BizNews Radio

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba’s book, written by political commentator Prince Mashele, has sparked controversy following the revelation that Mashaba contributed to its funding, despite being advertised as an unauthorised biography, Jonathan Ball Publishers withdrew the book from the market, citing a breach of trust, as Mashele failed to disclose the source of the funding. The source of the funding was disclosed by Brutus Malada, a senior researcher on the book who is married to former Democratic Alliance mayor Mpho Phalatse. Charles Cilliers, author and Co-Founder of the Patriotic Alliance, expressed astonishment at the reported payment of R12.5 million to Mashele, deeming it an “unfathomable amount”. Cilliers further commented that this controversy could have negative repercussions for Mashaba and ActionSA, adding that if his “big and scary” leader, Gayton McKenzie, had done the same, he would have strangled him. - Linda van Tilburg

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The National Transport Department’s decision to grant Karpowership, a Turkish power ship operator, 20-year access to three South African ports has been met with criticism from environmental groups and opposition parties. Kevin Milehame, the DA’s shadow minister of Energy, has warned that the deal could cost South African taxpayers a staggering R200 billion, while only generating 1200 MW of power, equivalent to a single stage of load shedding. Milehame told BizNews that he was concerned about what appearedto be the bending of rules to favour Karpowership and that it presented another opportunity for corruption.

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Former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter is taking no chances after publishing his instant bestseller Truth To Power, which exposes the ANC's plundering of South Africa's national electricity utility. De Ruyter has refused any in-person engagement - but did agree to an "email interview" with Alec Hogg of BizNews. In it, the filter-free executive answers the big questions about load-shedding, criminality and what's next for Eskom. Also, what he learned from his three years of running SA's "largest organised crime syndicate". Eskom has required R500bn in direct bailouts from SA taxpayers. Still, its inability to deliver a steady electricity supply has cost the country even more through lost economic growth, lower investment, and destroyed jobs. So the book is a must. This interview, too.

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Political scientist and independent commentator Eugene Brink guides BizNews through the doomed relationship between departed Eskom boss André de Ruyter and the African National Congress (ANC), a relationship that started with big expectations on both sides, but ended in bitter recriminations. Brink predicts that De Ruyter speaking out could have an impact on the outcome of next year’s national elections. He also warns that large-scale sabotage has made Eskom largely unmanageable. He says there are people who have vested interests in power stations breaking down, technical faults occurring, coal not being delivered on time or in the exact quantities or the exact makeup.

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Global arms trade expert Andrew Feinstein shares his perspective on a charge by the United States that South Africa supplied arms to Russia in a time of war and sanctions. The former African National Congress (ANC) MP, who resigned in protest from Parliament at the ANC's refusal to allow an independent inquiry into a multi-million rand arms deal, also shares his frustration at being left on"standby" for many years to give evidence in the fraud and corruption trial of former President Jacob Zuma and Thales, the French arms company that allegedly bribed him.

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There have been so many warnings about Artificial intelligence including a call from 1000 tech leaders and researchers, and Elon Musk calling for a pause on AI and they point to the potential risk of AI to humanity. Governments are playing catch-up looking for what UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has called ‘guard rails’ at the G7 summit in Hiroshima to limit the dangers of AI. In this interview with Linda van Tilburg, South African tech entrepreneur, Stafford Maisie described AI as a superpower and said that he was leaning more into the idea that you could do more with less. For Africa, he said it could either be a dystopian future or a massive opportunity.

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Arno von Helden is the driver of Standard Bank’s revolutionary in-house fintech called Shyft, a business that’s democratising the foreign exchange market for retail investors. In this interview with Alec Hogg of BizNews, Arno explains how Shyft clients can transact at a fraction of the fee charged traditionally - and shares the next moves for the innovative platform, including offering shares listed in Europe, the UK and South Africa.

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Johann van Loggerenberg entered the public consciousness during the Gupta era of State Capture when fighting the defanging of an investigative unit he headed at SA Revenue Services. SARS's best-known whistleblower chronicled his story in the co-authored 2016 bestseller "Rogue: The Inside Story of SARS's Elite Crime Busting Unit". In this interview, Van Loggerenberg discusses parallels with former Eskom CEO turned whistleblower Andre de Ruyter's blockbuster new book; his experience of working for De Ruyter's ex-boss DPE Minister Pravin Gordhan - and reflects on being jumped and beaten over the weekend by "four angry people".

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A recent investigative report by Al Jazeera has brought to light a web of gold smugglers allegedly aiding the Zimbabwean government in evading sanctions. The exposé has implicated high-ranking individuals, including diplomats, the President's niece, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa himself. Piers Pigou, the Head of the Southern African programme at the Institute for Security Studies, told Biznews that this revelation sheds light on the Southern African region's struggles in dealing with organised crime. Pigou also questioned why South Africa and Mozambique are on the FATF grey list while Zimbabwe has been removed. – Linda van Tilburg

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