Business Day Spotlight

South African consumers are going through the most.

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we discuss pressures felt by the country’s citizens through the lens of Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Retail Sales figures released earlier this week. The discussion highlights the fact that there is no one issue that will fix it all for the country. Growth above 1% needs a number of factors to be addressed through sustainable policy and favourable global factors.

We also look at the possibility of a fuel hike in May and the effect this will have on the broader business environment.

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Rand Merchant Bank economist Mpho Tsebe Business Day and Business Times economics writer Asha Speckman as they unpack these issues.

Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production.

As South Africa draws near to its sixth national general election, scientists are hinting that political players seeking favour at the ballot in May should be paying attention to the data and demographics.

In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we discuss the upcoming general election, how demographic data may influence the outcome, the state of opposition politics, macroeconomic factors which could affect voting patterns and the risk of voter apathy in the country.

Looking back to the Election Directions event hosted by Business Live earlier in the week, Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Genevieve Quintal, Politics Editor for the Business Day as they unpack these issues.

Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production.

Representatives from SARS and PSA discuss the agreement that was reached between the organisation and trade unions yesterday, following several days of industrial action.

We take a look behind the scenes of the negotiation, to find out what unions and the employer had to concede in order to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. We discover that several committees are still discussing other concerns raised by unions, and hope to develop solutions within the next 6 months.

Nedbank chief economist Dennis Dykes predicts that a weak economy and lower inflation will convince the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) to keep interest rates on hold in its upcoming announcement.

Join Business Day reporter Mudiwa Gavaza in studio this week, as he gets an inside look into what South Africa can expect from the committee and the impact it will have on the country’s economy moving forward.

Business Times editor Ron Derby states that Eskom is South Africa’s Brexit.

In studio this week, Derby provides potential solutions to the country’s energy crisis. He states that future of South Africa’s economy will be dependent on establishing proper governance, adequate maintenance and a feasible long-term funding model that allows for private investment into the SOE.

Derby stakes his reputation on these steps bringing an end to load shedding.

Business Day editor Lukanyo Myanda has Business Day industrial writer Siseko Njobeni and economics writer Sunita Menon in studio this week.

They report that interest rate hikes are resulting in subdued industrial and consumer spending. Further, uncertainty around the coming elections has stunted business confidence, resulting in the lowest business confidence figures in two years.

With the local energy sector severely struggling, independent economic risk consultant and former MD of Econometrix Rob Jeffery warns against renewable energy and the potential damage it could cause to the local economy and the average man.

A new poll by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has shown that support for the ANC is declining ahead of the national elections in May.

The poll revealed the ruling party currently enjoys the support of 54.7% of voters - a 1.3% decline since December. As of February, ANC support is down 7.4% from the last election.

Join Business Day editor Lukanyo Mnyanda and Business Day politics editor Genevieve Quintal in studio this week, to discuss what the political shake up might mean for the upcoming elections and the country's economy.

South Africa's large technology and media corporates have captivated market news for the past week.

Join Business Day editor Lukanyo Mnyanda and senior business writer Nick Hedley, as they dissect the recent JSE performance of Vodacom, Blue Label, Multichoice.

After a week of load shedding in which Eskom had to remove an unprecedented 4,000 MW of supply from the grid, the crisis at the state-owned power utility is front of mind for many South Africans. Join Business Day deputy editor Jana Marais and Writer at large Carol Paton as they discuss the road ahead for Eskom.