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There are rumours that the Guptas could be the “secret” funder of the R16-billion Smart Meter programme of Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa. This has been revealed to BizNews by the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Shadow Minister of Electricity, Samantha Graham-Maré, who has been struggling since July to identify the mystery funder. “I have had people contact me from as far as Dubai after our last discussion to say that they are of the opinion that it might be the Guptas who are the mystery funders…they were just saying that they had encountered the Guptas in Dubai, seen them sort of having coffee with various role players, and that smart meters were a big element of demand-side management in Dubai, and as such felt that perhaps they were keen on transferring the technology to South Africa.” Meanwhile, the DA has petitioned the ESKOM System Operator to investigate what appears to be a growing trend to issue misleading load-shedding advisories.

Siya Kolisi, the captain of the Springbok rugby team, believed his World Cup dreams were shattered when he injured his cruciate ligament six months before the Rugby World Cup in France. It was his teammates Pieter-Steph du Toit and Handré Pollard who suggested consulting Dr Willem van der Merwe, a Cape Town orthopaedic surgeon and former Free State all-rounder cricketer. Rachel Kolisi appealed to her social media supporters to pray for the Bok captain, hoping for a miracle. After 119 days led his team onto the Millennium pitch in Cardiff in April 2022, marking a recovery of less than 4 months—significantly shorter than the typical 6-9 months athletes endure. In an interview with Biznews, Dr. van der Merwe attributed Kolisi’s recovery more to the captain’s mindset than medical procedures, though he acknowledged making slight adjustments to the surgery to ensure graft protection. Dr. van der Merwe emphasised the significance of the signals doctors convey to patients, revealing that he advised Kolisi against using crutches and encouraged him to cycle, despite objections from the physio who deemed it too early. The response from peers was predominantly negative, with a French orthopaedic surgeon even berating him for jeopardising Kolisi’s future. According to Dr. van der Merwe, athletes like Kolisi and others, including Chad le Clos, possess a unique presence and confidence. When faced with adversity, they believe in themselves, a trait he regards as truly special. - Linda van Tilburg

After being only the third nation on earth to identify nuclear power as a viable opportunity, South Africa’s record in this field has been a story of mostly highly destructive choices. But listening to Pretoria-based global nuclear expert Dr Kelvin Kemm, the sorry picture may change. In this episode of UNDICTATED, Kemm offers context into why nuclear went off the rails in SA - and why the country may finally be ready to cash in on its world-class expertise and in some areas, global leadership. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

Veteran crime fighter Yusuf Abramjee of Tax Justice South Africa is calling on South Africans to rise up to put pressure on the Government to put tangible actions in place to fight rampant crime. He speaks to BizNews in the wake of a World Bank study that found an estimated R700 billion is lost to the economy every year as a result of crime. “We must break our silence. We must stand up - even if it means taking to the streets, within the framework of the law, we have to do it. For how long are we gonna sit back and live behind high walls, behind fences, with beams, some people with bodyguards?” Abramjee says arresting the kingpins would be critical to the fight against crime. “…some of them are sitting in Dubai, probably sitting on the beach there and having their smoke and continuing to enjoy the cash from the ill-gotten gains…enough is enough for these people who are involved in the illicit trade, who are camouflaging themselves as legitimate dealers and manufacturers. Their time must come to an end. Not next year, not next week. I would say right now.”

The alleged killer of Pastor Liezel de Jager has been arrested - after an epic two-year battle by Action Society. In this interview with BizNews, Ian Cameron of Action Society says he had “never, ever, ever struggled so much to get an arrest for something like this”. That battle involved 200 inquiries or communiques to the SAPS, as well as a court application to force the police to appoint a competent investigation team. Cameron has high praise for the Cold Case Squad that took over the investigation. “…I must say, they did more work in less than two weeks…than the original investigator did in two years. And I must really commend them. It really makes me proud to still see that we've got South African Police Service members of this calibre.” The suspect was taken into custody in Bloemfontein on Thursday morning last week and questioned. On Saturday the SAPS officially confirmed to Action Society that he had been charged with murder and that he will be appearing in court in KZN tomorrow (Monday).

A PhD in Mathematical Statistics, Prof Mark Nasila is leading the Artificial Intelligence project at FNB, Africa’s most innovative bank. Given his passion, Nasila has kept a close eye on the past week’s drama around the firing and re-hiring of Sam Altman, rockstar of the global AI industry and co-founder of the world’s hottest start-up, the enterprise which created ChatGPT. In this wide-ranging episode of UNDICTATED, Nasila also shares insights on how South Africa is performing in the AI revolution (poorly) and what can be done to leapfrog the nation’s slow start. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg

There is a "plunder’s spree of note” by government officials to “make as much money as they can” before next year’s national elections. That is the charge from OUTA’s Wayne Duvenhage who speaks to BizNews after a Special Investigation Unit (SIU) report to Parliament has laid bare a “mind-blowing horror story” of looting that brought South African Airways (SAA) to its knees. Duvenhage says, with Anti-Corruption Week coming up there has been a lot of rhetoric from President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, “it might be some of his lackeys and his cronies and his cabinet ministers or senior people in the political structures that are implicated and that might have to go to jail, which is why we think that there's this reluctance to really get down to doing the hard yards here….He’s very weak, I'm afraid.”

Property Maverick Lew Geffen speaks about his book, Soul Mandate, a business memoir that contains a story of two extramarital affairs, one that ended in murder and the other that ended in happiness. He reveals what happened on the right Jason Rohde murdered his wife. He speaks about the happiness he has found with the woman who became his mistress 23 years ago. He relates how he had to personally buy back a house his sales agents had sold or be killed by assassins from the Israeli Mafia. He reveals why his mother, Aïda, sacked him in a note sent by scooter. He is the man who sold President Nelson Mandela’s first house in Houghton, marketed one to Princess Diana - and is now set to become the next Roald Dahl by writing children’s stories. - Chris Steyn

Kwazulu-Natal, a province that has weathered numerous crises, faces yet another challenge. Emerging from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the July 2021 riots, which resulted in an estimated R50 billion in damages, and the 2022 floods causing around R17 billion in infrastructure damage, the province now grapples with paralysis at Durban and Richards Bay ports. This has led to significant road congestion, with no immediate solution in sight. Transnet estimates that clearing the backlog in Durban could take until February or March 2024. Further compounding the province’s woes, the northern section of Durban’s golden mile coastal strip remains unsafe due to E.coli, impacting the tourism industry. In an interview with Biznews, Paul Ngema, Chairperson of the Kwazulu-Natal Business Chamber Council (KBCC) and President of the National African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC), expressed concern that the port backlog could result in businesses missing out on the Christmas rush. Ngema also highlighted the deteriorating railway system and its impact on small and medium businesses that heavily rely on this cheaper mode of transport. He warned that the port crisis and resulting road congestion could deter South Africans from visiting KZN beaches for Christmas, potentially leading to a bleak holiday season for the province.

CEO of Linebooker, Naude Rademan, discloses that in some sectors the rail crisis at Transnet has led to a trebling in transporting of goods by road. This has had a severe impact on border posts, hubs like Richard’s Bay, ports generally and South Africa’s road infrastructure - with many red flags now being vigorously waved across the economy. Rademan spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.