BizNews Radio

South Africa is facing myriad crises. One of them is depression. Recent statistics indicate that 23 South Africans commit suicide every day and for every person that commits suicide, 10 have attempted it. This is disturbing, on every level. Even Big Pharma’s extensive catalogue of purported ‘cures’ have, evidently, fallen superbly short. This brings us to Ketamine – a severely misunderstood drug, mainly because of its start in life as a horse tranquilliser. Ketamine is currently gaining traction as a successful treatment for resistant depression, PTSD, chronic pain and anxiety. BizNews spoke to mental health practitioner Dr Lené le Roux to find out more about a therapy which is bringing hope to many.

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At the beginning of June, Michael Appel was appointed editor of BizNews, only the second person to hold this post in the almost nine year history of the company. In this interview with BizNews founder Alec Hogg we get to hear the story of how the much-travelled son of a diplomat made his way into the corner office of South Africa's ambitious online media company.

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Tongaat is looking to raise R5bn in a rights issue that is 12 times its current market value of R400m. The Rudland Family through Magister Investments will partially underwrite R2bn of the rights offer provided that a waiver is approved by regulators. Related parties to Magister were found to have dealt in shares during the restricted period which has influenced the Takeover Regulation Panel’s decision to nullify the waiver. This decision calls into question the certainty of the rights issue and ultimately the future of Tongaat. A body of shareholders’ including shareholder activist Chris Logan, is appealing to Tongaat to reconsider their strategy amid concerns about the intentions of the Rudland family for the business if it obtains control. Hamish Rudland believes a rights issue is the only way forward in order for the company to avoid collapse. 

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She's a writer, a columnist, an author, a lawyer, political analyst, former sports administrator, trustee at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, as well as the new executive officer at Freedom Under Law (FUL). Judith February has more titles than Rafa Nadal. She's a veritable 'Jill of all trades' (I don't know if that's a thing, but it is now), a passionate South African, and thoroughly determined, as she puts it, "to be the last one to turn off the lights". In this broad-ranging interview with February, BizNews editor Michael Appel covers instalments of her vast career which led her to her latest challenge at FUL. He taps into her experience in the political-analysis realm, with President Cyril Ramaphosa fending off questions about millions of dollars in cash stolen from his home, as South Africans awoke to the news of the arrest of the Gupta brothers in Dubai.

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Two of the Guptas on Interpol's Red Notice list have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates with the focus now shifting to their extradition back to SA amid an inevitable fight back. Late on Monday evening South Africa’s Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services released a veritable bombshell. It confirmed, “it has received information from law enforcement authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that fugitives of justice, namely Rajesh and Atul Gupta have been arrested.” The duo are wanted in South Africa on fraud and money laundering charges.

[This is an audio recording of the article published here]

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Former spy boss Arthur Fraser, who’s also the man who freed former President Jacob Zuma on medical parole when he was Correctional Services head, this week laid a criminal complaint against President Cyril Ramaphosa. Fraser claims he has the evidence to prove that Ramaphosa concealed the February 2020 theft of +-$4m (R62m) in cash by criminals working in concert with his domestic helper at his farm in Limpopo. The charges Fraser wants investigated are vast and serious. They include defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping of suspects, their interrogation on Ramaphosa’s property, and bribery. The Presidency has confirmed the robbery saying the proceeds came from “the sale of game” but wouldn’t confirm the amount stolen, only saying Fraser's suggested amount is "hugely inflated". The President’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Ramaphosa stands ready to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation. BizNews editor Michael Appel speaks to analyst at the Institute for Global Dialogue, Sanusha Naidu, about Fraser’s possible motives for laying these charges against Ramaphosa now, as well as the optics surrounding this saga. The move comes just six months before Ramaphosa seeks re-election at the ANC’s elective conference in December. Critically, the State Capture Inquiry will also soon be releasing its final report into, among other workstreams, the State Security Agency that Fraser presided over under a cloud of corruption.

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In this expansive interview world leading medical and nutritional scientist Dr Tim Noakes explains why relates to UKZN professor Colleen Aldous, whose independent stance on the use of Ivermectin has made her a lightning rod for criticism from officialdom. Noakes, who is on the verge of releasing findings from fresh research supporting his High Fat Low carb diet, delves into history to explain why scientists who ask tough questions draw so much flak from the establishment. He was interviewed by BizNews.com founder Alec Hogg.

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Independent financial advisor Magnus Heystek has been scouting around the ‘Boere Monaco’ in Mauritius and has found a property development he’s endorsing. Heystek and the developers of the Black River project will be meeting prospective investors in the coming week. Pricing is in line with seaside properties in Hermanus, a popular playground for SA’s wealthy. For more information: https://www.biznews.com/investing-in-mauritius.

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It took 55-year-old Pierre Carter just 20 minutes to fly from a point near the summit of Mount Everest before he landed near the Nepalese settlement of Gorakshep high in the Himalayan mountains. With this jump, he has opened the door, or more accurately, the skies above the peak for ‘climb and fly’ adventurers on the world’s highest mountain. It is not the only first for the adventurous South African who took a decade to become the first legal paraglider to fly off Mount Everest; he also paved the way for legal paragliders from Kilimanjaro by painstakingly seeking approvals from the Tanzanian government. Carter told BizNews how he used part of his nest egg to finance his quest and how he has the highest mountain on Antarctica in his sights as he tries to conquer all seven of the highest peaks in the world. – Linda van Tilburg

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BizNews A-Plus Show duo Alec Hogg and Michael Appel are back with episode 6 of their weekly round-up of business, investments, news and politics banter you need to know. In focus this episode, Gold Field's share price dropped over 20% after its $6.7bn acquisition of Yamana Gold; Corion Capital's report scrutinised; Magnus Heystek on investing in property in Mauritius; some good news as NPA's Investigating Directorate promises more state capture arrests; Accountability Now's Advocate Paul Hoffman wants a truly independent Chapter Nine Anti-Corruption Entity established; cost of living (and drinking) skyrocketing.

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