BizNews Radio

South Africa’s housing backlog exceeds 2.5 million units, with more than 4,000 informal settlements straining municipalities for serviced land. KwaMashu-born architect Wandile Mthiyane, who grew up in a mud-brick shack, is developing Ubuntu Home – an AI platform designed to provide people with land, services and AI tools so they can design and build their own homes. In a Biznews interview, Mthiyane recalls his aunt receiving a Mandela-era housing list number but recently dying still in the same shack. He says the crisis needs decentralised solutions, not more top-down contractors. The Obama fellow and future Harvard student launched the Walk for Home to raise R3 million to develop and scale the platform. He reports receiving many offers of accommodation, financial assistance, and support within days. – Linda van Tilburg

South Africa doesn't hear enough from politicians who do the unglamorous work of fixing the state. Jan de Villiers is one of them. The DA MP and chair of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration just drove through a landmark law that tightens the firewall between party politics and the civil service. You can't fix unemployment, crime, or service delivery with a compromised bureaucracy.

From Elon Musk’s Pretoria beginnings to global dominance, this conversation dives into power, policy, and South Africa’s economic crossroads. Solidarity’s Dirk Hermann unpacks the growing backlash against BEE, arguing it stifles jobs, fuels elite enrichment, and deters investment. With pressure mounting from markets, citizens, and international players, is reform inevitable? A sharp, thought-provoking look at race, economics, and the battle over South Africa’s future direction.

This Bloomberg Originals documentary explores the explosive rise of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket — and the legal, ethical and political backlash that’s followed. As these platforms go mainstream, questions are growing over insider trading, sports betting, and whether turning almost any real-world event into a wager comes at a cost.

In today's BizNews Daybreak, we dive into President Trump’s announcement of a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, alongside hints of a potential deal with Iran during upcoming talks in Pakistan. We analyze the grim reality of illegal mining, where heavily armed syndicates are causing massive environmental damage and poisoning water systems with mercury and cyanide. We also examine Netflix’s 8% share slide following disappointing earnings, the US government’s rollout of Anthropic’s "Mythos" AI model for federal agencies, and the looming economic threat of a "second China shock" driven by massive state subsidies. Finally, South Africa’s Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson outlines a radical shift toward managing the state’s vast property portfolio as a commercial asset management business.