BizNews Radio

The South African Rand hit a record level of 19.92 against the United States Dollar in June. And despite returning to the mid-17s this week, the longer-term trend is weaker. But what does this mean for Fantasy Fund Managers? In this week's podcast, BizNews' Stuart Lowman was joined by Corion Capital's David Bacher and Simon du Plooy. Simon, the head of asset allocation at the fund manager, broke down internal and external events that drive the local currency but, more importantly, how these movements impact the shares in the game. Stock rotation has been spoken about on the podcast before, and the currency trend, whether up or down, is at the heart of this rotation. David also pulled out the benchmark return of the 60 shares and explained how 64% of managers are currently beating the index. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of diplomatic and legal drama over the attendance and then the non-attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the focus is now on the agenda at the BRICS Summit in South Africa next month. There is much hype over speculation that this BRICS Summit could open the door to a new world order with a move towards "de-dollarisation" and the induction of powerful new members like oil-rich Iran and the UAE. BizNews asks Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue, what outcomes can realistically be expected. - Chris Steyn

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After months of diplomatic and legal drama over the attendance and then the non-attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the focus is now on the agenda at the BRICS Summit in South Africa next month. There is much hype over speculation that this BRICS Summit could open the door to a new world order with a move towards “de-dollarisation” and the induction of powerful new members like oil-rich Iran and the UAE. BizNews asks Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue, what outcomes can realistically be expected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Presidency budget, known as Budget Vote 1, stands at R625 million but notably lacks a Parliamentary oversight committee—a matter of ongoing concern for several political parties advocating for increased scrutiny of the Presidency. Judge Zondo's state capture report has also underscored the need for an accountability-focused committee. While the ANC has been dragging its feet on appointing an oversight committee, they agreed to examine similar committees established in the United Kingdom Parliament to oversee the British Prime Minister. Members of Parliament’s Rules Committee, including Chief Whip of the Freedom Front Plus, Corné Mulder, have just returned from this visit. Mulder told Biznews that he would like to see the robust interaction with the head of government in the UK replicated in South Africa’s Parliament with the opposition chairing committees, and told Biznews that it was "unthinkable" that the President was spending taxpayers' money without adequate legal oversight, especially as President Ramaphosa is consolidating power in his office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final episode of the Kagiso Trust campaign, we explore the inspiring story of the Makana Circle of Unity, a collaborative civic coalition. In this interview, Paul Smith, the Local Government Support Head for Kagiso Trust, and Sisesakhe Ntlabezo, the Programme Manager at Makana Circle of Unity, share their experiences in fostering radical collaboration to improve service delivery and governance at local level. Discover how they navigate challenges, build trust, and bring together stakeholders to work towards a common purpose, providing valuable insights into replicable models of community-driven development.Join us for this 6-part series with Kagiso Trust as we explore ways of being a part of the solution and not part of the problem.Sponsored by: Kagiso Trust - https://bit.ly/3N4FZ9eIn case you missed it:Epi 1: https://youtu.be/k7NlmMGUzXYEpi 2: https://youtu.be/P3Xrn_VfBgYEpi 3: https://youtu.be/ppMCtp5KanEEpi 4: https://youtu.be/C5dQy6U0M-QEpi 5: https://youtu.be/XD6p8CFlP5U Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Opposition party leaders gathering at next month's national convention will aim to agree how the coalition would constitute a “pact” government. This emerges from an interview with Dr Leon Schreiber, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration. Also on the agenda will be a minimum programme that, should a government be constituted out of this pact, it would be looking to implement. That would be a set of policy solutions to the five or ten biggest problems in South Africa. Meanwhile, one or two more parties may still join the six already involved: those being the DA, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the Freedom Front Plus (FF+), Action SA, the United Independent Movement (UIM), and the Spectrum National Party. Parties that are not part of the pact process include GOOD, the Patriotic Alliance (PA), and Al Jama-Ah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RW Johnson, the most popular columnist on BizNews Premium, exhibits his trademark ‘take-no-prisoners’ approach in this powerful interview where he explains the ANC-SACP’s seemingly illogical pursuit of long discredited economic policies. He says the ruling party’s policy blueprint, the National Democratic Revolution, has even been disavowed by the Soviet Union bureaucrats who created the destructive template in the 1950s. Persistence with this failed plan speaks of a political leadership bereft of ideas and out of touch with the destruction their decisions have wrought. Such an approach is sure to deliver the sticky end that always follows extended periods of low economic growth with continued accumulation of national debt. He spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this in-depth interview, Dr. Frans Cronje of the Social Research Foundation offers detailed insights into political dynamics across South Africa's provinces with particular emphasis on the Western Cape where the SRF has just concluded in-depth research. Cronje examines shifting voter sentiments in the DA-run province, concluding that newcomers Action SA and the Patriotic Alliance are attacking the wrong target - they would do better by focusing on former ANC voters whose support in the Western Cape is down from a recent 30% to just 10%. Cronje, currently engaging with movers and shakers in Washington also shares excellent news on AGOA and the US's renewed interest in Africa after realising the gains made on the continent by Russia and China. He spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian President Vladimir Putin “really wanted to show up” at the BRICS Summit in South Africa next month - “and he really wanted to show the world that the rules imposed by the international community, as he perceives it, don't apply to him because that's what he does; he always gets away with things that are somewhere written or deemed undoable”. These are the words of the Czech Deputy Minister of Defence, Dr. Tomáš Kopečný, who is also the Governmental Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. He speaks to BizNews following the decision by Putin not to attend the summit next month to avoid getting arrested in terms of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for war crimes in Ukraine. Dr. Kopečný says there was absolutely no chance that Russia would have gone to war with South Africa if Putin were arrested - as was argued by President Cyril Ramaphosa - because 96% of all its troops are in Ukraine, and they even use equipment that countries from Africa sent to Russia for maintenance overhauls. Dr. Kopečný also speaks to BizNews about the Wagner Group’s renewed focus on Africa under a new commander who “comes from the structures that are much more closely linked with the faithful”. And he gives BizNews the inside track on the Ukrainian counter offensive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s alarm about a new intelligence bill that targets religious institutions, private security companies and non-governmental organisations for vetting in a way that could possibly be unconstitutional. If the bill became law, those wishing to establish and operate a new non-governmental or religious organisation, or establish a private security company, would have to undergo a vetting investigation in order to determine their security competence for clearance. Such vetting would give intelligence officers access to one’s most sensitive personal information. BizNews finds out more from a member of the 2018 High-Level Presidential Review Panel (HLRP) that investigated the State Security Agency (SSA). He is Anthoni van Nieuwkerk, Professor of International & Diplomacy Studies at Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs at the University of South Africa. (UNISA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices