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Kimberly Cheatle - who has resigned as the Director of the Secret Service - following the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump should be charged criminally for negligence, dereliction of duty, and also perjury before Congress. This is the call from Colonel Chris Wyatt, the former Director of African studies at the US Army War College. “She lied. She told us they had no video footage of any of the agents or any of the activity that took place that day. That was a bold-faced lie. This woman is part of a cover-up. Now, I'm not saying that the government tried to kill Trump, but there's a clear cover-up to cover the backside of an incompetent or malfeasant or negligent Secret Service.” As for President Joe Biden finally exiting the Presidential race, Colonel Wyatt says: “What they've done here is they've run a fake election for the past 18 months to defraud the American people when they knew full well that Joe Biden did not have the mental acuity or the health to be serving as President for another four years. He didn't have it for these four years.” He predicts that Vice-President Kamala Harris can’t beat Trump in a free and fair election, but warns that Trump has made a mistake by picking J.D. Vance as his running mate. “He brings in people who are not loyal to his inner circle and then they betray him.” Meanwhile, Colonel Wyatt fears for the safety not only of Trump, but of Harris and Biden too.

Keabetswe ‘KB’ Motsilanyane led her compatriots in a stirring rendition of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika before the Loftus clash between the Boks and Ireland. On social media, it has been described as “the greatest ever.” KB read the crowd exceptionally well, a skill that will serve her well as she pivots towards the business world where she aims to support other artists with management, direction, and advisory services. Yet, she remains committed to following the Boks wherever they compete and her seventh album, recorded with songwriters from Norway and Sweden, will soon hit the airwaves. In an interview with Biznews, KB says she draws inspiration from the courage of the Springboks, Captain Siya Kolisi’s confidence, and the way Springbok coach ‘Uncle’ Rassie Erasmus “does not mope” when the Boks lose a match.

In an interview with BizNews, Magnus Heystek urges South Africa to embrace bold economic reforms, suggesting radical tax breaks as a key strategy to rejuvenate the struggling economy. Heystek argues that by adopting innovative policies, such as offering flat-rate taxes to attract high-net-worth individuals and businesses, South Africa could significantly boost its financial stability and growth prospects. Highlighting recent shifts in the political landscape and emerging optimism among investors, Heystek calls for a departure from traditional approaches and advocates for dynamic solutions to stimulate economic activity and counteract the country’s persistent challenges.

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Join us for BizNews’ first investment-focused conference on Thursday, 12 September, in Hermanus, featuring top experts like Frans Cronje, Piet Viljoen, and more. Get insights on electricity and exploiting SA’s gas bounty from new and familiar faces. Register here.

As GG Alcock keeps reminding us, there a lot happening in areas ignored by the formal sector. In this interview he introduces us to the man introducing the auctioneering into South African townships, Tsitso Setai of Lokshin Auctions. Given wealth disparities and the way auctions turn one person’s unwanted into another’s prized asset, Setai’s business is uniquely positioned. GG and Lokshin Auction’s founder spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

Action SA founder and leader Herman Mashaba has shown pretty much anything is possible in South Africa’s new-look political arena. This week the man who has maintained a virulently anti-ANC stance, turned pragmatic by striking a deal with his avowed rival - in the interests, he says, of breaking the destructive stalemate in Johannesburg, the country’s largest and richest city. He argues that Action SA’s previously unthinkable arrangement with the ANC is in everyone’s best interests. Mashaba spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.

Join us for BizNews’ first investment-focused conference on Thursday, 12 September, in Hermanus, featuring top experts like Frans Cronje, Piet Viljoen, and more. Get insights on electricity and exploiting SA’s gas bounty from new and familiar faces. Register here.

South African swimmers and rowers have overachieved in recent Olympics, delivering the lion’s share of the nation’s few medal winners. Tokyo 2021 gold and silver medalist Tatjana Smith (nee Shoenmaker) leads the country’s 12 swimmers while 2012 gold medal winning John Smith is one of three SA rowers at Paris 2024. Insiders Wayne Riddin and Paolo Cavalieri tell BizNews editor Alec Hogg about the medal hopefuls.

The recent attempted assassination attempt on a SARS advocate and the still unsolved assassinations of liquidator Cloete Murray and his son who who had done work for SARS have shone the spotlight on the threats faced by SARS for going after organised criminals for tax evasion. In this interview with BizNews, SARS whistleblower Johann van Loggerenberg details the threats faced by investigators during his time at the Revenue Service. “It's either I'm going to bribe you, and if I can't bribe you, I'm going to threaten you. And if I can't threaten you, I'm going to make sure that you lose your job. And if I can't do that, then I'm going to hurt you or someone close to you. If I can't do that, and/or, I'll get rid of the evidence. And if that won't work, I'll kill you. And if that won't work, well, we'll just disassemble all of you. “Recalling the “fall” of the then enforcement component at SARS, he says: “We not only made enemies amongst criminals, but we made enemies amongst politicians, influential business people, organised criminals, organised criminal syndicates, and even people who were behaving or misbehaving or behaving badly among our friends in the criminal justice system and the intelligence service…” Van Loggerenberg says this is not a war that the country can afford to lose, and details the measures needed to fight it effectively.

Given recent news flow this is a highly topical interview featuring international expert Rory Steyn, co-founder of NSA Global Security Consultants. Best known to the public for his role as Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard, since leaving the VIP protection team in the late 1990s Steyn and his partners built NSA into a global leader in security management at major international sporting events including soccer, cricket and rugby world cups and the Olympics. In this wide-ranging interview he shares insights on unseen challenges at the Paris games; bringing Formula One back to SA; and the spate of assassination attempts here and abroad. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

“There is a scenario of a dark side within the GNU that is going to do everything possible to break this Government of National Unity.” That is the warning from Neil De Beer, the President of United Independent Movement (UIM). In this interview with BizNews, he reacts to charges that Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Chair Helen Zille is acting like a “parallel” president and endangering the GNU. De Beer says a possible collapse of the GNU “is going to have to be something that will have to be discussed and I'm telling you right now, the DA, the Freedom Front, the IFP and all partners are absolutely also talking daily, in my opinion, about that scenario, which is the worst case.” De Beer also gives his take on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s opening address to Parliament; former Intelligence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s statement that basically everybody was bugged; as well as the growing threat of international criminal cartels which are “the kind of people that put heads on stakes and bodies on top of your house”.

To hire a hitman in South Africa has become “very cheap”, says Yusuf Abramjee of Tax Justice South Africa. According to his information, an assassin can be hired for as little as between R5,000 and R100,000. He speaks to BizNews following the attempted assassination of South African Revenue Service (SARS) Advocate Coreth Naude. “…clearly advocate Naudé - with a great track record in fighting crime and corruption and criminality - was targeted because she's hurting the pockets of people who have allegedly pocketed millions and millions of rands,” says Abramjee. The attempted hit has also been condemned by SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter with these words: “This shocking act is intended to intimidate officers of court to abandon the vital work they’re performing in furtherance of our country’s legal system.”