BizNews Radio

In this interview with Chris Steyn, Garth Brook, the founder of River Rangers in Clarens, details his five-year battle with the Public Protector to ensure outstanding salaries are paid for a community-based programme that - at its height - employed over 180 people in one of the country’s most poverty-stricken areas. Brook says when he first approached the Public Protector, he thought “in my stupidity and naivety that this is where God settles the deal. These are the people that protect the public. That's not true. That is absolutely not true.” Brook describes five years of evidence, submissions, patience, and “Stalingrad”-like silences… “I need an attorney that eats live crocodiles for breakfast…. I'm looking for a tough bullet-nosed attorney so that we can take this Public Protector to the cleaners and say, guys, sorry, the nonsense has got to stop.”

Donald MacKay pulls back the curtain on 40 "slush funds" draining billions from South African taxpayers without oversight. From the opaque Black Industrialists Fund to the staggering R43 billion automotive subsidy, MacKay reveals why a Mercedes-Benz costs R300,000 more at home than in Manhattan. Discover how decentralisation, the BRICS alliance, and government-protected monopolies are stifling growth, inflating costs, and leaving the nation’s manufacturing sector vulnerable. It’s time to follow the money - if only we could find it.

Pietermaritzburg stands at a crossroads. Melanie Veness paints a stark picture of governance failure, economic strain, and post-riot trauma - yet resilience runs deep. From crumbling infrastructure to bold private-sector action, the city’s future hinges on leadership, accountability, and smart investment. As political uncertainty looms in KZN, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Will voters drive meaningful change, or deepen the crisis? Amid the chaos, one truth emerges: South Africa’s recovery will depend on empowered communities and businesses stepping up where the state has fallen short.

In today's BizNews Daybreak: President Trump agrees to a two-week ceasefire with Iran in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, delaying planned military strikes to allow for further negotiations.

Meanwhile, South Africa implements the Public Service Amendment Act to professionalise administration and curb political "cadre deployment".

Plus, Ian Cameron gives his take on the "kill the boer" chant controversy, Cuba’s reliance on Chinese solar power amid a US oil blockade, and growing legal chaos in global energy markets.

In this fully licensed episode of the Financial Times’ Unhedged podcast, Katie Martin and energy editor Malcolm Moore unpack the escalating global energy crisis triggered by disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. With millions of barrels of oil effectively trapped and supply chains under strain, the impact is already being felt from Asia to Europe — and here in South Africa at the pumps. As prices surge and shortages loom, this sobering deep dive reveals how fragile the global energy system really is — and why the worst may still lie ahead.