Business Bagel

In Today's Show: South Africa’s future may be slipping before it even starts with less than half of our four-year-olds school-ready, the education crisis is cutting deeper than any budget debate. Walmart finally locks in on our local market, promising “everyday low prices” -  but can it crack Shoprite’s grip? And Ramaphosa rallies BRICS for a 2030 plan as US tariffs bite hard. More From Us: ⁠⁠Spot...

In Today's Show: Hundreds of thousands disappear from South Africa’s domestic workforce, government rewrites the rules on how easily workers can be fired, and Chinese carmakers muscle their way into our top 10. And in the wildcard, the Cape wine route that travel writers say deserves a place on every bucket list. More From Us: ⁠⁠Spotify Apple Podcast ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok

In Today's Show: Donald Trump has snubbed South Africa’s G20 moment, sending his Vice President instead of showing up for Africa’s first summit on the world stage. Rebels slipped into a peace summit right under Pretoria’s nose, leaving the DRC fuming. Franschhoek’s half-billion-rand skytram is stuck in limbo, while BMW gears up to launch an iX3 with 800km range. And a KZN runner quietly shatters t...

In Today's Show: Ramaphosa just reignited the land reform debate by praising Zimbabwe’s disastrous policy in Harare, sparking backlash at home. Woolworths delivered a split set of results which sees food booming in SA while its Australian arm drags profits down. Meanwhile, South Africa’s exporters are losing billions to tariffs and red tape despite a supposed free-trade deal with the UK. Siya...

In Today's Show: Government is cracking down on hijacked buildings and even private owners could lose theirs under the new Expropriation Act. Shoprite is no longer just South Africa’s biggest grocer; it now wants your bank account too, promising a zero-cost option at the checkout counter. Meanwhile, local factories are cutting jobs even as car sales hit their highest level in a decade, with To...

In Today's Show: Checkers is entering its golden era as Sixty60 just crossed 100 million orders, driving record-breaking growth as South Africans embrace faster, smarter shopping. But there’s more in today’s update: a major shake-up in SAPS oversight as President Ramaphosa signs a new law giving the police watchdog full independence. The country faces one of its worst foot-and-mouth outbreaks...

In Today's Show: South Africa’s new employment equity quotas officially take effect today, marking a major shift in how workplaces will be structured. In Cape Town, the High Court hears arguments over whether s*x work in the informal economy should finally be decriminalised. Meanwhile, US tariffs are shaking up global trade, with Indian manufacturers moving more production into Africa to keep...

In Today's Show: South Africa’s health system is facing its biggest shake-up in decades, with the NHI Act promising universal care but raising fears of tax hikes and state control. The police are under scrutiny over 121 political killings dockets, a saga that could decide whether SAPS can even police itself. In business, MSC - the world’s biggest shipping company - has been cleared to run trains i...

In Today's Show: Julius Malema’s “kill” speech has finally backfired with a hate speech ruling that could redraw the lines of South Africa’s political speech. At the same time, billionaire Jannie Mouton is betting billions to turn Curro schools into a nonprofit. While Denel faces a crippling US lawsuit over undelivered fighter jets. Later in the show we step onto the padel courts to see why this s...

In Today's Show: South Africa’s most famous rhino breeder is now accused of running a R250 million horn trafficking ring, a scandal that’s shaking conservation circles. At the same time, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has dissolved the SA Tourism board just weeks before the G20 Summit, raising questions about politics versus accountability. Stats SA’s latest crime survey reveals just how wide...

In Today's Show: Two of South Africa’s neighbours are in crisis: Lesotho’s textile jobs are vanishing, while Botswana’s diamond-fuelled health system is collapsing. Back home, Sasol’s stock has surged on long-awaited signs of a turnaround, and Bok fans are furious after Cape Town Stadium’s gates were thrown open, raising fresh questions about access and affordability. And in a trip back in tim...

In Today's Show: Treasury has set its sights on foreign pensions and the fallout for retirees could be devastating. Ramaphosa and Zuma are locked in a courtroom clash that could redefine the limits of presidential power. In business, Curro stalls while ADvTECH surges, showing a stark split in South Africa’s private education market. On the sport front, the Boks face disruption as a new prop is...

In Today's Show: The ANC’s national support has sunk below 30% in fresh polling, a collapse that reshapes the road to next year’s local elections. Curro’s shrinking enrolments reveal just how hard South Africa’s middle class is being squeezed, while Transnet opens its railways to private players after years of state capture decay. Aspen takes a bruising on the markets, NGOs and big business clash...

In Today's Show: Washington is edging closer to sanctioning ANC leaders, with a new Bill raising the stakes for South Africa’s global standing. Meanwhile, Checkers is testing a trolley that doubles as your till, no queues, no scanning, just roll and pay. Starlink may be blocked on South African soil, but Elon Musk is already wiring up the skies with streaming-speed internet at 30,000 feet. Roo...

In Today's Show: MTN’s past dealings in war zones have sparked a US grand jury probe that could reshape the telecom giant’s future. South Africa’s biggest banks are hauled to the Constitutional Court over rand-rigging allegations, while Anglo American’s R70-billion coal sale goes up in flames. And in the wildcard, we uncover how a Durban family recipe grew into the chutney that conquered the w...

In Today's Show: Gauteng’s answer to taxi violence isn’t tighter policing but a government-built Uber rival. Mango Airlines has finally run out of runway after four years in business rescue, shutting the door on cheaper local flights. Eskom is promising to sell sunshine with its first solar power contracts, even as it fights rivals in court. Meanwhile, we trace how Durban’s sugar-cane fields g...

In Today's Show: Banks call cash its biggest enemy, but millions of South Africans still see it as the only thing they can trust. Meanwhile, government has just done the unthinkable: making price fixing legal to keep the sugar industry alive. Quickfire mentions brings a sobering stat with 20,000 pregnancies and nearly 19,000 STI cases at colleges. And in the wildcard, we trace rooibos’s journe...

In Today's Show: SAPS is stalling on body cams but fast-tracking drones, raising big questions about priorities in crime fighting. South Africa’s top general blindsided Ramaphosa with a trip to Iran in the middle of a trade spat with Washington. The JSE’s record-breaking rally masks a shrinking market as giants carry the load while smaller players quietly disappear. And for the wildcard, we rewind...

In Today's Show: India’s Tata Motors is roaring back into South Africa’s car market, taking aim at China’s budget brands just as the local auto industry battles sliding sales, job losses, and a scramble to boost local content. Meanwhile, Johannesburg is getting a suspiciously timed facelift ahead of November’s G20 Summit, a polish that residents say should’ve happened years ago. And in the wil...

In Today's Show: Washington’s tariff fight with Pretoria just got messier, with BEE exemptions now the latest red line and the ANC rallying allies to defend it. While that drama plays out, SA’s hedging its bets with fresh export deals across Asia and the Middle East. Local markets are roaring as gold and platinum miners smash records, and Nedbank drops R1.65 billion on fintech iKhokha. Plus: t...

In Today's Show: South Africans could soon dodge the dreaded Home Affairs queue, as Capitec and FNB roll out Smart ID and passport applications via their apps. Brutal Fruit’s latest ad has been banned after a Heineken challenge, sparking debate over whether advertising has lost its bite. Prosus has EU approval for a R80 billion Just Eat Takeaway takeover, shaking up the global food delivery game....

Please Note: In today’s first story, we said South Africa is “one of 36 countries” warned by the US over travel documentation. That was incorrect. While the US has warned 36 countries in total, the reports don’t show that SA is on that list. Analysts do, however, say SA could face similar treatment if the tensions with Washington continue. In Today's Show: US freezes visas from Zimbabwe, and t...

In Today's Show: From biometric raids in Limpopo to diamonds in a billion-rand fight for relevance, today’s show is all about identity, security, and the value we place on both. We unpack Operation New Broom’s high-tech deportation drive, South Africa’s bold move to join Africa’s biggest trade finance bank, and the global marketing blitz to save natural diamonds from lab-grown rivals. Plus, in the...

In Today's Show: Student debt is crushing South Africa’s graduates, with universities now owed R8.8 billion and turning to debt collectors to survive. TFG posts double-digit growth - but its share price tanks, as investors look past UK wins to weak local sales. Ramaphosa phones Trump to stop 30% US tariffs - no breakthrough, just polite silence. More From Us: ⁠⁠Spotify Apple Podcast ⁠⁠YouTube⁠...

In Today's Show: Temu and Shein have taken over a chunk of South Africa’s retail market — but their rise may be costing us more than we think, with thousands of local jobs already gone. The ANC is struggling to hold the GNU together, while the Reserve Bank’s shock inflation target cut has blindsided Treasury. Capitec partners with Mama Money for faster remittances, and the JSE celebrates a pro...