BizNews Radio

There’s no doubt that the Independent Electoral Commission will be under more pressure than ever in the run-up to the 2024 elections. Expectations are high with the opposition hoping to unseat the ANC and the ruling party hoping it can cling to power. It could be a watershed moment for South Africa. The IEC is grappling with legislative changes and three ballot papers, which is a first for South Africa. There are a mind-boggling 540 political parties registered with the IEC in the country with 340 parties eligible to contest nationally which is an indication of how fragmented politics in South Africa is. In this interview with Biznews, Deputy Electoral Officer Mawethu Mosery said the IEC has made substantial progress in preparation for the election next year and was making more use of online registration. Mr Mosery said the commission was creating a platform for businesses and citizens to support political parties financially. He also revealed that the IEC has initiated an investigation in the first case of undisclosed foreign funding to a political party. He said it was brought to the IEC’s attention by a whistleblower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the second part of James Lorimer’s keynote address at BizNews@10, he is quizzed on the scale of and challenges to SA’s impending oil and gas boom. Lorimer admits it’s the first ‘good news’ story he’s probably been able to tell during almost a decade and a half as a Member of Parliament - but it’s one he says desperately needs to be exposed to a discouraged nation. Hard to disagree. Investors, too, will be taking note. For instance, real estate on the Cape’s Western and Southern coasts - and in the Karoo around Beaufort West - require more than a cursory glance. JSE-listed HCI too. - Alec Hogg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most astonishing part about this hugely bullish keynote to the BizNews@10 event, is that it was delivered by a politician who has no inventive to talk up the country's immediate economic potential. James Lorimer is the official opposition's shadow minister of Mineral Resources, and hot favourite to land the portfolio's cabinet position should the Multiparty Charter for SA prevail in the 2024 national election. Yet here he is, telling the BizNews tribe that a massive oil and gas resource is about to be unlocked, catapulting the country's economic prospects. I guess his journalistic background kicked in - news as good as this simply cannot be kept under wraps. - Alec Hogg   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South African Police Services (SAPS) Whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale was taken into court in leg irons today (Thursday, 17 August 2023). This after she came out of hiding after 17 months to appear in the Bloemfontein Regional Court in the hope of having the warrant of arrest issued against her on 3 March 2023 cancelled. That warrant was withdrawn, but not until she had been arrested, taken to the cells - and into court shackled. In her reaction, Morgan-Mashale told BizNews: “My children were at court today to support me and they saw me in the leg irons. And I didn't want them to see that…I wouldn't have allowed them to go to court if I knew that I was going to be shackled.” Despite yet another harrowing experience, she remains defiant: “They can still open cases against me. I don't regret anything. I will do it over and over again. I don't regret speaking out about corruption.” Veteran police- and violence monitor, Mary de Haas, called the shackling of Morgan-Mashale "barbaric" - Chris Steyn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The choppy nature of markets is playing itself out in the Fantasy Fund Manager game, with this week seeing a 23% difference between the best-performing stock Shaftesbury (7.14%) and worst-performing Impala Platinum (-15.24%). In this week's podcast, BizNews' Stuart Lowman was joined by Corion Capital's David Bacher and Ann Sebastian, head of equities at Terebinth Capital. Fantasy Fund is built on six specific sectors, and Ann looked at which sectors may offer value. She also offered some tips on which stocks may be offering value in the financial services, resources and tech space, spoiler alert, it's not gold. Ann's investment tip for the week was ‘try not to be emotional when making your selections’. David also reveals a market tip after picking Shaftesbury as his Rand hedge this week. Remember to make your picks each week by the market open on Monday to have a chance to win any of the prizes up for grabs. And invite your friends. Register at www.fantasyfundmanager.co.za—thanks to our platinum sponsors Sharenet, Terebinth Capital, ClucasGray Asset Management, and Money Better. Remember to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode. Stock prices were correct at the time of the podcast recording. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The star of Cape Town’s young executive mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis continues to rise - with his leadership abilities seen to good effect during the adept handling of the city’s potentially debilitating taxi crisis earlier this month. Like the city’s water crisis between 2015 and 2018, lessons appear to have been learnt from the challenge. Hill-Lewis reckons these include the need for Pretoria to devolve decision-making power on rail services; and find ways to address the working conditions under which taxi drivers operate - an arrangement which incentivises them to break the law. In this interview, the 36-year-old mayor also provides an update on the city’s progress towards fulfilling his campaign promise of ending loadshedding. He celebrates the role of an innovative power supply agreement to secure for Cape Town the first AWS Skills Centre outside of the USA, launched today. It brings Amazon’s seven-year investment commitment of a further R40bn on top of the R16bn already injected by the multinational. - Alec Hogg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final part of his keynote address to the BizNews 10th celebration, author and informal economy expert GG Alcock engages with delegates, answering their questions and enlightening the audience about massive advances in Sa’s informal sector. He also attacks the army of myths that is anchoring South Africa’s economic potential. Don’t miss his missive at the end where he reminds us of what he could - and could not - get across to fix the homesickness of a then London-based expat. - Alec Hogg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In one of the most powerful interactions of the BizNews@10 conference, ’Kasinomics expert GG Alcock unpacks South Africa’s informal economy, booming entrepreneurship and out-of-touch government policies. He says this illustrates the massive disconnect between the ANC’s socialist beliefs and the capitalist reality evident everywhere in the country’s townships. It’s a wake-up call for the ANC leadership, its Blue Light Brigade whose distance from voters has caused them to act and legislate as though the country were still in the pre-1994 era. - Alec Hogg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Africa’s globally respected futurist Clem Sunter rates GG Alcock as one of the most important of all South African voices. Like Sunter, this White Boy raised Zulu in a Msinga mud hut is a champion of entrepreneurship. We have seen on numerous occasions that whenever GG Alcock gets the opportunity to engage with local audiences, he leaves them thinking differently about their country, uplifted and inspired. It happened again at the BizNews@10 conference. Can’t wait for BNC#6 in March 2024 where both GG and Clem have agreed to deliver keynotes. – Alec Hogg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The civil rights campaigner is calling for a ban on bail for the perpetrators of violence against children - after Action Society attended five “harrowing” cases last week involving the rapes and murders of children - and “in the last 24 hours, we’ve got five violent cases of which two out of the five involve children”. Cameron reveals how many victims were killed by the same perpetrator that was previously charged with hurting them. He speaks of how criminals are granted many second chances, while “victims never get a second chance” , and says: “I honestly believe we've got monsters that literally hunt children and we need to treat them in the same way.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices