I unpack next week’s pivotal by-elections, Chris Steyn’s must-watch interviews, and why political missteps are piling up as SA heads into a crucial year.
--------
16:54
--------
16:54
Inzalo Agave Spirits: The Klein Karoo’s answer to tequila – Sebastian O’Keefe
After living overseas for 25 years, Sebastian O’Keefe returned home with the dream of creating a world‑class agave spirit, using plants introduced in colonial times that are now used as cattle feed. O’Keefe told Biznews in an interview that he and his partner criss‑crossed the country testing plants and discovered rare ‘Red Agave’ thriving in a dry, salty, high‑altitude place in the Klein Karoo near Ladismith. Harvested by hand, gently steamed in dairy tanks and fermented with wild yeast, the first batch of Inzalo Agave Spirits will roll off the line in the next two weeks. Deliberately not called tequila or mezcal (those names are protected), Inzalo is being positioned as the founding member of an entirely new, proudly South African category of agave spirit. He said as they started working with the spirit their ambitions grew to not only create the greatest agave spirit outside of Mexico but to create a new class of agave spirits, something that is completely unique to South Africa. And it will include two varieties, Batch One, a white spirit, and Barrel One, an aged version to be sipped slowly to cater for local tastes.
--------
19:20
--------
19:20
Miningweb Weekly: Peter Major - "SA holds the minerals the world is fighting for"
Global powers are scrambling for critical minerals, and their first stop is South Africa. Mining expert Peter Major tells Alec Hogg why SA could become the world’s one-stop minerals shop - if government learns to play its cards right, cut the red tape, and “sell to anyone at the best price possible.”
--------
32:53
--------
32:53
BN Briefing: EU begs SA for minerals; Nvidia now worth 12× SA GDP; Investec; JSE vs Mantengu
Tonight’s BizNews Briefing spotlights South Africa’s rising strategic importance, with the EU naming the country its first stop in a new critical minerals supply push. Locally, Investec’s latest results show SA delivering stronger returns than the UK, while an urgent court showdown looms as the JSE challenges allegedly fake emails. Also in focus: a 70% municipal failure rate in Eskom’s debt relief scheme, and Nvidia’s record-smashing results as the tech giant reaches a valuation 12 times SA’s GDP.
--------
12:56
--------
12:56
Electoral Roadshow: Wayne Sussman - Lifestyle audits for ANC councillors ahead of 2026 elections
With a critical round of by-elections coming up next week, the African National Congress (ANC) has announced that all candidates for 2026 Local Government Elections will have to undergo criminal record and qualifications vetting, submit interest declarations, and consent to lifestyle audits. This is lauded by Elections Analyst Wayne Sussman on the latest edition of the Electoral Roadshow with Chris Steyn. Sussens gives in-depth previews of the most important upcoming by-elections, including the straight two-horse race between the Democratice Alliance (DA) and the ANC in City of Joburg Ward 90 where President Cyril Ramaphosa lives; the turbulence amid which MKP has to contest Mandeni where Umkhonto we Sizwe won over 70% of the vote in 2024 in the historic ANC stronghold; Kouga where the DA ward councillor walked over to the Patriotic Alliance; and Hantam where the local councillor was assassinated. As for the possible date of next year’s Local Government elections, Sussman reveals that he is hearing from reliable sources that it will either be held on 4th or the 11th of November.
South Africa