Category: News
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The market is not a crystal ball: Why share prices mislead
Key topics: Challenge to efficient-market hypothesis in modern markets Meme stocks and retail flows show prices driven by sentiment Inelastic-markets theory: capital flows move prices, not fundamentals From The Economist, published under licence. The original article can be found on www.economist.com © 2025 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. The Economist “If economists wished to study the horse,”…
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SPAR says BDO report misrepresented as VAT fraud allegations escalate
Key topics: No VAT fraud findings; BDO report mischaracterised; SAICA engaged Dispute with Amaan Sayed after SPAR Guild membership rejection SPAR to pursue legal action over defamation; backs leadership and strategy By Fortunate Magabe The SPAR Group wishes to address the recent media report published by Business Day to provide a more accurate account of matters involving…
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Parmy Olson: Google’s AI overhaul, the death of traditional SEO, and the future of digital advertising
Key topics: Google AI search replaces blue links with Gemini, AI ads inside answers SEO shifts to GEO; online chatter and Reddit sentiment drive AI results Advertisers face uncertainty as AI reshapes search and may shrink ad market By Parmy Olson When Google recently announced radical changes to its search tool that will overshadow the page…
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Kabelo Khumalo – Inside the Black Market of illegal number plates
Listen here A Business Day investigation has pried open South Africa’s black market for number plates and found the price of entry close to nothing. In this interview with Irakli, Business Day Deputy Editor Kabelo Khumalo explains how reporters walked out of three Johannesburg establishments with plates after doing just one thing – writing a…
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Joburg audit setback exposes R9.5bn bad debt burden
This article was first published on Business Day Key topics: Joburg audit regresses amid weak controls and oversight R9.5bn bad debt and rising unauthorised expenditure flagged Water, power losses and governance failures worsen risks By Tara Roos The office of the auditor-general has warned that the City of Johannesburg is grappling with audit regression rooted…
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Ilan Preskovsky: Unpacking the May Gaza Flotilla allegations
Key topics: Flotilla activists allege severe abuse by Israeli forces during detention Questions raised over credibility; flotillas framed as political PR stunts Broader info-war claims around Gaza conflict and Israel–Hamas narratives By Ilan Preskovsky I so wish I could simply write off the latest Global Sumud Flotilla that attempted, once again, to infiltrate the Israeli…
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ANC faces NMB election collapse, clings to Buffalo City
This article was first published by The Common Sense Key topics: ANC declining in Nelson Mandela Bay; DA likely leads by 2026 Buffalo City remains ANC stronghold but support is steadily weakening EFF rising in both metros; smaller parties gaining significant share By Marius Roodt for The Common Sense The African National Congress (ANC) could be…
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Inside solidarity’s R3.2bn private varsity mega-project – Cape is next
Key topics: Akademia’s R3.2bn Pretoria campus construction gains momentum First students expected as Pretoria campus opens in 2028 Akademia secures land for major new Western Cape campus By Hanno Labuschagne New photos of construction activity at Solidarity’s R3.2-billion Akademia private university campus in Pretoria East reveal substantial progress since the project officially kicked off in January…
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Ivo Vegter: Why AI job destruction is the ultimate engine of human prosperity
Key topics: AI unlikely to cause mass unemployment, history suggests growth Automation destroys jobs but creates new industries and prosperity Human skills, adaptation, and innovation remain vital in AI era By Ivo Vegter* With every wave of automation, there are those who cry wolf about mass unemployment. Yet it has always been the engine of…
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BN Daybreak – Wed 3 June 2026: US tariffs; SPAR VAT fraud?; Illicit number plates; Banking scams
Listen here Globally, the US proposes major tariffs, and US-Iran peace talks face friction over the conflict in Lebanon. Locally, a Pretoria SPAR store faces severe tax fraud allegations, a Business Day investigation exposes rampant illicit number plate sales in Johannesburg, and an expert shares crucial tips to combat digital banking fraud. Finally, economist Mariana…
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MAILBOX: Why Cape Town voters deserve better from the DA
Key topics: Large Kenilworth pothole to M3 left unattended for 10+ weeks near schools DA accused of Truth Social-style electioneering; misinfo claims by Hill-Lewis Cape Town crime stats under Hill-Lewis spark debate over trends and Cape Flats By Andrew Crawford This article caught my eye. Admittedly one tends to operate from a position of self-interest. I…
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Can the stockmarket swallow Anthropic, SpaceX and OpenAI?
Key topics: Mega IPOs: SpaceX, Anthropic & OpenAI target $200bn+ listings Index funds may absorb shares slowly despite initial trading concerns High valuations and history suggest post-IPO underperformance risk From The Economist, published under licence. The original article can be found on www.economist.com © 2025 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. The Economist They promise to be the…
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Helen Zille: Joburg’s fairytale budget – the madness has to stop now
Key topics: Unfunded Joburg budget hikes tariffs despite bankruptcy warning Budget boosted for wages/deal, while infrastructure spending stagnates National Treasury flags unlawful budget; DA condemns ANC mismanagement By Helen Zille* Last Wednesday, the ANC-led coalition of doom in Johannesburg was meant to table the City’s 2026/27 medium-term budget. Instead, it presented a fairytale – one…
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Joan Swart: SA arms export crisis – Policy silos and lost billions
Key topics: NCACC arms row exposes policy coordination failures Defence exports caught between growth and compliance goals Calls grow for unified defence, trade and foreign policy strategy By Dr Joan Swart* The recent controversy surrounding the National Conventional Arms Control Committee’s (NCACC) reported suspension of certain arms export approvals to the United States and parts…
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Bank fraud: Tricks & tips — as SA banks face competition from newcomers… – Deshnee Govender
Listen here Losses from digital banking fraud in South Africa are estimated to total at least a billion and a half Rand a year. In this interview with Chris Steyn, Governance, Compliance and Risk Expert Deshnee Govender, shares how the sophisticated modus operandi of bank fraudsters fool customers, and she shares tips to avoid being…
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Spar’s VAT scandal: Unpacking the BDO investigation and corporate fallout
Listen here Business Day journalist Nompilo Zulu unpacks allegations of VAT fraud and accounting irregularities at Spar’s Bloed Street Tops store, after a BDO due-diligence report flagged unreliable financials, alleged tax underdeclarations and stock-related concerns. Spar strongly disputes the claims, saying the matter relates to one store and follows a failed bid by businessman Amaan…
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Stephen Roach on BizNews: Reading between China’s red lines on Taiwan
Key topics: Xi warns Taiwan is key red line in US-China relations “Red-line inflation” risks miscommunication and conflict US and China’s vague red lines weaken diplomatic credibility By Stephen S. Roach* NEW HAVEN—Chinese President Xi Jinping sent an unmistakably tough message on Taiwan to US President Donald Trump during their recent summit in Beijing. Xi…
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John Matisonn: SACP hands DA its first township win
Key topics: SACP votes swung Emfuleni ward, giving DA narrow win over ANC. DA faces criticism over Steenhuisen FMD ruling and internal rifts/FF+ Left parties form Council of the Left as ANC alliance weakens. By John Matisonn Amid the blaze of DA self-congratulation at its genuinely historic first victory in an all-township ward in the…
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BN Daybreak – Tue 2 June 2026: Trump Agri Tariffs; Nvidia chips; SA grid success; FMD vaccines
Listen here In today’s BizNews Daybreak: Internationally, President Trump cuts agricultural equipment tariffs, Apple introduces an iPhone bill-splitting feature, and Nvidia debuts a $5 trillion PC AI chip. Locally, Free State’s community grid takeover triumphs, KZN lags behind in foot-and-mouth vaccinations, and analysts unpack the impeachment pressures facing President Ramaphosa. Sign up for your early…
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Johatsu: The secret world of Japan’s disappearing people
Key topics: Thousands of Japanese voluntarily disappear each year. Social pressure, debt and trauma drive many to vanish. Johatsu reveals hidden cracks in modern society. Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. Register here. Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering…