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Dr. Frans Cronje, Chair of the Social Research Foundation (SRF), delivered a captivating keynote speech at the BizNews Conference in London, offering a thought-provoking analysis of South Africa's political landscape. Drawing from decades of data and observation, Dr. Cronje outlined a nuanced vision of the country's trajectory, emphasizing shifts in voter demographics, the rise of fringe political ideologies, and the ANC's evolving support base. His insights into potential coalition governments and the role of countervailing forces underscored the complexity and dynamism of South Africa's democratic evolution. Dr. Cronje's address provided a comprehensive framework for understanding the nation's political future, sparking discussions on unity, reform, and governance strategies moving forward.

Nelson Mandela embodied a spirit of reconciliation and was intent on broadening perspectives, which led to a peaceful transition in South Africa from apartheid to a democratic state. Judy Sikuza, the CEO of the Nelson Rhodes Foundation, wants to amplify this spirit as one of the World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders. Sikuza is one of three African leaders selected to drive positive change in the world for the next three years. In an interview with Biznews, Sikuza expressed her desire to use this opportunity to explore how we could collaborate more effectively globally on a variety of issues, including AI and climate change. She also commented on the controversy around the use of Cecil John Rhodes’ name, stating that Mandela saw it as an opportunity to practically express the legacy of reconciliation and reparations, and to redistribute some of the wealth to build the next generation.

As South Africa’s crucial elections on 29 May draw near, political parties are concentrating their campaign efforts in Kwazulu-Natal. The province has been singled out as the bellwether of this year’s elections by Prof Theo Venter, a political analyst from the University of Johannesburg. In an interview with Biznews, Prof Venter noted that the ANC’s performance in Kwazulu-Natal in past elections has been a strong indicator of their national results. Reflecting on the impact of the newly formed umKhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), he said the MK Party could secure 8% of the vote if the latest Ipsos polls are accurate. Prof Venter anticipates that the Constitutional Court will not permit Zuma to enter Parliament. He believes that Zuma is not interested in being a part of Parliament per se, but rather in influencing it. If Zuma were to sit in the House of Assembly, he would forfeit the benefits and salary of an ex-president. According to Venter, Zuma’s primary objective in this election is not to shape legislation, but to prevent Ramaphosa from assuming the presidency. - Linda van Tilburg

Cyber criminals are masters at triggering human psychological needs - and people with an agreeable personality have a higher chance of being manipulated to share private and sensitive information. That is according to a new study at Stellenbosch University (SU). In this interview with BizNews, system analyst Vian Smit describes the striking correlation between personality types and cybersecurity risk. Smit explains which character traits in agreeable people and extroverts make them good prey for cyber crooks. But he has good news for neurotics whose character traits protect them against scammers. He urges organisations to incorporate human personality types in their counter cyber crime measures. “If we know there is a certain individual that might pose a bigger risk for information loss or information breaches, then I think it would be smart to have a stricter cybersecurity policy applied to such individuals.”

Two top lawyers who cracked open the Corruption Mafia at Fort Hare University are now fighting for survival - after their own shock arrests. In this interview with BizNews, labour lawyer Bradley Conradie and forensic lawyer Sarah Burger describe the trauma of their Holllywood-style arrests as the “ultimate way” of “dealing” with them - after years of abuse and a failed assassination attempt. They share their despair that years of work - with a success rate of 98 - 99% - has been “undone by design”. Since 2018, the two successfully dismantled various criminal syndicates that had infiltrated the university, including the politically-connected, the Nigerian, local business, staff, and student syndicates. They also facilitated the resignations and dismissals of about 40 employees who were involved in corrupt/unlawful activities and breaches of their employment conditions and other forms of mischief/misconduct. Additionally, they lodged about 20 cases with the HAWKS, to ensure thorough investigations and legal consequences for the perpetrators.  Yet, they were the ones thrown in cells, and now have to fight for their reputations - and their freedom.

A recent Lancet study reveals that over one billion people worldwide are living with obesity, equating to one in eight individuals. In South Africa, where obesity is likened to a tsunami or epidemic, 43% of adults were overweight in 2022, with a significant portion of women, men, and children with weight-related issues. Professor Carel le Roux, a global authority on obesity and diabetes from South Africa, who is the Chair of Experimental Pathology at University College Dublin, told Biznews in an interview that there has been a shift in treating obesity as a disease rather than a personal failing. Regarding semaglutide drugs for the treatment of obesity, he said they are able to turn back the clock on Type 2 diabetes, but he cautions against viewing them as mere weight loss aids. “You’re going to regain all that weight, probably be worse off after you have stopped the treatment than before you started,” he said. For people with obesity and diabetes, it is a lifelong treatment. Referring to the cost of obesity drug treatment in South Africa, he said the cost of the drugs will fall over time as it happened with HIV treatment.

Nuclear physicist Dr. Kelvin Kemm of Stratek Global, the company behind the local development of a Small Nuclear Reactor system, aims to be ready to export the reactors in five years’ time. He tells BizNews that there has been interest from places as far afield as Canada, “great interest” from Australia, as well as from parties in the Middle East that want to put small reactors in the desert and on the coastlines. Even the US is “very interested”. So are a number of European countries. Several African countries also want to acquire the Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Dr Kemm stresses that nuclear power “is incredibly safe” - and “the greenest, cleanest, cheapest, safest power you can get”.

Ahead of his keynote to the BizNews Conference in London, GoSolr CEO and co-founder Andrew Middleton shares some unappreciated good news on South Africa’s energy front. With 75MW in rooftop solar of its initial target 500MW already installed, GoSolr is part of a surge in private sector electricity provision. Middleton agrees with money manager John Biccard who reckons the worst of SA’s load-shedding is behind us - a view which has huge implications for JSE-listed stock prices which continue to discount the very worst on this front. He spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews.

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Lauren Eventhia Bernardo, the founder of the Organic Humanity Movement (OHM) Party, advocates a political system that will remove political parties - and in which only independents will run for public office. In this interview with BizNews, she says that will enable the voter to vote directly for all of their public representatives, including the President of South Africa. "And we believe this will completely transform our country. We also want to implement a mechanism that votes public representatives out if they're not doing their jobs.” She says a vote for a small party is not a wasted vote - and tells voters that South Africa can be on a “completely different trajectory” if those who do not vote decide to go and vote for any party not in the top three.

BizNews editor Alec Hogg drew upon the great investment guru Howard Marks for inspiration in his address this morning to a packed room of Third Age University members in Hermanus. Among the hallmarks of Marks’ approach to investing (and life) is accepting that rational conclusions require ‘deep, complex and convoluted’ thought. Hogg uses this foundation to delve beyond the ‘First Level’ narrative that dominates so much of the South African discourse, using examples from politics, society and business to support his case.