Author: Editor BizNews
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How to invest in world ‘gone mad’
By Brian Butchart* I spent a few days in London recently at Ninety One’s global investment conference, in a room with some of the world’s most seasoned fund managers and market commentators. I came away with one uncomfortable thought that I think matters to you, no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are as an…
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BN Daybreak: SA’s criminal justice under scrutiny; Chip stock jitters; Netflix’s next growth story
Listen here In this episode of BizNews Daybreak, political commentator Solly Moeng examines South Africa’s deepening criminal justice crisis. On the global stage, President Trump demands harsher Iran sanctions as Middle Eastern oil routes shift. Meanwhile, Chinese tech startups Moonshot AI and DeepSeek prepare for massive IPOs, investors confront AI energy bottlenecks, Netflix pivots to…
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Populism isn’t fading — it’s multiplying into new forms: Adrian Wooldridge
Bloomberg Opinion columnist Adrian Wooldridge argues that despite recurring predictions of its demise, populism is entrenched worldwide and evolving rather than declining. While leaders like Orban and Farage have stumbled, the AfD, France’s National Rally, and Portugal’s Chega are surging, and populists already govern across Europe and Latin America. Wooldridge identifies four emerging strains: classic…
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Gareth Penny-led group emerges as front-runner in battle for De Beers
A new chapter may be unfolding for one of the world’s most iconic diamond companies. Anglo American’s decision on De Beers’ future has sparked a high-stakes contest involving industry veterans, global diamond producers, and a nation determined to protect its most valuable resource. As the diamond market faces unprecedented challenges, questions remain over who will…
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Piet Viljoen: Are investment crowds wise or mad, or perhaps both?
Value investor Piet Viljoen, founder of Re:CM, reconciles two seemingly contradictory ideas: the “wisdom of crowds” underlying index investing and the “madness of crowds” behind market bubbles. Prompted by an MBA student’s question at GIBS, he draws on Charles Mackay’s 1841 study of historical manias (emotions like greed and fear driving collective irrationality) and Michael…
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Chris Hattingh: Beyond 30 June — March and March institutionalises its pressure campaign
What began as a march has become a test of state authority. While 30 June avoided the label of a national shutdown, its economic and social impact told a different story. Behind the headlines lies a deeper shift: a civic movement with no electoral mandate has secured political attention, institutional concessions, and the ability to…
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SA’s migrant flight leaves hard-to-fill gaps in an already-struggling economy
South Africa’s economy is feeling the ripple effects of a growing migrant exodus as workers leave amid rising fears and anti-immigrant tensions. From domestic services and delivery networks to factories and cross-border income flows, the sudden departures are exposing how deeply migrant labour is woven into daily life. As thousands return home, businesses and communities…
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SpaceX stock slides well below IPO price as Starship woes erase $1 trillion
SpaceX shares fell 5.4% Friday to $123.99, dropping well below its $135 IPO price and wiping out over $1 trillion in value from its June peak of $2.64 trillion — now $1.63 trillion. The decline followed a scrubbed Starship launch due to an engine issue, with Musk saying two Raptor engines will be swapped before…
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The Economist: Dementia is being defeated — incidence among the elderly has plunged
For decades, dementia was expected to become one of the defining health crises of the modern age. But what if that story is changing? Groundbreaking research reveals a surprising decline in dementia rates across wealthy nations, challenging long-held assumptions and offering new hope. From healthier lifestyles and better education to unexpected discoveries involving vaccines and…
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The NdB Sunday Show: Bring down SA’s “Political Ponzi Scheme”! | with Solly Moeng
Listen here In this edition of the NdB Sunday Show with Chris Steyn, Political Commentator Solly Moeng lays into President Cyril Ramaphosa – in particular over his desperate court battle to stave off an impeachment hearing. He also reviews a week of extraordinary dramatic scenes at the Madlanga Commission of Enquiry with more pressure building…
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SARU’s four-city fiefdom is following Welsh path to ruin: Tommy Bedford
Former Springbok captain Tommy Bedford writes from London in response to Rory Steyn’s piece on the death of Transvaal club rugby, arguing the rot runs far deeper and wider. Bedford traces today’s crisis to SARU’s decision years ago to funnel resources and Springbok selection almost entirely through four “City” Unions — Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria…
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Amazon’s Herotel tie-up reframes SA’s Starlink debate as a governance question: Joan Swart
Amazon’s plan to launch LEO satellite internet in South Africa through Herotel, rather than going it alone like Starlink, shifts the debate beyond Musk and BEE compliance, argues Dr Joan Swart. The real question, she writes, is what governance model best serves South Africa as more foreign satellite providers, including China’s SpaceSail, enter the market.…
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AfriForum demands answers on state-backed BrainSAT’s 1Mbps satellite deal versus Starlink’s 200Mbps+
AfriForum has filed a PAIA request over the government’s launch of BrainSAT, a UAE-backed satellite internet and phone provider unveiled by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, questioning why the state opted for a slower, pricier service over the still-unlicensed Starlink. BrainSAT’s YahClick internet runs on legacy technology with latency unsuited to calls or gaming, while its…
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David Ansara: As DIRCO crumbles, civil society steps in
This article was first published by The Common Sense David Ansara argues that South Africa’s official foreign policy apparatus is failing (literally), in the case of a decaying, urine-reeking South Africa House in London requiring a R70 million taxpayer-funded refurbishment, and ideologically, as DIRCO aligns with Iran, Venezuela, and anti-Israel positions that have pushed relations with…
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Carson Block, founder of Muddy Waters Research: If you thought the GFC was bad…
Short-seller Carson Block warns that AI-driven job losses among highly paid knowledge workers will turn retirement fund inflows negative, triggering passive-fund outflows that hit AI mega-caps hardest, potentially sparking a financial crisis larger than 2007-09. For South African readers, the piece is a reminder of how exposed local retirement funds and unit trusts with offshore…
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Cathy Buckle: Zim’s icy July – mass deportations and a Constitutional coup
Cathy Buckle’s latest letter from Zimbabwe captures a nation on edge. As an unusual cold snap grips the country, President Mnangagwa has quietly signed sweeping Constitutional Amendments into law without a public referendum — scrapping direct presidential elections, extending terms to seven years, and centralizing power over the judiciary and electoral bodies. The changes have…
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Ivo Vegter: Activists cast SA’s data centre boom as a monster to slay
Writing for the Daily Friend, columnist Ivo Vegter takes aim at Daily Maverick’s “Power Guzzlers” coverage and a Foxglove-backed objection to a Cape Town Equinix data centre, arguing that activists are conflating zoning applications with licensing processes to obstruct investment South Africa badly needs. He points to Actom, Hitachi Energy and Eskom’s transmission build-out as…
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FT’s Gillian Tett: Markets are shrugging off a Russia-China plan to disable Starlink satellites
Gillian Tett of the Financial Times warns that investors piling into SpaceX and hyperscalers are largely ignoring reports of a secret Russo-Chinese effort to develop tools to disable Starlink and other American satellites, even as bullish analyst calls continue. With Starlink both a Ukraine war lifeline and, per Elon Musk’s South African roots, a company…
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BN Daybreak: Amazon beats Starlink; PIC’s Lanseria crisis; Netflix’s slowdown; AI’s big margins
Listen here In today’s BizNews Daybreak we dive into Amazon’s quiet maneuver past Starlink into South Africa’s satellite internet market via Herotel. We also examine the Public Investment Corporation’s escalating governance crisis over the Lanseria Airport transaction, alongside policing gaps fueling local pharmaceutical drug crimes. Internationally, we cover SpaceX’s scrubbed Starship launch, Netflix’s disappointing sales…
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Director’s Cut — Dr Mark Burke: What is behind the governance crisis at the R3.5 trillion PIC
South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation is facing its biggest governance crisis in years. With CEO Patrick Dlamini suspended, senior executives resigning, and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority launching a formal investigation, questions over transparency, accountability, and the safety of government workers’ pension funds are mounting. DA finance spokesperson Dr Mark Burke unpacks the unfolding turmoil,…