BizNews Radio

Kurt Steiner, the first head of Law Enforcement for African Parks, now an independent consultant, reveals how at least 24 armed groups have settled in conservation areas in Africa; how militias in one area alone are netting $ 70 million a year from the charcoal trade; and how over 1000 rangers have lost their lives trying to protect the Continent’s wildlife and its natural heritage.

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One morning in October 2021, Pastor Liezel de Jager went for a jog. She returned to her home only to be murdered. Her killer left her body at the back door. He is still free. Seeking justice for his daughter is Henk van Zyl, a former police colonel, a former Commander of the Police Academy in Graaff Reinet, and a former United Nations (UN) Project Manager in Police Reform. The bereaved father speaks to BizNews about the police investigation that has been dragging on for 581 days.

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So, what do you call a President of a country who appears to have lost interest in his job and with every crisis that comes across his desk, he kicks the proverbial can down the road by appointing a retired judge to investigate. The term ‘dead man walking’ comes up often in news articles on President Cyril Ramaphpsa. One commentator went further by calling South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa a skeleton walking. Sam Mkokeli, a political researcher, and journalist told BizNews that the President, who is the country’s commander-in-chief, could not even give a simple answer to the question of whether South Africa would sell arms to Russia as a matter of principle. Mkokeli said the President appears 'lifeless" and overburdened by the sheer weight of his responsibilities and didn’t have it in him to last a second term. He also said it was not a done deal that Paul Mashatile would be Ramaphosa’s successor.

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BizNews speaks to Professor Abel Esterhuyse from the Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University. He calls President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of the issue “bizarre”, and says if SA did supply Russia with weapons in contravention of sanctions, there would be a paper trail.

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Leading global fund manager Sean Peche has a rational perspective on why the Rand has tanked in the past week - it lies primarily with the deficiency in the SA Government's executive culture, laid bare through the arms-to-Russia scandal. Peche explains that to use an investment analogy, the "share price" of a country is its currency; and "management" the political leadership. He contrasts the disastrous performance of South Africa's government (and hence the Rand) with the inherent potential of investing into Japanese corporates (and Tokyo-listed shares). He spoke to Alec Hogg of BizNews.

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In this interview we meet Michael Cardo, an MP for the Democratic Alliance, and a quite superb biographer. His first book was about the far-sighted politician Peter Brown, whose Liberal Party called for a universal franchise in Apartheid South Africa in the 1960s - and was banned for its trouble. This one, on Harry Oppenheimer, focuses on another inspirational South African whose in addition to being a global mogul also spent a decade on the green benches of the country's Parliament. Born into a mining dynasty, Harry Oppenheimer lived a full life - massively expanding the family business, breaking break with the world's rich and powerful, and for decades serving as the most effective counter to the Apartheid regime. Cardo's superb writing skills, access to Oppenheimer's private documents (including an unfinished memoir) and the six years he invested into the project combine to make this into a world-class production.

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In March, at the fifth BizNews Conference, a COVID panel discussion was held between consultant cardiologist and public health advocate Dr Aseem Malhotra, world-renowned sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes and PANDA (Pandemics ~ Data & Analysis) Chairman and co-founder Nick Hudson. The discussion that followed explored science and its desecration, media censorship and persecution of those who have dared to stand for solid science instead of bowing down to the narrative propagated by mainstream media and how this is in sharp contrast to the majority of professionals either freely volunteering or nefariously coerced into spreading the notorious COVID tagline, "Trust the science". In Part 2 of the COVID panel discussion, Malhotra, Noakes, and Hudson continued to discuss the atrocities and deviations from rationale and science as the objective knowledge system it entailed not so long ago.

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The recent dispute between the South Africa and the United States over claims from the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa that South Africa had supplied weapons and ammunition to Russia would have a negative impact on South Africa’s economy. That’s according to Sufficient Group Economist Dawie Roodt who anticipated some recovery in the Rand’s value, but he told Biznews that the currency would remain weak, resulting in inflationary pressure. Roodt told Biznews that a fifty base point hike in interest rates in response to the situation is likely and that he expects that the South African economy is not going to grow this year.

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BizNews speaks to Dr Edward Mienie, the Executive Director and Professor of Strategic & Security Studies and External Relations at the University of North Georgia in Atlanta about South Africa’s rapid slide towards a Failed State. He warns that drastic measures are needed to ensure effective governance because a Failed State could descend into a Collapsed State which would leave every man fending for himself. The former diplomat - for both the NP and ANC governments - remains hopeful, however, that it is not too late to turn the ship around.

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CNN editor-at-large Richard Quest is back in South Africa where he chaired sessions at the 2023 African Indaba in Durban and ended up befriending Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille. During a visit to Cape Town in February this year he told Alec Hogg that his big takeaway was the “unimaginable” power outages. In this interview with Linda van Tilburg the CNN anchor said that until Africa gets to grips with its air links issue, it will continue to “hobble with one hand behind its back, a patch on one eye and a shot in one foot. Quest also commented on South African Airways and on demands from some South Africans that the Cullinan diamonds that were prominent in King Charles III’s sceptre and Queen Camilla’s crown during the King’s coronation should be given back.

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