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In this wide ranging interview, the Democratic Alliance’s Federal Chair Helen Zille digs into the concept of ‘innovative corruption’ which she says is increasingly applied by her party’s competitors. A case in point is the bizarre story of the Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the Free State where the DA had to go to court to block payments to a dodgy property developer that would have bankrupted the district. Zille has no qualms about the challenges that face SA in rolling back such corruption, arguing that the BOSASA-type plunder is not an exception but is the norm under ANC rule. She also shares the DA’s perspective on what is happening within the chaotic governance of Johannesburg - and the retirement from politics of the city’s former executive mayor Mpho Phalatse. - Alec Hogg

The Investigating Directorate (ID) set by President Cyril Ramaphosa four years ago has done “nothing”. That is the charge by Glynnis Breytenbach, the Democratic Alliance’so (DA’s) Shadow Minister of Justice and Correctional Services. She says “arrests don't translate into anything at all, unless the case goes to court and a trial runs, somebody's convicted and somebody goes to jail”. Meanwhile, Breytenbach is driving the bill that will see an Anti-Corruption Commission set up outside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). This will be an independent Chapter 9 institution that will prosecute high-level corruption cases. “You can tell the politicians to bugger off and nobody can do anything to you. You're answerable to Parliament and the courts. That's it.” She slams another bill recently introduced to Parliament to make Ramaphosa’s ID a permanent structure within the NPA when it’s five-year life span comes to an end next year: “they're waving the bill around as the answer to corruption…It's political smoke and mirrors to try and convince South Africans that the ANC is serious about stopping corruption. Oh, ha, ha.” In his State of the Nation Address earlier this year, President Ramaphosa said the ID had taken 187 accused people to court in 32 state capture and corruption cases, and over R7 billion had so far been returned to the state from state capture cases while R12.9 billion in funds and assets had been frozen.

Birds of a feather tend to flock together. So when News24's Mashatile Unmasked investigation into SA’s deputy president turned up dodgy payments from a company called Valumax Projects, alarm bells started ringing for Francois Nortje. The Port of Gauteng developer explains in this explosive interview how he was courted by Valumax founding director Francois Bekker, whose sole intention was to connect him with former Steinhoff executives who co-own his stinky ANC-backed competitor down the road. Nortje joins the dots and concludes Markus Jooste and his pals are only walking free despite their massive fraud because they’ve paid off ANC bigwigs. And all roads, he says, lead to the proposed R5bn Tambo Springs development. - Alec Hogg

Criminal intent and socio-economic desperation rather than racial hatred are behind many farm attacks in South Africa. This has emerged from a BizNews interview with former Public Prosecutor with the Department of Justice and ex South African Police Service (SAPS) Brigadier Julius Weideman. He is now a rural safety expert who has founded Landelike Beveiliging SA (Rural Safety SA). Weideman says Landelike Beveiliging SA is a non-political organisation that aims to get behind the real reasons of crime in the rural communities to better inform its response in addressing the risk and minimising the detrimental consequences to the economy. Meanwhile, says Weideman, the NPO’s primary objective is to prevent loss of life and injury - irrespective of what the motive of the perpetrator may be.

There are 250,000 minibus taxis, many ageing on South African roads, spewing carbon emissions into the air. These emissions are surging with the near collapse of the country’s train system. Electric vehicles could transform health, carbon emission, and costs to hard-hit commuters. But, when it comes to the transition to electric vehicles, South Africa however remains in the slow lane. This has prompted a team from the University of Stellenbosch's Faculty of Engineering to lead the way and develop an electric minibus taxi. Heading the project is Prof Thinus Booysen, who said there is no single entity in South Africa manufacturing electric engines for minibus taxis. Prof Booysen said his team is investigating the potential strain on the electricity grid and considering installing solar power at taxi ranks and extensive battery banks. He said their test vehicle will be roadworthy in the next month and then be compared to an imported electric minibus. So, if you're driving around Stellenbosch in the next month and you see a silent minibus packed with engineers, it could just be the future of public transportation in South Africa.

In a detailed discussion involving Ian Cameron, Herman Mashaba, and the BizNews Community, various aspects of crime, policing, and security in South Africa are addressed. The conversation includes insights into books that shed light on organised crime, the overwhelming role of private security firms, and the inefficiency of the police force. The debate also explores the contrasting approaches to policing in El Salvador, and the participants consider how South Africa might achieve similar results while maintaining the rule of law.

South Africa is often held up as an example of how opposing political forces can come together despite hate, mistrust, and profound differences in their views on governing the country. However, for many, the concept of South Africa as the "rainbow nation," as coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, is now seen as a relic of the past. Divisions are again deep, and even political parties that in principle agree on how the country should be governed have been at loggerheads, publicly airing their disagreements through the media. The prospect of cohesive action to challenge the ANC, which has held power since 1994, seemed remote. But seven opposition parties—the country's main opposition, the Democratic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Freedom Front Plus, Action SA, ISANCO, the UIM, and the SNP—managed to overcome the mistrust and agree on a Multi-party Charter for the 2024 elections. Freedom Front Leader Dr Pieter Groenewald told Biznews that the independence of the chair, Prof. William Gumede, and Zanele Morrison, who was brought in as a leadership facilitator, turned the summit into something more than a political meeting. He said their neutrality was valued during the discussions. Morrison shared with Biznews how she guided the political leaders and about her approach to working with business executives. She said that the leadership tools required to lead have fundamentally changed from 10 years or more ago. - Linda van Tilburg

During the interview session of his keynote, crime activist Ian Cameron ripped away the plaster concealing the root of SA’s law and order problem - leadership of the SA Police Services has been stuffed with untrained and ANC party loyalists with often very dodgy ethics. The unintended consequences of this odious form of cadre deployment has been to shield Big Crime via payola-driven interventions from politically-appointed Generals, or simply rank incompetence. Even in Hermanus, where the day before the conference Cameron witnessed 20 abalone smugglers operating untroubled and in broad daylight. - Alec Hogg

BRICS has taken a “dangerous political direction” with the admittance of new members like Iran and Saudi Arabia. That is the view of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Shadow Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Emma Louise Powell. She speaks to BizNews following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa today (Thursday 24 August) that BRICS has decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to become full members. Powell says, until this week, the BRICS grouping has been “rather innocuous”, but given the inclusion of countries like Iran and Saudi, she thinks that BRICS is headed in “a rather dangerous political direction that does not serve South Africa's economic security or democratic interests”.  That means that DA “would certainly make representations towards reviewing our membership when the time came”. - Chris Steyn

Mmusi Maimane, former Leader of the Opposition and the founder of Build One SA, is ratcheting up his organisation’s Plan ahead of South Africa’s critical 2024 national election. This month BOSA unveiled an impressive first batch of candidates to fill positions it expects to be elected into in the National Parliament and Provincial governments - a well-qualified, highly motivated corps of young leaders. In this interview, Maimane explains why BOSA has not joined the Moonshot Pact and why he is confident young voters will turn out in their millions next year to eject the ANC from power. - Alec Hogg