BizNews Radio

A weekend of war games in Russia. A coup that wasn’t. A failed armed rebellion. A violent clash of egos between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his warlord Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin. BizNews speaks to Professor Abel Esterhuyse from the Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University who says the failed rebellion nevertheless spells the beginning of the “unmaking” of the Putin regime in Russia. He thinks the “March for Justice” was for military-, not political justice and that it could have been sparked by a move to integrate Prigozhin’s Wagner Group fully into the Russian military because it was increasingly getting out of hand - and taking the credit for battlefield successes. Professor Esterhuyse says the failed rebellion has also put the loyalty of the Russian military in question. He believes the Ukraine should now just use time as a strategic commodity and wait for Putin’s position to be eroded to the point that a change of leadership becomes inevitable. Your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider keeps you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here - https://bit.ly/3lfVRYP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political scientist RW Johnson reckons there are significant implications here in South Africa after the weekend's aborted coup in Russia by Prigozihn's Wagner forces. The ANC and local Communist Party's support for a suddenly fragile Putin exposes them - and there are implications, too, for the country's watershed election in 2024. Johnson also sheds light on the parlous state of South Africa's international relations efforts and the need for a vast improvement in its expertise. Plus, he is scathing about SA president Cyril Ramaphosa's performance at the Paris summit which raises serious questions about his grasp of geopolitics and economics. Hi spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran money manager Piet Viljoen has been on the warpath against Naspers management in the runup to Tuesday’s release of the group’s financial results. He ripped into them in a social media post (see below), which sparked an interview with Alec Hogg where the manager of the Merchant West Value Fund elaborated on his views. Viljoen is not alone. A couple years back, a group of South African money managers issued an unprecedented public statement attacking management’s approach. Given the impairments that will be disclosed with the results on Tuesday, those critical voices are likely to be heard again in the week ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two billion people in the world, most of whom live in emerging markets, do not have access to credit. They are excluded from financial systems because they have limited or no credit history. South African startup, Omnisient, which specialises in secure data sharing for businesses, wants to bring this section of the population into the economy by leveraging AI and alternative data like retailers' rewards programs. A Financial Inclusion study by TransUnion showed that 20 million South African consumers were credit unserved and a further 7 million underserved. Omnisient was recently named one of the World Economic Forum's 2023 Tech Pioneers. Co-founder and CEO Jon Jacobson of Omnisient told Biznews that with alternative data, banks can predict the likelihood of defaults and increase sales by 30%. He said this is a win-win situation for everyone involved: the retailer, the person who could never get credit, and the credit economy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two billion people in the world, most of whom live in emerging markets, do not have access to credit. They are excluded from financial systems because they have limited or no credit history. South African startup, Omnisient, which specialises in secure data sharing for businesses, wants to bring this section of the population into the economy by leveraging AI and alternative data like retailers' rewards programs. A Financial Inclusion study by TransUnion showed that 20 million South African consumers were credit unserved and a further 7 million underserved. Omnisient was recently named one of the World Economic Forum's 2023 Tech Pioneers. Co-founder and CEO Jon Jacobson of Omnisient told Biznews that with alternative data, banks can predict the likelihood of defaults and increase sales by 30%. He said this is a win-win situation for everyone involved: the retailer, the person who could never get credit, and the credit economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edited version of a lengthy Bloomberg podcast that uses South Africa as a template for "what happens when the lights go out", we are treated to how the international market sees the country's 15 years of electricity blackouts - what caused them and whether the problem is now being addressed. Bloomberg Opinion senior executive editor Tim O'Brien visited South Africa to see for himself what he describes as a "slow motion car crash". The host of Bloomberg's Crash Course podcast shares the microphone with his Cape Town-based Bloomberg colleague, energy reporter Paul Burkhardt and Olga Constantatos, head of credit at FutureGrowth Asset Management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is in the strongest position to enter into a coalition government with the African National Congress (ANC) after next year’s general election. But a coalition with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) would be a feared outcome. That is the view of Professor Stig Jensen from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He speaks to BizNews about governance crises in Africa; how resistance movement-based governments are being increasingly challenged; how liberation movements fail to successfully transition to government; and how some governments became more authoritarian in the time of COVID. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a volatile environment investment professionals find themselves in, summed up succinctly by this week's guests, Corion Capital's Garreth Montano and Grant Morris from CluclasGray Asset Management, hosted by BizNews' Stuart Lowman. One of the building blocks behind Fantasy Fund Manager was education, and the first eight weeks have certainly given users that and more, highlighting how difficult it can be to manage money. But despite the macro and micro headwinds SA incorporated is facing, that's where both see certain companies offering value. While Grant laid out a few sector plays with a particular focus on Life Healthcare, set your diaries for ⅞ July. We've also opened up a questions section, which you can write in by going to our Twitter handle @Fantasy_Fund, emailing [email protected], or visiting www.speakpipe.com/ffm and voicing a question. 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

A change of Government is needed to save South Africa’s State-owned Enterprises (SOEs). This after the horror management experience of former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter who tried “every which way to rectify the troubles and the travails that Eskom had and still has”, but did not have the necessary political backing - and failed in the end. That is the opinion of independent political analyst Eugene Brink who guides BizNews viewers through the contents of De Ruyter’s explosive exposé of his time at Eskom. He says, apart from a change in Government, only some form of privatisation would be able to save many of the country's SOEs. - Chris SteynSign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here - https://bit.ly/3lfVRYP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, Mark Perchtold, founding director of OMBA, delves into the stock market’s Bull v Bear debate, shedding light on the current dynamics. He highlights that while last year was clearly a bear market, this year has seen the ascendancy of the bull, which holds significant implications for investors. Perchtold emphasizes the need for a more defensive approach, particularly after the impressive performance of certain stocks, notably Big Tech, which he accurately predicted six months ago were likely to enjoy a recovery. Furthermore, he discusses the recent surge in Artificial Intelligence stocks, drawing parallels to the dot-com boom and subsequent bust of 25 years ago. Perchtold provides valuable insights into OMBA’s current portfolio structure, highlighting its diversification and areas of overweight positioning. He spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices