Business Bagel

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s State of the Nation Address was less about bold new ideas and more about whether government can finally make the basics work - from power and rail to water and freight - without tripping over its own bottlenecks. Crime also took centre stage, with Ramaphosa warning that syndicates are feeding off the very systems meant to drive growth. Meanwhile, Cell C is ba...

In Today's Show:    Parliament is probing explosive claims that a criminal network may have infiltrated South Africa’s policing structures - with a R600 million slush fund and senior officials now openly at odds. Government, meanwhile, wants to bundle its R155 billion property portfolio into a new state-owned company, potentially turning buildings into balance sheet leverage. Globally, Heineke...

In Today's Show:    South Africa quietly stripped thousands of citizens of their status - and now Home Affairs has rushed to restore it. FlySafair’s looming ownership shift raises a bigger question about who keeps the country moving when reliability is everything. Pick n Pay is staring at a R490 million loss, but the real story is whether the turnaround is stalling or simply uneven. Meanwhile,...

In Today's Show:    South Africans are being targeted by a new wave of official-looking scam messages as the new traffic fine system rolls out and confusion does the work for fraudsters. Far out in the Atlantic, Saint Helena has slipped back into isolation after its only commercial flights were grounded, cutting the island off once again. In business, Bidvest Bank’s R2.8-billion sale has colla...

In Today's Show:    South African troops are quietly pulling out of the DRC after nearly three decades - not because the mission worked, but because the system behind it didn’t. At home, electricity prices are rising to fix a R54 billion regulatory mistake, while South African Airways has posted another profit that looks real, but still needs scrutiny. And in the wildcard, a flower unseen sinc...

In Today's Show:    South Africa is dealing with floods in the north and drought in the south — and this week’s national disaster declaration quietly shifts how the rest of the year could unfold. Government is also starting to hedge its trade exposure, signing a new framework with China as pressure mounts on US access. In business, an AI company many people hadn’t heard of just wiped billions...

In Today's Show:    South Africa just bought itself time with the US. A one-year trade extension is keeping thousands of local jobs afloat, even as bigger tariff risks still hang in the background. Cannabis finally gets clearer rules, with draft limits spelling out how much is legal - and how much isn’t. In business, South Africa has lined up R127 billion in new funding by becoming a sharehold...

In Today's Show:    John Steenhuisen is stepping aside as DA leader - but not stepping away from power - as a growing agricultural crisis sharpens the timing. South Africa’s minimum wage is going up again, but the maths behind it shows why many workers may barely feel the difference. WeBuyCars’ founders have sold hundreds of millions in shares, raising eyebrows without actually heading for the...

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s roads feel more dangerous than ever - but the data tells a more complicated story about enforcement, behaviour, and whether safety only improves when the blue lights are on. Fuel prices are dropping to their lowest level in four years, driven by a stronger rand - but the relief may be brief. Shoprite is quietly becoming something bigger than a grocery chain, expa...

In Today's Show:    If you’ve seen Jacob Zuma’s name linked to the Epstein files, we break down what’s actually in the emails - and what isn’t. Elsewhere, pressure is building on government decisions that communities say they never asked for, as town renamings collide with the loss of a major sporting event. In business, crypto prices may be sliding, but real-world usage tells a very different...

In Today's Show:    South Africa has expelled Israel’s most senior diplomat in a rare and deliberate escalation - and Israel responded within hours, hardening an already frozen relationship. In business, Showmax isn’t shutting down, but it is being put on probation as Canal+ trims losses, while Famous Brands quietly decides the best investment right now is itself. On the lighter end, South Afr...

In Today's Show:    South Africa is moving from crisis control to structural reform as Ramaphosa enters Phase Three of the government–business partnership - but critics warn the foundations may still be shaky. Tourism, meanwhile, has quietly smashed all-time records, driven not by overseas visitors but by the region, and largely in spite of chaos inside South African Tourism itself. Salaries t...

In Today's Show:    South Africa is putting a price tag on transformation, with a revived R100 billion BEE fund that could reshape how companies chase points and access. Elsewhere, a maths error at the electricity regulator may end up on your power bill, while government weighs new trade duties that pit cheaper imported cars against local jobs. In between, quick signals from factories, investo...

In Today's Show:    Two decades into the social media era, a US court is finally testing whether major platforms were deliberately designed to addict children - and that legal shift is already rippling toward South Africa. At home, ICASA has moved to end the quiet expiry tricks that made mobile data feel like a ticking clock. The rand briefly dipped below R16 to the dollar, raising the uncomfo...

In Today's Show:    Former president Thabo Mbeki has raised eyebrows by suggesting unseen forces may have shaped the MK Party’s election surge - reopening an old debate about who really moves power in South African politics. In courtrooms abroad, WhatsApp is under fire over what “private” really means, and whether users were ever told who still holds the keys. In business, MTN’s forgotten expo...

In Today's Show:    Julius Malema is back in court - not to argue innocence, but to find out whether his sentence reshapes the future of the EFF. Chinese carmaker Chery makes a decisive move into local manufacturing, buying Nissan’s Rosslyn plant and stepping directly into South Africa’s jobs debate. Nedbank signals a new growth strategy by taking control - and full responsibility. And in the...

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s inflation rate is at a two-decade low - yet everyday prices still feel stubbornly high, and that disconnect matters more than the headline suggests. The National Lottery’s ethics advisers are now facing clawbacks of their own fees, in a twist that’s almost too ironic. Mr Price’s R10 billion European gamble has rattled shareholders and raised deeper questions...

In Today's Show:    Botswana is staring down a future where diamonds no longer pay the bills, as prices slide, stockpiles swell, and lab-grown stones eat into demand. Back home, South Africa’s National Health Insurance heads toward a drawn-out court fight, with government calling for talks while critics argue the problem is structural, not negotiable. Then there’s the JSE: record highs on the...

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s political salary structure is back in focus after a new round of raises for MPs, ministers, and the presidency. The country’s water crisis is also deepening, with failing pipes and weak coordination pushing places like Knysna and Gauteng closer to the edge. In business, Capitec has crossed R500 billion in value, not by lending harder, but by scaling smarter....

In Today's Show:    South Africa declares a national disaster as floods overwhelm towns and wildlife. Abroad, Washington moves from warnings to action over controversial equipment linked to a South African company - underlining just how tense US–SA relations remain. Eight years after Steinhoff collapsed, another conviction lands - raising awkward questions about how slowly accountability arriv...

In Today's Show:    South Africa may be heading for a zero-tolerance drink-driving law - no grey areas, no “one glass with dinner.” Meanwhile, the country’s long-running reckoning with apartheid-era crimes is back in focus, but not moving forward easily, as a key inquiry runs into fresh legal and political pushback. In business, one of the clearest warnings yet about the cost of unchecked illi...

In Today's Show:    South Africa is rolling out a ten-year vaccination plan after foot-and-mouth disease spread further than anyone wants to admit. In Johannesburg politics, Helen Zille’s mayoral bid is overlapping with the mechanics of council power. Offshore, Europe has quietly eased pressure on South African money flows - a credibility win that matters more than it sounds. There’s also move...

In Today's Show:    South Africa’s trade relationship with the US is being quietly re-tested, with billions in exports - and thousands of jobs - hanging on how firmly the country sticks to its foreign policy line. Back home, a small unit inside the Presidency is pushing departments to fix electricity, logistics, and failing local services, and business leaders are starting to pay attention. In...

In Today's Show:    Chinese car brands have gone from fringe players to dominant forces in South Africa’s auto market, forcing legacy manufacturers onto the defensive and putting local jobs under pressure. At the same time, the country is celebrating its highest matric pass rate on record - even as cracks remain around maths participation and degree readiness. Markets are rallying too, lifted...

In Today's Show:   South Africa is hosting foreign warships from Russia, China and Iran - officially as a routine naval exercise, unofficially as a diplomatic Rorschach test that’s raising eyebrows in Washington. Back home, the DA’s internal fight has spilled into the Public Protector’s office, turning a party dispute into a very public credibility problem ahead of key votes. Meanwhile, ICASA...