Ghost Stories

Reeza Isaacs is the newly appointed CEO of SPAR. As hot seats go, this one is warmer than a freshly-baked bread at your local store.

With plenty of experience in difficult retail settings, Isaacs is excited for the challenge. He believes strongly in the independent retail model that forms the underpin of the SPAR wholesale business.

Through a focused strategy on Ireland and South Africa, SPAR is committed to getting the basics right and demonstrating the benefits of independent retail.

This podcast deals with topics like:

Management stability and long‑term commitment at SPAR.

Lessons from offshore activities and why Ireland is different.

The strengths and trade-offs of SPAR's wholesale and independent retailer model.

SAP implementation failures and risk mitigation strategies.

Rebuilding retailer trust and loyalty, especially in KZN.

Online, on‑demand retail, and SPAR’s pragmatic participation strategy.

Margin recovery initiatives and operational self‑help levers.

Growth adjacencies, including pharmacy, pet care, and private label.

SPAR believes strongly in the value of Ghost Mail in the South African investment ecosystem. They have sponsored this podcast for readers, but I was allowed to ask whatever I wanted to ask. Please do your own research and do not treat this podcast as an endorsement of SPAR as an investment.

In this episode of Ghost Stories, we get stuck into the world of fixed income - a space that retail investors often overlook in favour of equities.

Yusuf Wadee of Satrix concurs with The Finance Ghost's cricket analogy: fixed income returns act as the singles that keep the scoreboard ticking over. But that doesn't mean that investors should default to low-yield cash accounts.

Veteran fixed-income portfolio manager James Turp from Ninety One explains how his funds aim to optimise returns in the sweet spot between cash and bonds. And now, with the launch of the Satrix Income Actively Managed ETF (AMETF), investors have an easy way to access this expertise.

Topics covered in this podcast:

How a balanced approach to equities and fixed income helps build an innings

Diversification, volatility, and survivorship bias

How most investors fall into “lazy cash” traps

The structure and purpose of the Satrix Income AMETF

How the partnership between Satrix and Ninety One works

How James constructs an active fixed‑income portfolio

Duration, interest‑rate cycles, and inflation dynamics

Liquidity and accessibility of an actively managed ETF

Tax‑free savings considerations for fixed‑income ETFs

Keen to learn more? Check out the Satrix Income AMETF (JSE: STXINC) here.

Please remember that nothing you hear on Ghost Stories should be treated as advice. You must always speak to your personal financial advisor.

Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd a registered and approved Manager in Collective Investment Schemes in Securities. Collective investment schemes are generally medium- to long-term investments. With Unit Trusts, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Actively managed ETFs (AMETFs) the investor essentially owns a “proportionate share” (in proportion to the participatory interest held in the fund) of the underlying investments held by the fund. With Unit Trusts, the investor holds participatory units issued by the fund while in the case of an ETFs and AMETFs, the participatory interest, while issued by the fund, comprises a listed security traded on the stock exchange. ETFs and AMETF are registered as a Collective Investment and can be traded by any stockbroker on the stock exchange, LISP platforms and or via online trading platforms. ETFs and AMETFs may incur additional costs due to it being listed on the JSE. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, and the value of investments / units may go up or down. A schedule of fees and charges, and maximum commissions are available on the Minimum Disclosure Document or upon request from the Manager. Collective investments are traded at ruling prices and can engage in borrowing and scrip lending. Should the respective portfolio engage in scrip lending, the utility percentage and related counterparties can be viewed on the ETF and AMETF Minimum Disclosure Document. The index, the applicable tracking error and the portfolio performance relative to the index can be viewed on the ETF and AMETF Minimum Disclosure Document. International investments or investments in foreign securities could be accompanied by additional risks such as potential constraints on liquidity and repatriation of funds, macroeconomic risk, political risk, foreign exchange risk, tax risk, settlement risk as well as potential limitations on the availability of market information. AMETF are ETFs which are actively traded by a Portfolio Manager to adjust the AMETF holdings and asset allocation with the aim to outperform the benchmark. AMETF differ from ETFs which only track indices. The Manag...

At Forvis Mazars in South Africa, the team is actively working on AI-driven solutions for clients.

Shane Cooper (Head of Digital Advisory) is spearheading this effort, with one of the applications of this technology being in the portfolio management space. Institutional investors with complex structures face multiple challenges in managing their investments. As Shane explains in this podcast, it's an operating model problem rather than a software problem - but AI can help.

Rishi Juta (Director of Corporate Finance) joined this discussion to deliver insight into real-world applications across due diligence and risk management. It's all about transforming unstructured data and commentary into useful information for decision-making.

This is an excellent introduction to the technology that Forvis Mazars in South Africa is developing for institutional clients.

Topics covered in this podcast:

The shift from mechanical work to judgement work - and why it changes the entire process of portfolio oversight.

Why unstructured data (like management commentary and board‑pack narratives) often tells you more than the numbers.

How “intelligent ingestion” lets AI chew through PDFs, emails, scans, and commentary like a grown‑up sorting out a toddler’s plate of vegetables.

Early‑warning risk signals across a portfolio: covenant pressure, reporting behaviour, management tone, governance drift, sector stress and more.

How this tech is being built specifically for regulated environments - IFRS, GRAP, scenario planning, traceability, explainability and all the governance that institutions actually need.

Why large‑scale portfolios guarantee that humans will miss something - and how an AI layer can stop the rot early, while still taking advantage of having a human in the loop.

If you would like to learn more about this technology, connect with Shane Cooper or Rishi Juta on LinkedIn. For more information on AI-specific applications, you'll find Shane's contact details on the Forvis Mazars website.

Private markets are playing a growing role in global investing. Private equity, private credit, infrastructure and private property investments are a significant part of economic activity. And with more companies remaining private for longer, investors will need to look deeper for the opportunities of tomorrow.

These markets come with challenges related to daily price discovery, liquidity and due diligence. Although ETFs cannot solve these issues, they can act as a liqudity sleeve in situations where committed institutional capital can be invested in a liquid ETF until the private market manager calls the capital.

The benefits of this approach include reduced cash drag, efficient cost management in transactions and more certainty over cash deployment for the parties to a transaction.

Duma Mxenge, Head of Business & Market Development at Satrix, joined me on this podcast to explain exactly how this works.

This discussion is aimed at institutional investors and professionals who are active in private markets.

This podcast was first published here. 

Disclaimer:

Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd & Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider. The information does not constitute advice as contemplated in FAIS. Use or rely on this information at your own risk. Consult your Financial Adviser before making an investment decision. While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSP’s, its shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaims all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information. For more information, visit https://satrix.co.za/products

The ocean is a mystical place that has captured our imagination as a species for as long as anyone can remember. And although there are many fish in the sea, unlocking that resource in a sustainable and profitable way really isn’t that simple.

Sea Harvest has signed off on an incredible year that demonstrates the depth of the strategy - quite literally. The way they think about the various seafood products is fascinating, as explained by CEO Felix Ratheb on this podcast.

With operating margin more than doubling in 2025 and headline earnings coming in 4.2x higher than the prior year, this income statement has plenty of operating leverage. This adds to the intrigue around the business model and how the group is managed, with those insights delivered by CFO Muhammad Brey in this discussion.

Get ready to learn from Felix and Muhammad on this excellent podcast. The passion for the ocean comes through just as clearly as the numbers.

This podcast deals with topics like:

The importance of hake to Sea Harvest's business

Diversification beyond hake - and beyond South Africa's waters as well

Why the Ladismith Cheese disposal makes strategic sense

Key features of the business model that lead to such high operating leverage

The approach taken to managing financial risks like fuel costs and forex movements

Sustainable fishing and how Sea Harvest interacts with the precious resources in our oceans

The financial outlook for the group, recognising the cyclicality in the model

Sea Harvest believes strongly in the value of Ghost Mail in the South African investment ecosystem. They have sponsored this podcast for readers, but I was allowed to ask whatever I wanted to ask. Please do your own research and do not treat this podcast as an endorsement of Sea Harvest as an investment.