Category: News
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SLR: Steenhuisen, Resolve and the “organic Bell Pottinger” nobody asked for
This article was first published by The Common Sense Simon Lincoln Reader takes a scalpel to the media coverage of the DA’s latest troubles, accusing journalists Verashni Pillay and Redi Tlhabi of manufacturing scandal from John Steenhuisen’s tell-all interview. His argument: the Resolve Communications “inquiry” calls are overblown, lobbying isn’t illegal, and the comparisons to Bell…
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Eskom’s Nyati takes aim at BLSA, BUSA and Tony Leon over “selective morality”
Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati has broken cover with a pointed social media broadside against South Africa’s business and political elite, accusing them of believing governance rules apply to everyone except themselves. Nyati singles out BLSA and BUSA for lobbying to strip Eskom of its transmission assets while claiming to champion board independence, and takes a…
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Joburg starts new fiscal year already broke – and Godongwana may pull the plug
Johannesburg enters its new financial year with a 2.1 billion-rand ($128m) hole in its budget, National Treasury has found – and the numbers get worse from there. The city’s overall deficit sits at 7 billion rand, cash reserves hit just five days’ cover in March (versus Treasury’s 30-day minimum), and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is…
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Solly Moeng: Weaponised PR – Why Tony Leon’s Resolve scandal exposes the whole industry
Reputation strategist Solly Moeng doesn’t pull punches on the Steenhuisen-Resolve Communications saga. His argument: this isn’t DA infighting, it’s proof that South Africa’s PR industry has become an unaccountable weapon in factional warfare. When a firm chaired by former DA leader Tony Leon allegedly helps drive campaigns against sitting officials, “we’re just executing the brief”…
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John Matisonn: Mbeki’s “counter-revolution” theory: blame everything on 2008, not the borders
In his bluntest rebuke yet of Cyril Ramaphosa, Thabo Mbeki has dismissed the president’s warnings on illegal immigration as speculation dressed up as policy. The timing matters: Mbeki spoke just before June 30’s nationwide protests, which cost the state R600 million to police and will now recur weekly through November’s local elections. Mbeki’s actual argument…
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BN Daybreak: Dina Pule’s cabinet return; O’Sullivan on Mkhwanazi, Apple’s blacklisted chip deal
Listen here Ramaphosa has handed the R300 billion social grants portfolio to Dina Pule – the minister Parliament once fined for persistently lying about a contractor relationship. Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan meanwhile spent six hours before the commission this week – speaking to Alec Hogg yesterday, he lays out uncomfortable history on General Mkhwanazi that…
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Willem Els and Richard Chelin: Fake weight-loss drugs flood the market, and Cat’s plea deal is rejected
Listen here In this interview with Chris Steyn, Willem Els of the Institute for Security Studies (SS) and Richard Chelin, an independent governance specialist, describe how organised crime syndicates have transitioned from making fake Covid-19 vaccines to flood the South African market with fake pharmaceuticals, particularly lifestyle drugs, like those for weight loss. They also…
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South32’s Hillside smelter in SA among assets sold to Alcoa in $5.6bn deal – shares jump 10%
American aluminium giant Alcoa has struck a $5.6 billion deal to acquire South32’s bauxite, alumina and aluminium assets — a transaction that includes South African operations, most notably the Hillside aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, one of the country’s largest. The deal, which includes cash, stock and assumed debt, significantly expands Alcoa’s integrated production capacity.…
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When the migrants go: Katzenellenbogen on the economic shock SA isn’t ready for
June 30th has come and gone. The anti-illegal immigration deadline set by groups like March and March triggered mass fear, chaotic departure scenes, and a R600-million government security operation. Now comes the harder question: what does SA’s economy look like without its migrants? Analyst Jonathan Katzenellenbogen, writing for The Daily Friend, counts the costs —…
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BizNews Edge: “A whistleblower needs clean hands” — Paul O’Sullivan’s case against General Mkwanazi
Listen here Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan spent over six hours giving sworn testimony to the Madlanga Commission on Monday — and his argument cuts straight through the mythology around General Ntlantlam Mkwanazi. O’Sullivan says the man hailed as a rare whistleblowing cop has in fact been part of the problem since 2012, when he unlawfully…
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Boycott or protection racket? Sboros exposes double standard behind campaign against Cape Union Mart
Two Cape Town Jewish philanthropists. Comparable ties to Israel. Vastly different treatment from the SA BDS Coalition and Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Philip Krawitz — executive chairman of Cape Union Mart — faces years of protests, death threats, bodyguards, a bulletproof car, and a Western Cape High Court battle. Dianna Yach, chair of the Mauerberger Foundation…
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Steenhuisen demoted, tainted Pule appointed — mixed messages in Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle
President Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet last night at the request of the Democratic Alliance, two months before the November 4 local government elections. The changes are largely an internal DA housekeeping exercise following Geordin Hill-Lewis’s replacement of John Steenhuisen as party leader — Steenhuisen moves from Agriculture Minister to Deputy Minister of Trade. The…
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Why ‘Professor’ Jiang makes this historian nervous — and should make you think twice too
He’s gone viral worldwide — and apparently in Uber cars across South Africa. Jiang Xueqin, better known as Professor Jiang, has built a massive following on his Predictive History channel by making a bewildering world feel suddenly coherent. But historian Peter Swanepoel has watched the lectures, and he’s uneasy. Not because Jiang is unintelligent —…
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The State owns your bank, your telco, your retailer — who’s really in charge?
This article was first published by The Common Sense Through a single asset manager, the South African government has become the dominant shareholder across the formal economy. The Public Investment Corporation — Africa’s largest asset manager with over R3 trillion under management — is the biggest or second-biggest shareholder in most of SA’s major listed companies:…
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BN Daybreak: SA National Shutdown; S&P best quarter in 6 years; Anthropic unbanned
Listen here South Africa’s anti-immigrant national shutdown deadline arrived with violence in Johannesburg and the world watching. The S&P closed its best quarter in six years, Anthropic’s export controls were quietly lifted overnight, and Tony Leon is not just firing back at John Steenhuisen – he’s now weighing legal action. Sign up for your early…
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Why Africa’s entrepreneurs are buying Caribbean citizenship
Your next big deal may depend on the passport you carry. Attending overseas trade conferences, exploring market expansion opportunities, opening offshore bank accounts to support global business structures, even visiting client offices can all be complicated if your home country passport is weak and restrictive. Take for example Egyptian, Zimbabwean, Zambian, Kenyan and South African…
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Solly Moeng – Political handgrenades: Steenhuisen & Shongwe, Shutdown violence, and Khan shot
Listen here South Africa is not only dealing with a National Shutdown this week, but also with a couple of political hand grenades. In his latest chat to Chris Steyn, political commentator Solly Moeng his gives take on the alleged assassination attempt on Crime Intelligence (CI) boss General Feroz Khan just days before he was…
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BizNews Edge: Corné Mulder on Steenhuisen’s fall: sympathy, not schadenfreude — and a warning for SA
Listen here Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder gives BizNews the clearest outside read yet on the Democratic Alliance’s implosion — tracing the Steenhuisen saga back to Trump’s first executive order, the Oval Office “dim the lights” meeting, and a coalition built without a negotiated platform. Mulder explains why he feels sorry for his old…
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Naspers profitability jumps 84%, free cash flow up US$2bn in 3 years
FY26 was a year of delivery: strong results, disciplined capital allocation, and accelerating AI innovation. Naspers delivered across its AI-powered Lifestyle Ecosystem of delivery, finance and experiences, with all regional ecosystems profitable. Our businesses are increasingly interconnected, driving higher engagement, stronger cross-selling and accelerating network effects. AI is embedded at every layer, from agents that…
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Prosus profitability jumps 84%, free cash flow up US$2bn in 3 years
FY26 was a year of delivery: strong results, disciplined capital allocation, and accelerating AI innovation. Prosus delivered across its AI-powered Lifestyle Ecosystem of delivery, finance and experiences, with all regional ecosystems profitable. Our businesses are increasingly interconnected, driving higher engagement, stronger cross-selling and accelerating network effects. AI is embedded at every layer, from agents that…