BizNews Radio

The hard hitting Magnus Heystek joins BizNews founder Alec Hogg, on the topic of the ugly truth on South Africa as an investment destination. Magnus has been advising diversification and offshore investment for the better part of ten years, purely as a result of the facts. Heystek says he has an open mind about South Africa from an investment perspective, although the stars are yet to align.

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On Tuesday, David Masondo, South Africa’s deputy finance minister, suggested that investors forgive about R146bn of sovereign debt in exchange for Eskom - the national power utility - meeting climate targets. This very controversial proposal, which Masondo termed a debt-for-climate-swap, would entail a portion of national debt, which he suggested could be R146bn, being forgiven by new or existing creditors. The National Treasury has reportedly said that Masondo’s comments are his personal views and not policy. Nevertheless, Masondo’s statement raised many questions about the potential repercussions of this proposal - should it become policy. In a bid to obtain more clarity on the matter, BizNews founderAlec Hogg spoke to Olga Constantatos, the Head Of Credit at Futuregrowth Asset Management, who said that Masondo’s proposal ‘actually raised more questions than answers.’

On Tuesday, David Masondo, South Africa’s deputy finance minister, suggested that investors forgive about R146bn of sovereign debt in exchange for Eskom - the national power utility - meeting climate targets. This very controversial proposal, which Masondo termed a debt-for-climate-swap, would entail a portion of national debt, which he suggested could be R146bn, being forgiven by new or existing creditors. The National Treasury has reportedly said that Masondo’s comments are his personal views and not policy. Nevertheless, Masondo’s statement raised many questions about the potential repercussions of this proposal - should it become policy. In a bid to obtain more clarity on the matter, BizNews founderAlec Hogg spoke to Olga Constantatos, the Head Of Credit at Futuregrowth Asset Management, who said that Masondo’s proposal ‘actually raised more questions than answers.’

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In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Magnus Heystek; Futuregrowth's Olga Constantatos on David Masondo's call for R150bn debt forgiveness, Purple Capital's Rob Graham on El Salvador using Bitcoin as its currency, and the BizNews Team.

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host Magnus Heystek; Futuregrowth's Olga Constantatos on David Masondo's call for R150bn debt forgiveness, Purple Capital's Rob Graham on El Salvador using Bitcoin as its currency, and the BizNews Team.

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News headlines:

*Talks are underway with Johnson & Johnson about running a booster trial in South Africa after the company’s Covid-19 vaccine was used in a mass trial of almost half a million health workers in the country.

*David Masondo, South Africa’s deputy finance minister, suggested that investors forgive about R146bn of sovereign debt in exchange for the national power utility meeting climate targets.

*The ANC says it will resort to tried-and-true campaigning methods, given that it cannot afford to splash out for the coming elections.

News headlines:

*Talks are underway with Johnson & Johnson about running a booster trial in South Africa after the company’s Covid-19 vaccine was used in a mass trial of almost half a million health workers in the country.

*David Masondo, South Africa’s deputy finance minister, suggested that investors forgive about R146bn of sovereign debt in exchange for the national power utility meeting climate targets.

*The ANC says it will resort to tried-and-true campaigning methods, given that it cannot afford to splash out for the coming elections.

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El Salvador has made history as the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender. The implementation of the premier cryptocurrency as the national currency began yesterday, with the digital coin nosediving nearly 20%. Vice President of Finance at the Purple Group, Rob Graham, joined the BizNews team to discuss the challenges and opportunities that El Salvador will face in the coming months. International regulators have warned against the Central American country using bitcoin as a currency, with volatile price action making it difficult as a medium of exchange. Graham, a cryptocurrency enthusiast, gives fascinating insights into the application of bitcoin from a transactional and logistical perspective.

El Salvador has made history as the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender. The implementation of the premier cryptocurrency as the national currency began yesterday, with the digital coin nosediving nearly 20%. Vice President of Finance at the Purple Group, Rob Graham, joined the BizNews team to discuss the challenges and opportunities that El Salvador will face in the coming months. International regulators have warned against the Central American country using bitcoin as a currency, with volatile price action making it difficult as a medium of exchange. Graham, a cryptocurrency enthusiast, gives fascinating insights into the application of bitcoin from a transactional and logistical perspective.

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In this episode of the PowerPulse podcast series, Deerosh Maharaj, Senior Manager for Natural Resources, Power, and Sustainable Solutions at Standard Bank, joins Alec Hogg to provide more detail on how PowerPulse can benefit its clients. PowerPulse is a new digital platform introduced by Standard Bank that provides alternative energy solutions by connecting clients with appropriate power suppliers. Maharaj says that there are three main benefits to this platform. Firstly, it addresses the challenges that clients experience when they [are] looking to enter this alternate energy environment. Secondly, it solves possible funding issues they may face, and lastly, it simplifies the technical, legal, and regulatory components of this environment. "Essentially what it does is it takes the client from that area where there are a lot of unknowns and equips them so that they are placed into the driver's seat of this journey," he says.