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A young South African filmmaker is heading to Hollywood after her one‑take student film, Ongeluk, rose above more than 8,400 global entries to secure a place in the 2026 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. Centurion’s Talita Brits, 24, will join four other finalists in Los Angeles for a week of masterclasses at Sony Pictures Studios ahead of the gala ceremony on 11 June. Brits told BizNews about the chaos of shooting a high‑stakes, low‑budget film in a single take and why she gravitates toward stories that push audiences to confront uncomfortable ethical choices. Her next project, part of her honours research at the Open Window Institute, explores one of filmmaking’s most sensitive challenges: how to portray suicide responsibly. She hopes her work will help young people speak more openly about mental health, depression, anxiety and cyberbullying.

Helen Zille says Johannesburg’s crisis is far worse than she imagined, warning the city faces financial collapse, crumbling infrastructure, and coalition chaos. In this wide-ranging interview, she outlines her plan to restore water, electricity, roads, and investor confidence while exposing deep governance failures, corruption, and “last lap looting” inside the metro. Zille argues only a DA majority can deliver stability and prevent Johannesburg from sliding further into dysfunction.

In today's BizNews Daybreak, we cover the latest business and political updates. On the international front, US-Iran tensions escalate over Strait of Hormuz tolls, while SpaceX scrubs its 12th Starship test mission.

Locally, Helen Zille warns of Johannesburg’s collapsing municipal budget and failing infrastructure, economist Dawie Roodt discusses Treasury's futile attempts to control crypto-assets, and thirsty CEO Rob Hoatson urges businesses to fight state dysfunction.

Finally, AfriForum demands transparency regarding the delayed extradition of the Guptas.

BizNews editor Alec Hogg sits down with THIRSTI founder and CEO Rob Hoatson at the company’s Tulbagh bottling plant for a wide-ranging discussion on state overreach, private-sector investment, Woolworths, counterfeit bottled water, the informal market and South Africa’s looming water infrastructure challenge. Hoatson explains why his family business continues to invest heavily in SA, why standing up to abuse matters, and how THIRSTI has built a differentiated brand in a fast-growing market.

South Africa’s crypto crackdown has sparked outrage among investors - but economist Dawie Roodt says Treasury is fighting technology it doesn’t understand. In this wide-ranging interview, he unpacks stablecoins, tax fears, oil shocks, inflation risks and why the future of money could reshape banking, government control and the economy itself.