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Agricultural Minister John Steenhuisen is facing huge damage claims from livestock farmers following a High Court order against him. In this interview with Chris Steyn, Southern African Afgri Initiative (Saai) CEO Francois Rousseau says the court found that the Minister and his department were “unlawfully prohibiting farmers from vaccinating their own cattle” and ordered that he “cannot interfere in the supply of or in the business transaction relating to the supply of vaccines coming into the country”. Roussouw says he hopes farmers suing the Minister for damages will succeed because “this was an absolute abuse of power”. He further charges: “This is someone who had no expertise whatsoever, appointed people with expertise on these different advisory committees, but he just used them to legitimise his actions…I do think he lied intentionally on a number of occasions and for that, farmers should hold him accountable.”

Roussow outlines all the practical implications of the judgment for livestock farmers with regards to supply, procurement and administration.

Today's BizNews Daybreak episode analyses US self-defense strikes in Iran amidst delicate diplomatic efforts. At the Vatican, Pope Leo and Anthropic’s co-founder launched an encyclical warning against AI risks.

Locally, Dr. Frans Cronje unpacks fracturing political coalitions, while Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers defends painful labor cost restructurings.

We also cover calls for criminal justice reform, Johannesburg’s deepening infrastructure crisis, and the market optimism driving a stronger rand.

Johannesburg's mayor Dada Morero delivered his State of the City address from a cathedral this week — complete with a marching band and a reading of the Lord's Prayer. But behind the pageantry, South Africa's biggest city is staring down billions in debt, a crumbling water network, and a power utility threatening to pull the plug. In this interview with Irakli, Currency Senior Reporter Shirley de Villiers picks apart Morero's claims of a fully funded budget and targets met, warning that "it fell apart out of the gates" — from misleading Cape Town comparisons to a city "owed 25 billion by debtors" but with "only 4 billion cash on hand". On Eskom's threat to cut power over a R5.2bn debt, de Villiers is blunt: "Joburg doesn't have the money...I presume it would be rotational power cuts and essentially residents being left in the dark when they have paid for their services." And Joburg, she warns, is no outlier — "116 of them have unfunded budgets, 162 of them are in financial distress...It's the result of poor leadership, poor governance, patronage politics, corruption and ineptitude." With local government elections looming in November, this is almost certainly Morero's last State of the City address — and quite possibly the ANC's last chance to convince residents it can still govern the country's economic heartland. On current evidence, the residents can but pray.

With the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry restoring people's faith in commissions, Dr Zizamele Cebekhulu-Makhaza, Chairman of the Safer South Africa Foundation, tells Chris Steyn why the Madlanga Commission has been so effective in sharp contrast with the Zondo Commission. He describes the impact on both the SAPS and the criminal underworld of the unprecedented Press Conference in which KZN Provincial Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi stunned the country with charges of police and political capture. “He helped this country in various ways. In fact, he took this country……out of mud to bring… the information to those who have got the capacity to clean the country…we want the President to deal with this matter in a very decisive way. We expect him as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to act very decisively on the matters that the Madlanga Commission are dealing with.” As for the other pillars of the Criminal Justice Cluster, Dr Cebekhulu-Makhaza says: “...There is a problem in the Department of Justice… the underworld has infiltrated them...the Department of Justice must not try to...…hide what Mkhwanazi has revealed because everybody knows what has happened. I'm happy that Madlanga...will overlap into those terrains and reveal to us what is happening in those terrains and also in Correctional Services.” Dr Cebekhulu-Makhaza outlines in detail all the urgent reforms needed to restore credibility, accountability and operation effectiveness with the criminal justice system.

Sean Summers, CEO of Pick n Pay, outlines a tough but deliberate turnaround for the retailer as it battles market volatility, labour tensions and legacy costs. In a frank interview, he defends short-term share price swings and emphasises long-term value creation through restructuring and investment in stores and Boxer. He insists the goal is a sustainable, competitive future rather than quick fixes, despite pressure from losses, inflation and ongoing negotiations with unions and suppliers across South Africa’s retail sector today.