BizNews Radio

Despite shifting dynamics in European immigration policies in response to global challenges, resistance to immigration, and upcoming elections, there are still plenty of opportunities for South Africans seeking to immigrate or explore alternative plans. In an interview with BizNews, Andrew Rissik, the Group International Director of Sable International, said that while options such as Ireland and Portugal's golden visas and tax incentives are narrowing, Greece has gained a surge in attention. At the same time, the United Kingdom remains a steadfast and promising destination for South Africans, even as the job market experiences a slowdown. Rissik offers valuable advice for South Africans considering a "Plan B" by emphasising the importance of thoughtful, well-researched decisions over impulsive ones driven by emotions or the stresses of their home country. He underscores that mistakes in this process can be financially costly. International options from securing a second citizenship to living, working, studying or investing abroad can be explored at the Global Citizenship and Emigration Expos Sable International is hosting in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Cape Town in the coming month.

Contact Sable International at [email protected].

Relations between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the State of Israel are at a new low after the ruling party’s deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane called for the Israeli embassy in South Africa to shut its doors; the ambassador to leave his diplomatic station; and a boycott of all goods imported from Israel. But Israel's Ambassador in South Africa, Eli Belotsercovsky, does not “see any reason” for “boycotting or condemnations or all sorts of very heated expressions and manifestations”. Belotsercovksy says: “I think we can talk, we can work out our misunderstandings or differences of opinion….We don't agree with the official position on what is happening in Gaza. We completely disagree with it, but it doesn't mean that we cannot talk about it.” Meanwhile, the ambassador vows that Israel will ensure that there is going to be “no terrorists left in Gaza”. - Chris Steyn

OMBA's Sean Ashton, a stock-picker of some repute who was formerly with Anchor Capital, is back on BizNews after a break of almost a decade. In this interview, he reminds us the ten stocks which have delivered all of Wall Street's 2023 performance have still not recovered from 2022's losses. It provides some valuable thoughts on US interest rates - the critical variable for all investment markets - and the growing role of geopolitics in all of our wealth-creation strategies. He spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews.

Dive into the world of finance with our latest podcast episode with Stuart Lowman as he delves into the world of investment strategies and market dynamics. In this episode, he discusses the impact of geopolitical risks on the financial landscape with experts David Bacher and Grant Morris. Discover their insights on managing portfolios in turbulent times and get tips for navigating the competition. Plus, hear their thoughts on potential market triggers and where to find value opportunities. Don't miss this informative and engaging discussion. Remember, each dawn of Monday is your chance to pitch your winning stocks. With enticing prizes awaiting, the game is on. Rally your comrades and head to www.fantasyfundmanager.co.za to register—big thanks to our platinum sponsors, Sharenet, Terebinth Capital, ClucasGray Asset Management, and MoneyBetter. And mark your calendars: Subscribe now to our podcast to keep up with every episode.

A survey conducted by the Brenthurst Foundation has found that support for the ruling ANC party has dropped from 48% in 2022 to 41%. The poll also showed that the gap between the ANC and opposition parties has shrunk and that the Multi-party Coalitions (MPC) - which combines the votes of DA, IFP, Action SA, FF+, and United Independent Movement - could get 36% of the vote. Additionally, 24% of voters said that the launch of MPC made them more likely to vote for an opposition party. The survey also indicates a rise in support for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) - up from 11% a year ago to 17%. South African voters’ attitude towards BRICS was also polled, with 40% of people indicating that they prefer an association with the West and other democracies to an alignment with BRICS. It also indicated South Africans were keen to vote in 2024 with 80% saying that they would almost certainly go to the polls. In an interview with Biznews Ray Hartley, Director of Research at the Brenthurst Foundation said the survey was conducted through in-depth interviews with a random sample of 1,500 voters. Hartley said that the survey indicates a substantial erosion of the ANC’s political base and it is clear that Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal will join Western Cape as provinces ruled by the opposition. He added that the growing support for opposition parties is linked to a widespread desire to see politicians come together to address the country’s challenges, rather than engage in divisive bickering.

Whistleblowers are “agents of justice”, but in South Africa, they are more likely to be persecuted and assassinated than honoured and protected. Now civil society has had enough: 27 international and local civil society groups have joined forces to demand that the South African government protects its “Human Rights Defenders”. Today (19 October) the Human Right Defenders (HRD) Gathering hands over its memorandum to government. One of those organisations is groundWork whose Robby Mokgalaka tells BizNews that just one grass roots organisation has lost about 25 members, “shot and killed in execution style”. Another activist was killed in cold blood in her own house by five men in front of a 13-year old nephew. Yet another was killed by two men impersonating police officers “in his own house in front of his seven-year-old”. He speaks of an entire community living in fear because they do not know if the hitmen live among them.  “...they have eyes and ears...friends. So the moment one person…speaks out and says I want to reveal or I want to tell who actually did what, that person might disappear."

Today Pick n Pay released the last set of pre-Sean Summers financial results, numbers so bad that an already depressed share price promptly dropped another 14%. The group’s 70-year-old CEO, reinstalled two weeks back some 15 years after he retired, suggested the best thing about the numbers is that founder, the late Raymond Ackerman, wasn’t around to see them. But he has a plan, and although it will take time (Summers says 18-24 months before anything profound is evident), far-sighted investors will be encouraged. In this episode of UNDICTATED, SA’s master retailer shares what brought the group so low - and his plan to turn things around. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

Israel is often lauded as the “Startup Nation” for its exceptional talent in fostering innovative technology startups. However, the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas, marked by an unprecedented attack that claimed over 1400 lives and resulted in numerous hostages, has posed a significant challenge to the tech sector. In an interview with Biznews, Israeli tech pioneer, Yadin Kaufmann said that the tech sector has been directly impacted by the ongoing crisis, with approximately 15% of the 360,000 reservists called into active duty coming from this industry. Furthermore, he noted that investments in and acquisitions of Israeli companies are currently on hold. But he said, the country functions, Israel is an extremely resilient country, it is not the end of the Israeli tech sector or Israeli economy and they would come back from it. On the continuance of a programme, he launched over the past 16 years to help Palestinians create a technology ecosystem, the tech entrepreneur said that the programme is on hold just as several companies were in the late stages of preparing offers for Palestinian interns. Despite his shock and horror about the Hamas attack, Kaufmann says he is hopeful that once the fighting is over the Israelis will find a way to continue working with Palestinians, but he thinks that is going to take a change in leadership, on both sides. – Linda van Tilburg

African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) President the Reverend Dr Kenneth Meshoe has spoken out strongly against “the politics of enemies". In an interview with BizNews he gives the reasons why his party rejected the Moonshot Pact; explains why the ACDP has now joined the Multi-Party Charter; and gives feedback on the recent trip to Germany by Multi-Party Charter leaders to study coalition governments. He lists the key factors needed to make a coalition government work. One of those is trust - which he says is going to be “a major, major issue”. - Chris Steyn

South Africans residing abroad will now have the opportunity to register online for the first time, marking a significant shift from the previous process that required physical visits to South African diplomatic missions, often located far from their places of residence. In 2019, this traditional approach resulted in just 31,000 registrations. Online registration is set to begin on October 24, 2023 for the country’s crucial 2024 national and provincial elections. In an interview with Biznews, the DA Abroad, Ludré Stevens described the new rules as ‘game-changing.’ The party is now on a mission to register 200,000 South Africans living abroad for the 2024 elections. Additionally, the DA is actively pressuring the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to designate 13 additional voting stations in areas with a substantial South African expatriate population, including Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Wellington, Austin, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Stevens emphasised the importance of South Africans abroad making use of these new registration rules, as this could be the first domino in prompting further changes. The party’s primary objective, he said, is to secure the election of two Members of Parliament through overseas votes, a critical potential outcome if coalitions become prevalent after the 2024 elections.