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At the same time former Didata chairman Jeremy Ord and fellow ‘protagonists’ were trying to push through a BEE transaction that wasn’t - according to Judge Denise Fisher - the same actors were conducting ‘lawfare’ against the owners of the RandView Datacentre. In this explosive interview, small businessmen Gerry Comninos and Graham Roy explain how they were forced to spend millions - and three years - fighting an unjustified court action against Ord and his partners. It only ended when DiData’s Japanese owner NTT settled after realising the duo were targets and ‘not part of a scheme’.

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille described the “absolute chaos” at O.R. Tambo International Airport, where flights were delayed due to aircraft refuelling problems during South Africa’s peak tourism season, as both very disappointing and worrying. In an interview with BizNews, De Lille criticised the Airports Company of South Africa for failing to ensure adequate preparedness for the peak tourism season. She has called for a meeting with the Transport Minister to convene all stakeholders and establish a robust contingency plan. The minister, who has just returned from a trip to India, highlighted significant progress in unlocking the vast potential of the Indian market for South Africa. This includes visa reforms for India and China, set to commence in January next year, as well as ongoing negotiations to re-establish direct flights between India and South Africa.

Reflecting on tensions within the Government of National Unity—particularly around controversial policies such as the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill and the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan—De Lille expressed optimism about achieving “sufficient consensus,” a principle that underpinned South Africa’s democratic transition.

In today’s BizNews Briefing: Bitcoin’s transformative potential takes center stage, Israel decisively eliminates Syria’s military capabilities, and Donald Trump signals his intent to steer U.S. economy on X.

While stock exchanges and marketplaces have embraced digital transformation, it’s hard to believe that some sectors have yet to follow suit. One such sector is the cattle market, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1990s. It still features familiar personalities—agents and brokers—alongside the bustling atmosphere of on-the-ground livestock auctions, complete with the mooing of cows in the background. Enter South African Murray Roos, a former executive at the London Stock Exchange, who is spearheading a digital transformation in the UK’s cattle market with his innovative platform, LiveStockEx. In an interview with BizNews, he shared that farming runs in his blood; his family’s history in cattle farming in Southern Africa spans several decades. While working in the UK, he acquired a farm in one of England’s southern counties and quickly recognised that the existing cattle market was “very antiquated.” This inspired him to create an online trading exchange for cattle in the UK. Murray envisions LiveStockEx initially focusing on cattle but also sees potential for expanding into sheep and pig markets on a similar exchange platform.

Financial Compliance expert Paul Nel of Prisma says the solution to collecting the R92 billion owed to ESKOM by municipalities and the billions owed to Water boards is to liquidate dysfunctional municipalities in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act after all the intervention processes of provincial and National Treasury have failed. “…it’s more of a business rescue. It's not the same as what we understand on the liquidation with the private sector or any other business or private person where all the assets are sold. Not with a municipality. It is only the non-essential assets that must be sold and the full amount of that should be provided for full settlement for all its obligations, which is basically ESKOM and Water Boards." Nel says, in terms of the MFMA, a court order could also be obtained to get rid of the whole council as well as of all officials that are not adding value to the municipality. “…the big advantage of such a drastic step is that you will have a Metro or municipality with a clean sheet with no obligations.” Nel also provides figures on how ESKOM has overcharged the consumer since 2009, and gives his take on the reasons behind the continued high tariff increases. He was one of those who made a presentation to The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on the proposed 66% tariff hikes over the next three years.

In today's episode of the BizNews Briefing, Golf legend Gary Player shares insights on his friend, US President-elect Donald Trump. We explore Google’s groundbreaking quantum chip, China’s investigation into Nvidia for anti-competitive practices, and the latest developments in Syria’s uprising. Stay informed with the stories shaping our world.

Gary Player, the legendary South African golfer, has long been an ambassador not only for golf but also for the social and economic potential of his home country. At nearly 90, Player continues to inspire with his resilience, global perspective, and unwavering commitment to fostering positive change. In a wide-ranging conversation with BizNews, he offered powerful insights into South Africa’s challenges, his relationship with U.S. President elect Donald Trump, and his vision for the future.

Wood, Iron and Steel is the title of a first-of-its-kind book in South Africa on 60 - known and unknown - shipwrecks that reflect the maritime history of the Western Cape. In this interview with BizNews, authors Bruce Henderson and Kelly Graham of Wreckless Marine, share their three-year-dive to map the seafloor. They describe how using cutting-edge scanning technology enabled them to view wrecks as never before, while on-site dives and extensive research helped them to provide a complete picture of these vessels. Covering the period 1698 to 2009, each entry incorporates technical data, history, the circumstances of loss, and a description of the wreck in its current resting place, accompanied by photographs or paintings, and vivid multibeam sonar images of the wrecks on the seafloor.

Despite a tough start, Phil Craig and the Referendum Party are determined to reshape South Africa’s political landscape, advocating for greater autonomy for the Western Cape in the face of national challenges.

In this episode of the BizNews Briefing, host Alec Hogg and his guests provide context on how the ANC’s alliance with the Iranian regime is backfiring big time after the Teheran-supported Syrian dictator flees to Moscow. Plus, Neil de Beer shares his forthright opinion on his erstwhile MPC partner Helen Zille, Trump’s new SA-born crypto and AI tzar, and Phil Craig explains why Cape Independence is still on the table.