Category: News
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AI’s reality check: The “never-ending utility bill” bites
Key topics: AI IPO hype and trillion-dollar valuations face rising ROI skepticism Companies hit AI cost overruns as usage caps follow massive token bills Debate grows: productivity gains vs runaway AI costs and unclear returns By Parmy Olson In the coming months, some of the world’s biggest AI labs — including OpenAI and Anthropic PBC — will…
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Inside SpaceX’s $75bn IPO: AI, Mars & Musk’s iron grip
Key topics: SpaceX targets record $75bn IPO at $1.77tn valuation Musk retains control as critics raise governance concerns AI, Starlink and Mars plans drive ambitious growth strategy By Bailey Lipschultz SpaceX is seeking to raise $75 billion in an initial public offering that would be the biggest of all time, as Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and…
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Anthea Jeffery: SA mining is “uninvestable” — the rational plan to save it
Key topics: GEM Bill proposes replacing MPRDA with investor-friendly reforms IRR seeks to scrap BEE rules and boost mining investment New bill strengthens property rights and legal certainty By Anthea Jeffery* South Africa’s mining industry is becoming “uninvestable.” The country has among the most valuable mineral endowments in the world, but is nevertheless battling to…
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Athol Trollip: Government’s FMD response is a “national disaster”
Listen here Athol Trollip delivers a blistering critique of South Africa’s handling of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, arguing that government bureaucracy and a state-controlled vaccination strategy are failing farmers and allowing the outbreak to spread. Drawing on decades of farming experience, the ActionSA parliamentary leader says commercial farmers should be empowered to vaccinate their own…
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BN Daybreak – Thu 4 June 2026: Amazon Prime SA launch; US-Iran war vote; Illegal Number plates; UK leaders clash
Listen here Amazon has officially disrupted the local market by launching its full Prime offering in South Africa. Globally, SpaceX plans a historic $75 billion IPO, Broadcom’s AI chip revenue forecasts disappoint, and a fragile Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is renewed. Additionally, experts call for urgent action against South Africa’s rampant illegal number plate trade, while UK…
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Amazon Prime boss throws down gauntlet to Takealot in SA: “We’re just getting started”
Listen here Amazon is turning up the heat in South Africa. Two years after launching its local marketplace, the e-commerce giant has officially rolled out Amazon Prime at a dramatically lower price, taking direct aim at Takealot. Global Prime chief Jamil Ghani explains why Amazon believes fast, free delivery, streaming, gaming and exclusive Prime Day…
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“Unacceptable weakness”: UK parliament targets Palantir’s $445m NHS deal
Key topics: UK MPs urge ending Palantir NHS deal over dependency risks Military contract with Palantir faces scrutiny over tender process Concerns over privacy, political alignment, and digital sovereignty By Mark Bergen and Lucy White British members of parliament are calling on the government to end a major deal with Palantir Technologies Inc. and disclose more…
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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…