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The once-illustrious University of Fort Hare has been in the headlines for Capture by a Corruption Mafia. But despite a spate of arrests, there has been no return to normality at the institution with governance being "almost non-existent". In this interview with BizNews, Grant Abbott, the General Secretary of the National Tertiary Education Union, and suspended SRC President Aphelele Khalakahla lay bare the culture of intimidation that now persists. “There is a prevailing sense of fear on campus…victimisation that continues against staff and against students. You would think that by now, with things at an advanced stage in terms of the court processes, with all the people that have been arrested that things will start normalising at the university, but it's actually not. It's continuing - and I would even say it's getting worse… Anyone who wants to speak out gets silenced,” charges Abbott. Khalakahla says: “We knew that obviously, even if we use university processes and escalate matters within the sector, we are going to be victimised. I am going to be the first victim. Calling for the head of Vice-Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, Abbott says: “…he needs to be relieved of his position with immediate effect. And if that doesn't happen, then the Minister needs to act.”

In today’s BizNews Briefing, Alec Hogg unpacks results from Hyprop and Attacq, the property giants behind Rosebank Mall and Mall of Africa, both showing resilience despite governance headwinds. He highlights a stark warning for South Africa’s corrupt politicians as youth-led revolutions sweep across Asia. Clips from the BizNews Investment Conference feature economist Dawie Roodt and Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen on SA’s soaring debt and failing municipalities. On global markets, Alphabet parent Google crosses the $3 trillion milestone, while nuclear innovation could reshape the future of energy.

At BNIC#2 in Hermanus, economist Dawie Roodt delivered a no-holds-barred analysis of South Africa’s economy, warning of a looming financial crisis driven by unsustainable debt, state destruction of capital, and ANC misrule. Drawing on global trends, the future of money, and the collapse of manufactured goods prices, Roodt argued that only growth can save South Africa - and growth requires protecting property rights, embracing free trade, and maintaining sound money. His blunt conclusion: “The only way to fix South Africa is to get rid of the ANC.”

At BNIC#2 in Hermanus, Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen delivered a stark warning: South Africa’s economy is stagnating and only deep structural reforms can turn it around. He identified three urgent priorities - fixing the broken energy system, unclogging ports and freight rail, and reforming dysfunctional municipalities. Without these, he said, South Africa cannot escape joblessness and poverty. With them, the country could realistically achieve 4–5% growth. “Growth is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Sarupen concluded.

In a candid Q&A at BNIC#2, former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter unpacked the end of load shedding, crediting new generation units, rooftop solar and heavy diesel spending. He stressed that the private sector, not government monopolies, holds the key to sustainable energy security. De Ruyter warned that sabotage, corruption and weak political will had crippled Eskom, and said government should exit business where markets can deliver. Reflecting on his own tenure and experiences abroad, he left the audience with a stark choice: South Africa can decline through drift, or renew through reform.

In today’s BizNews Briefing, Cyril Ramaphosa unveils the ANC’s new Service Delivery Action Plan, Thabo Mbeki explains why his foundation pulled out of the National Dialogue, and Andre de Ruyter challenges claims of Eskom’s overstaffing while warning of soaring wage costs. Also in focus: Transnet failures, Tesla’s succession plan, Fed rate signals, and Victor Matfield’s banter after the Boks’ record victory over the All Blacks.

South Africa’s education system faces significant challenges, with Grade 5 pupils ranking last globally in mathematics and science, and an alarming 81% of children unable to read for meaning by age 10. Yet, Queen’s College Boys’ High School in Komani, where 94% of students are Xhosa-speaking, defies the odds in a province that lags behind its neighbour, the Western Cape. In an interview with BizNews, Headmaster Janse van der Ryst attributed the success of Queen’s College to six pillars: daily excellence, upholding identity, active participation—where no one is allowed to sit out and everyone attends sports matches until the final whistle—mutual support, community service, and solution-finding. Van der Ryst, a former Boland cricketer, believes this blueprint could be replicated to improve education in the Eastern Cape and other rural areas, such as the Transkei.

Speaking at the second BizNews Investment Conference (BNIC#2) in Hermanus, former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter warned that South Africa faces the same collapse conditions as 1989, but said bold leadership could spark renewal. He called for a “fantasy SONA” in 2026: needs-based empowerment, a new Scorpions, fiscal discipline, and market-friendly reforms. With five months to act, he urged Ramaphosa to choose between quiet failure - or a legacy-defining pivot to growth and prosperity.

In his weekly chat with Bronwyn Nielsen, Stanlib chief economist Kevin Lings unpacks US inflation and the Federal Reserve’s looming rate cut decision amid rising political pressure from Trump. He also highlights South Africa’s widening trade deficit, fragile 1% growth outlook, and the unsustainable retail boost driven by pension withdrawals—warning that without major investment in infrastructure, SA’s economy will keep “treading water.”

From protests erupting in Westbury over an eight-year water crisis to Parliament delaying key testimony in a high-profile police probe, South Africa’s domestic tensions are rising. In the US, conservative activist Charlie Kirk is gunned down at a university event, while Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar sparks rare criticism from Donald Trump. Plus, OpenAI’s $300bn Oracle deal shakes up tech—and Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks are ready for the All Blacks