nuus, vinnig en feitlik, binne minute. Bly ingelig met nuus wat saak maak.

All eyes will be on the meeting between presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday. In this interview with BizNews, US intelligence analyst retired Colonel Chris Wyatt slams the composition of Ramaphosa’s team. He says neither Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen nor International Relations Minister Ronnie Lamola is “that credible” in the United States’ eyes. “I think both of those are bad decisions that are going to backfire. I don't think that the US government is going to be hoodwinked by … either one of those people.” While Wyatt deems Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau, “probably not a bad idea”, he questions the inclusion of Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni by asking: “You want to send a minister who failed in every previous portfolio. I really don't think that that's the A team. Ramaphosa is taking his B team at best, possibly even a few C or D team members to it.” Meanwhile, he says Ramaphosa “had better have a very good plan….I have termed (it) the single most important meeting in the political life of Cyril Ramaphosa. I think it's more significant than his role in CODESA, more significant than his role when he won the party presidency in December 2017 at the ANC Congress. I think this could make or break South Africa, depending on what happens on Wednesday.”

In this BizNews Briefing, Bronwyn Nielsen previews President Cyril Ramaphosa’s high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump, amid domestic uproar over his “cowards” comment about Afrikaner refugees. Hear strong reactions from Neil de Beer, Julius Malema, and Gerhard Papenfus, plus Ret. Colonel Chris Wyatt's conversation with Afrikaner refugee Thea van Staden, detailing her US experience so far. Internationally, focus shifts to Prosus’s global tech ambitions and why some analysts think breaking up Alphabet might unlock real value.

“…if the DA (Democratic Alliance) does not…get up and fight, no matter if it costs…the seats of power… if we are going on the trajectory we are today,… the loss of a country will be blamed, not on the ANC (African National Congress)…but because...of the Democratic Alliance not being now able to get up and freely defend us on a surgical basis like they previously had.” This is the warning from United Independent Movement (UIM) President Neil De Beer who says: “…you’ve got DA ministers sitting in the exact Cabinet of wolves, of the draconian dragons, and having to be silenced because they serve an overlord.” He also gives his take on the members of Team SA facing US President Donald Trump later this week; later this week; lists his reasons for calling President Cyril Ramaphosa “Coward Number One”; and weighs in on Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s “nepo baby” son Buyambo Mantashe. De Beer says that South Africa is falling apart because it “cannot muster any more defense against an ANC who annihilates us in politics, disregards the GNU, absolutely takes us for fools and continues to run this country as if they are still in power.” He says someone will have to “take out an atomic bomb and drop it in” the GNU because “…we are in bigger trouble than what we thought in this GNU. We are better outside than what we are within”. He also notes that even Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has gone quiet. “This is when the dark crude oil of the ANC just slithers down your body and encapsulates you like being in a barrel of oil.” Meanwhile, De Beer comments on the prospects of another candidate for the ANC’s next presidency; as well as former Vlakplaas Commander Colonel Eugene de Kock - who “went to jail for many generals and their sins” - remerging from the shadows in the case of the Cradock Four.

Springbok legend Breyton Paulse joins the BizNews Rugby Show to unpack URC playoff drama, Rassie’s surprise squad picks, and Jake White’s outcry over SA talent heading abroad. Plus, moving tributes to the late Cornal Hendricks and high hopes for the Baby Boks.

A troubling trend for democracy and social discourse is the increasing manipulation of social media platforms like X, where AI-driven algorithms deepen ideological silos and limit engagement with opposing viewpoints. The anonymity of pseudonyms has further enabled nano influencers - often quietly funded - to shape narratives without disclosing their financial backers. In South Africa, recent revelations have exposed multiple political campaigns leveraging paid influencer networks to manufacture public sentiment online. In response, Ludré Stevens is launching Opino, a social media platform positioning itself as Europe’s independent, bot-free space. In an interview with BizNews Stevens described Opino - set to launch publicly on 1 June - as a platform with “absolutely no bots, complete transparency, where real people and real companies can interact.” The app will require influencers who receive payment to declare it, ensuring authenticity and preventing covert sponsorships. Stevens emphasised that while Opino shares similarities with platforms like Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky, its defining principles are “no bots, no AI, and no manufactured outrage - just back to basics.”