BizNews Radio

BizNews
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Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.

  1. BN Daybreak - Tue 19 May 2026: Hersov slams Ramaphosa; Musk OpenAI loss; Nvidia China hopes; SAPS corruption cleanup

    7 HR AGO

    BN Daybreak - Tue 19 May 2026: Hersov slams Ramaphosa; Musk OpenAI loss; Nvidia China hopes; SAPS corruption cleanup

    Today’s BizNews Daybreak covers the latest global and local shifts, beginning with President Trump delaying an impending strike on Iran following appeals from Persian Gulf allies. In tech news, a jury has swiftly dismissed Elon Musk’s high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI on a statute of limitations technicality. Turning to South Africa, entrepreneur Rob Hersov delivers a blunt assessment of the country's political future, arguing the business community is desperate for Cyril Ramaphosa to stay out of fear of a radical successor, while declaring the ANC "as good as gone". Finally, we unpack why top law firms are legally fighting aggressive new BEE ownership codes, and Action Society breaks down whether the latest high-profile arrests signal a genuine cleanup within the South African Police Service.

    14 min
  2. Tim Cohen: Doubling down on transformation

    19 HR AGO

    Tim Cohen: Doubling down on transformation

    The fight over transformation policy in South Africa is intensifying as four of the biggest law firms legally challenge the new legal sector codes. Currency News Senior Editor Tim Cohen joins Irakli to discuss the deeper fault lines exposed by this clash, questioning whether the push for 50% black ownership and 25% black women ownership in five years is a realistic goal or a miscalculation. Cohen highlights the absurdity of a sector-wide transformation policy that exempts 95.07% of legal practices, leaving the burden on a tiny fraction of the industry. He further explains why the unique structure of equity partnerships - rooted in long-term professional development, client confidence, and risk - cannot be transformed overnight like a standard corporation. Cohen likens the government's approach to an extreme guru-prescribed diet, arguing that applying a failing policy with even more vigor will only lead to disastrous unintended consequences.

    9 min
  3. Rob Hersov: Cyril must have his day in court; updates on Mashele, Gayton; and MK's threat to KZN

    21 HR AGO

    Rob Hersov: Cyril must have his day in court; updates on Mashele, Gayton; and MK's threat to KZN

    Five years after his explosive Voetsek ANC speech, global entrepreneur Rob Hersov returns to BizNews with a wide-ranging update on South Africa’s political and investment landscape. Speaking to BizNews editor Alec Hogg, Hersov weighs in on Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala troubles, the ANC’s decline, the GNU’s coming reckoning, Prince Mashele’s political ambitions, Gayton McKenzie’s rise, the 2026 municipal elections, and the global impact of the Ukraine and Middle East wars.

    28 min
  4. Juanita du Preez: The police generals are falling like dominoes…

    23 HR AGO

    Juanita du Preez: The police generals are falling like dominoes…

    The deepening crisis in the South African police force has seen generals toppled either through suspension or arrest. In this interview with Chris Steyn, Action Society's Juanita du Preez comments on the suspensions of the National Commissioner, the Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner, and the Head of Supply Chain Management, as well as the arrests of the Gauteng Head of the Hawks and a Crime Intelligence boss - all following the Minister of Police being placed on special leave, and a deputy national commissioner being suspended. Other arrests include an MP and member of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Police as well as a former African National Congress fixer. Du Preez also details the battle to get child rapists held to account as Action Society launched a national campaign for the release of the Sex Offenders Register as well as a PAIA application into failed prosecutions of cases involving very young children. Speaking from court today, Du Preez describes the despicable court rooom behaviour of accused Stephan Pretorius who is on trial for setting alight his estranged wife, Charlene, in front of their teenage daughter, causing her death.

    16 min
  5. BN Daybreak - Mon 18 May 2026: China trade; Joburg debt; BEE growth costs; and Soweto youth squash

    1 DAY AGO

    BN Daybreak - Mon 18 May 2026: China trade; Joburg debt; BEE growth costs; and Soweto youth squash

    In today's BizNews Daybreak, the US and Iran's clash over the Strait of Hormuz continues, while the White House details a massive $17 billion agricultural trade agreement with China. Locally, Johannesburg faces a severe financial and governance crisis, risking a major Moody's credit downgrade over unfiled audited statements and billions owed to creditors. Additionally, Solidarity advocates for an end date to race-based BEE policies due to high GDP growth costs, and a Soweto youth empowerment initiative successfully expands its reach far beyond squash.

    14 min
  6. How solidarity plans to force out BEE by 2030: Connie Mulder | The NdB Sunday Show

    1 DAY AGO

    How solidarity plans to force out BEE by 2030: Connie Mulder | The NdB Sunday Show

    In this edition of the NdB Sunday Show with Chris Steyn, Connie Mulder, the head of Solidarity's Research Institute (SRI) shares its comprehensive roadmap to gradually transition South Africa from race-based legislation to real empowerment, based on need, economic growth and job creation by 2030. It includes practical suggestions on BEE, employee share ownership programmes, foreign investment and a more realistic approach to employment equity. “... our history has shown the only way the ANC does the right thing is if we force them in that direction. So it's not just a plan on paper. We've got levers, court action, public pressure, international pressure that we apply on each of these points.” He is confident that the implementation of the roadmap would also close the corruption opportunities created by empowerment and procurement regulations. “I suspect you would find that the breathing room for your tenderpreneurs who have successfully transformed tax money into Maseratis in South Africa is going to dramatically decrease.” Meanwhile, Solidarity has lodged a formal complaint with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) of the United Nations against the South African government over its breach of an agreement reached with Solidarity that racial laws should be temporary in nature, that no one may be dismissed based on race, that race may not be the sole criterion for appointment to a position, and that skills must be considered. Solidarity is also pursuing legal action in South Africa over the contempt of court order.

    30 min
  7. How Egoli Youth Empowerment turned squash into a pathway to opportunity for Joburg's youth

    3 DAYS AGO

    How Egoli Youth Empowerment turned squash into a pathway to opportunity for Joburg's youth

    Egoli Youth Empowerment started with squash courts in Soweto and grew into a holistic youth development programme spanning sport, academic support, life skills, leadership, entrepreneurship and urban farming. Director Glenn Lazarus and Programme Director Sharon Sibanda tell BizNews how EYE is creating safe spaces, developing young talent, and helping vulnerable youth in Soweto and Johannesburg’s inner city build confidence, resilience and opportunity.

    19 min
  8. Joburg's debt reckoning: The city is "technically bankrupt" - and the moral hazard is mounting… — Giulietta Talevi

    3 DAYS AGO

    Joburg's debt reckoning: The city is "technically bankrupt" - and the moral hazard is mounting… — Giulietta Talevi

    In this interview with Irakli of BizNews, Currency co-founder Giulietta Talevi unpacks the April 23 letter from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to Joburg Mayor Dada Morero, which laid bare the city's "shocking" financial picture: just R3.9bn in cash against R25bn owed to creditors. "Technically, you would say that it's bankrupt now, and cannot afford an excessively expensive wage deal," Talevi says of the R10.3bn SAMWU agreement at the heart of the dispute. She explains why Moody's downgrade watch is really about governance — not just numbers — pointing out that the city's failure to produce its audited financial statements "indicates serious deterioration in governance, and not just Joburg's financial health." Two deadlines loom: audited financials owed to the JSE by May 31, and a R1.4bn bond repayment due June 22. Talevi explains that because the debt is unsecured, all creditors "are treated equally" — meaning a single default event could trigger every lender to call in their loans simultaneously. She also raises the spectre of moral hazard, citing Chartis Asset Management's Ian Scott on what he calls a "treasury-funded put" — the idea that bailing out Joburg signals to leadership that they "can mess up, you can collapse the financial situation of the country's biggest Metro… and we'll bail you out because you're too big to fail." When Irakli draws a parallel to the e-toll saga, Talevi agrees taxpayers are "on the hook again" — paying their taxes only to face additional costs for the basic services those taxes were meant to fund.

    13 min
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About

Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.

Information

  • Creator
    BizNews
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    150
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © BizNews
  • Show Website
    BizNews Radio

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