BizNews Radio

In a brisk, plain-spoken BNIC#2 Q&A, economist Dawie Roodt argues that South Africa's future prosperity won't be engineered by bureaucracy but built outside it—through skills, private capital, and technology that decouples work from place. He frames Bitcoin as an idea (money as a social construct), pours cold water on gold's fundamentals despite recent gains, and pegs the Rand's fair value near 17 on purchasing-power parity—stronger absent political shocks. With SOEs effectively "privatised by default," he backs full concessioning of Eskom and Transnet, urges a shift from credentials to skills, and warns high debt leaves markets vulnerable to external triggers. The ultimate safeguard, he says, is South Africa's democracy—use it to vote out decay and protect the institutions that remain.

At BNIC#2 in Hermanus, political scientist Frans Cronje delivered a stark but data-driven forecast for South Africa’s future. He argued that investor confidence is the critical driver of growth, jobs, and political stability – and warned that unless South Africa lifts fixed investment to emerging-market levels, the country risks fragmenting into self-sufficient enclaves. Cronje outlined a three-step plan: refurbish coal plants to restore electricity, stop taxing capital inflows, and fully concession ports and rail. He added that US investment could catalyse growth, but without reforms the poor face exclusion while elites retreat into secure enclaves.

Piet Viljoen, fund manager of the Merchant West Value Fund, shares his insights into the trend illustrated by today’s takeover offer for Metrofile, whose 30-year JSE listing looks to be coming to an end. Viljoen says many JSE-listed companies, especially those worth under R20bn, are “not undervalued….…….in the bargain basement bin” and explains why he expects the growing takeover trend to accelerate. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg

Police General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has filed a R5 million defamation suit against forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, demanding damages and an apology. But O’Sullivan remains defiant, calling the case a silencing tactic and insisting his claims are rooted in fact. He accuses Mkhwanazi of being “part of the broken criminal justice system” and vows to use the courts to shine a light on deep-seated corruption within SAPS.

In today’s BizNews Briefing, Paul O’Sullivan responds to a R5m defamation claim, Washington sharpens anti-ANC pressure, Fort Hare leadership faces mounting scrutiny, and Metrofile’s takeover highlights a wave of JSE delistings. Plus: Trump takes aim at shareholders, ATTACQ sees opportunity in SA property gloom, and Ramaphosa praises the DA’s Cape Town governance.

“The ANC wants your guns, but not for public safety.” So says Jonathan Deal, the leader of the Safe Citizen Campaign. He warns that if proposed amendments to legislation became law, the effect would be to turn millions of law-abiding South Africans into criminals overnight. “I don't believe that South Africans will hand their firearms in.” Deal points out that South Africans “are being squeezed from all directions”, and warns: “…if the government is going to insist on going down this road, the consequences may well be catastrophic for all South Africans”. Meanwhile, he recalls the role private gun owners played in quelling the 2021 riots in KZN, and says had it not been for that, the “insurrection would have completely engulfed KwaZulu-Natal - and I don't doubt that it would have spread right across the country.” He also slams the “complete dearth of control and accountability” in State organs of looking after their firearms, with some handed in under amnesty or recovered through other means being sold by SAPS officers to gangsters.

Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana yesterday proposed anti-ANC legislation in the US’s ‘Upper House’ which closely mirrors the Ronny Jackson Bill working its way through the House of Representatives. Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak, the one-time front-runner to be the US ambassador to SA, provides context on this major development while offering a ray of light for Pretoria on the US/SA trade negotiations. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.

Attacq CEO Jackie van Niekerk tells BizNews why Waterfall City is defying South Africa’s property gloom. With distributable income surging 25%, Mall of Africa nearly full, and new logistics hubs breaking ground, Attacq is building where municipalities fail. Van Niekerk says global brands see Waterfall as the safe bet for SA - and the blueprint for the country’s urban future.

From Cape Town’s booming Table Bay Mall to Johannesburg’s struggling Hyde Park, Hyprop boss Morné Wilken tells BizNews why well-governed cities are pulling ahead — and why his company is betting big on the Western Cape and Eastern Europe. With R1.6bn cash ready for deals, solar and water backup in place, and distributable income set to rise 10–12%, Wilken says Hyprop is cleaning up where municipalities fail, while still delivering growth to shareholders

At BNIC#2 in Hermanus, Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen laid out a candid roadmap for South Africa’s recovery. He stressed energy pragmatism - burn coal while building new transmission infrastructure and plugging in cheap renewables - alongside the urgency of restoring the rule of law. Sarupen argued that functional coalitions, not one-party dominance, will shape the country’s future, and said the GNU has “detoxified” the DA’s brand among sceptical voters. His core message: without growth, stability, and law enforcement, South Africa risks repeating July 2021’s chaos.