Business Bagel

In Today's Weekly Roundup:   South Africa’s biggest political story didn’t end with a sentence - it kicked off a legal battle that could decide whether Julius Malema keeps his seat in Parliament. At the same time, Ramaphosa has turned to a familiar negotiator to steady relations with the US, while whispers of a cabinet reshuffle grow louder behind the scenes. In business, a brief wave of petrol re...

In Today's Weekly Roundup:   South Africa is moving toward a stricter definition of who gets to live and work in the country, as government backs a sweeping overhaul of immigration rules. At the same time, diplomatic signals suggest tensions with the US may be easing - quietly reopening a relationship that’s already shown cracks through trade pressure. Closer to home, election season is gettin...

In Today's Weekly Roundup:   Government has deployed more than 2,200 soldiers into gang hotspots across five provinces as shootings spike in parts of Cape Town - a heavy intervention that’s worked before, but never for long. At the same time, an unauthorised prison interview has triggered a separate investigation after an inmate used the call to make allegations involving a Gayton McKenzie rai...

In Today's Weekly Roundup:   South Africa’s land reform debate is back in motion - this time with more than 17,000 hectares in KZN handed back to communities nearly three decades after they were removed, raising the same unresolved question: how do you know when restitution is actually done? That tension carries through elsewhere. Government’s lifestyle audits are getting better at spotting of...

In Today's Weekly Roundup:   South Africa’s Post Office is edging closer to collapse, with liquidation now openly on the table after years of failed rescues. At the same time, government is quietly testing whether high-speed rail could ever work here - even as the current network struggles to stay on track. In business, the Showmax shutdown is raising regulatory eyebrows, while households are...

In Today's Show:   After nine months of producing the Daily Bagel show every single day, we’re stepping into the next chapter of Daily Bagel. In this video, we explain why we’re ending the daily show and what this shift allows us to build next. Daily Bagel isn’t going anywhere - if anything, it’s the start of something bigger. This is where the next phase begins. More From Us: ⁠Whatsapp Channel⁠  ...

In Today's Show:   Artificial intelligence is quietly moving from answering questions to doing the work itself - with a new generation of “AI agents” now scheduling meetings, organising files, and triggering a surge in tech stocks that’s even lifting South Africa’s Naspers and Prosus. Meanwhile, fuel price panic is spreading online as early projections suggest petrol could rise by more than R3...

In Today's Show:   Brazil’s president has issued a blunt warning to South Africa: in an increasingly unstable world, countries that neglect their defence could one day find themselves exposed. Meanwhile, South Africa’s democracy may be getting crowded - with a record 508 political parties now registered ahead of the next local elections, raising concerns voters could face ballot papers long en...

In Today's Show:   More than R2 trillion was wiped off the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in a single week as global tensions spooked investors and sent money fleeing emerging markets. South Africa is also quietly revisiting nuclear power, with plans that could reshape the country’s electricity mix for decades if the costs can be managed. In retail, Walmart has begun converting struggling Game st...

In Today's Show:   South Africa is trying to pull a R36 billion cannabis economy out of the shadows and into a regulated industry - a move that could eventually turn hemp into a multibillion-dollar export. Meanwhile, a new study is raising uncomfortable questions about chemicals found in everyday sanitary products, though scientists say the evidence is far from settled. In business, the World...

In Today's Show:   South Africa’s TV industry may be entering its biggest shake-up in decades after Canal+ pulled the plug on Showmax and began reshaping MultiChoice from the inside. Meanwhile, a very different technological shift is unfolding across Africa, where $40 smartphones could suddenly bring millions of new users online. A war thousands of kilometres away is also quietly rerouting glo...

In Today's Show:   South Africa’s ride-hailing industry is heading into a regulatory shake-up as new rules force apps like Uber and Bolt to formally register - though so far, only one has done it. In Europe, policymakers are quietly rewriting the rules of global trade with a proposed “Buy European” push aimed at protecting local clean-tech industries. Back home, Woolworths has pulled off the r...

In Today's Show:    Parliament’s just signed off on new salary bumps for the President, MPs, and even South Africa’s officially recognised kings and queens. In business, Discovery just posted record profits, but the old insurance machine is still funding the shiny new bank. In sport, SA Rugby admits that the Springboks may never host another World Cup because the numbers simply don’t stack up....

In Today's Show:    Patrice Motsepe says he’s not running for President - but a slick new campaign website is already mapping out 2027. Fuel prices are ticking up again as oil tensions ripple through the Middle East, and the JSE posts record profits just as its CEO exits at the top. Plus, in the wildcard, we unpack why funeral cover is one of South Africa’s most powerful - and culturally loade...

In Today's Show:    A missile launch in the Middle East sends oil traders scrambling and shipping routes twisting - with the ripple effects inching closer to South African wallets. At home, government has quietly reset the rules of hiring and firing, making retrenchments costlier but early dismissals easier. In Gauteng, stolen pet food that tested positive for Salmonella is now resurfacing onl...

In Today's Show:    Iran’s Supreme Leader has been killed in a US-backed Israeli strike - and the fallout is already rippling far beyond Iran. We unpack what this escalation means for oil routes, global markets, and why South Africa isn’t as insulated as we’d like to think. Back home, the 2026 budget maps out how government plans to spend - and squeeze - while the underlying numbers show cauti...

In Today's Show:    For a change of pace, today’s show is built around something rare in the news cycle: good news. Africa has just recorded its fastest year of solar growth ever, adding over four gigawatts of new clean power, while China’s wind and solar capacity has overtaken fossil fuels on its grid. Humpback whales and giant tortoises are rebounding after decades on the brink. The James We...

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s illegal gold trade is back in the spotlight, with syndicates quietly moving what could be a third of the country’s supply through a parallel economy that raids haven’t stopped. In Russia, Telegram’s founder faces fresh criminal charges as the battle over encrypted platforms turns into a fight about state control. SPAR’s share price has slid to 2010 levels, wi...

In Today's Show:    South Africa is tightening its borders - but now the spotlight has shifted from drones and fences to the desks inside Home Affairs, where officials are being investigated for allegedly fast-tracking permits for cash. In Johannesburg, the Mugabe name is back in court, this time without diplomatic cover. In business, a 30% US tariff vanished - only to be replaced hours later with...

In Today's Show:    At least 17 South Africans have returned home after allegedly being lured into Russia’s war in Ukraine - but the bigger story is how African countries are becoming recruitment pools for foreign conflicts. Meanwhile, Germany is backing tighter social media bans for minors, suggesting Australia’s crackdown may be the start of a global domino. Back home, wave power is being pi...

In Today's Show:    In Parliament this week, an EFF MP handed the president a box of CVs - a blunt symbol of a youth unemployment crisis that a 0.5% dip in the headline rate hasn’t fixed. Britain’s royal family is now dealing with the arrest of Prince Andrew over alleged misuse of state information - a case that could drag on for years. In business, South Africa’s pet boom has turned kibble in...

In Today's Show:    A crash test has reignited the car safety debate after a popular SUV scored just two stars - and proved that independent ratings can shake a car brand. A new report is also asking whether BBBEE has broadened opportunity, or simply reshuffled ownership at the top. Meanwhile, Starlink has taken its licensing fight public, challenging South Africa’s 30% equity rule and promisi...

In Today's Show:    Patrice Motsepe is stepping back as executive chair of African Rainbow Mineral, because new JSE rules say he has to. South Africa’s once-booming film industry is now stuck in limbo as incentive payments stall and crews struggle for work. The R370 social relief grant is being redesigned, with tighter checks and a R40 billion price tag under scrutiny. And in our wildcard, we...

In Today's Show:    South Africa has quietly become a data economy - with smartphones now doing the work banks and classrooms once did, and Telkom’s real business no longer airtime but gigabytes. The Proteas head into a Super Eights showdown in India, where 130,000 home fans will test whether this side is truly different. The Reserve Bank wants to scrap the word “prime,” but not your repayment...

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s hunting export quotas are back on the table - weeks after a ministerial reshuffle - reopening a fierce debate about conservation, politics, and money. In KZN, alleged sweatshop factories paying R8 an hour have retailers scrambling for answers, while the local streaming market quietly splits between high-risk subscriptions and lean, ad-funded growth. In other...