Rational Perspective

South Africa’s mining and energy minister Gwede Mantashe provided plenty of food for thought at this morning’s Junior Mining Indaba in Johannesburg. Including his call for an end to the “insane and silly” debate into the future of Eskom, coal, renewables and the nation’s energy security. Given that Mantashe arrived fresh from the first cabinet Lakgotla of the new Ramaphosa Administration, his perspectives carry considerable weight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confirmation of how South Africa’s government has turned business friendly came this morning at the Junior Mining Indaba in Johannesburg. Less than a week after his reappointment and fresh from a three day cabinet Lekgotla, mining and energy minister Gwede Mantashe provided some quite astonishing and very specific guidance guidance to junior miners…have a listen and you, too, might be heading off to explore for potential golden riches near the world famous Vredefort Crater… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of South Africa’s May 8th general election, president Cyril Ramaphosa put a lot of emphasis on following a business-friendly agenda that would get the country working again. And to do so quickly. True to his word, over the weekend Ramaphosa called together his cabinet for the first Lekgotla of the new administration, just days after appointing them. The reappointed mining minister, who has the energy portfolio added to his responsibilities is 63 year old Gwede Mantashe. Like Ramaphosa, he is a former secretary general of the National Union of Mineworkers. This morning Mantashe became the first cabinet minister to take a public platform. I went along to the opening of the Junior Mining Indaba at Johannesburg’s Country Club in Auckland Park, joining a packed room of miners who were mostly grateful to have an industry veteran fighting their corner in cabinet debates. Mantashe confirms that a breath of fresh air is blowing through relationships between government and business - here are some of the highlig

In today's business headlines: The IMF says South Africa needs to take “robust actions” to reduce its fiscal deficit and reverse the increase in public debt; The Absa purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has dropped again in May after a slight rise in April; South African vehicle sales fall again; The rand ended slightly firmer and the Bloomberg year-end forecast looks rosy; The Public Protector fires another salvo at Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chief executive of South African Airways, Vuyani Jarana has quit, citing a critical dearth of funding and the government’s lack of support for the airline’s turnaround plan. The 240,000-strong Public Servants Association wants to get its members money out of Eskom bonds. An anonymous Warren Buffett fan will pay just over $4.5m to have lunch with his hero. The multi-million pound franchise of previously undefeated boxing champion Anthony Joshua took a hiding in New York on Saturday night when the six foot six giant was knocked out in the seventh round by Andy Ruiz, a six foot two no-hoper with a roly-poly physique. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ramaphosa has named his Cabinet and we now have some insight into what the president is thinking and where he is heading. In this week’s episode, Alec Hogg and Felicity Duncan discuss the Cabinet appointments and reflect on what they may mean for the country. They also ask some serious questions about the future of the DA, which struggled in this year’s national election. After a disappointing showing, where is the DA headed next and how can it get back on track? They also take a look at another struggling institution: Tesla, which has seen its share price fall by 50% or so this year. They ask, has the visionary Elon Musk run out of road? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's business headlines: Investors react favourably to Ramaphosa's cabinet but the US-China trade war dampens sentiment; Shares tumble in Chemical and fertiliser company Omnia Holdings after it announced  a rights offer of R2bn to cut debt; Ayo Technology Solutions and the PIC are suing each other; Africa is working towards the world’s largest free-trade zone, but it may take years; Auntie Patricia de Lille steals the show at the inauguration of the new cabinet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Rational Radio Live tonight, after lambasting some of the fallen favourites, market veteran David Shapiro shared some of his own investment ideas. The man who professes to read all the daily financial data from reporting companies, came up with some interesting names that are worth investigating. Naturally.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judging by the number of times the articles have been accessed and the buzz on our social media channels, the BIznews community has been enthralled by Brantam founder Derek Sumption's attack on Magnus Heystek. On Rational Radio Live, Sumption laid out his case - specifically that relative to SA, global markets are expensive right now, and, besides, that investing should never be an all or nothing exercise.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Rational Radio Live this evening, Prof Anthony Butler, author of the best selling biography of South Africa's president, shares his perspectives on what motivated Cyril Ramaphosa's cabinet choices. Global investors liked what they heard - giving the rand a push from a worst point of almost R14.90 against the US Dollar to a post announcement R14.64. Some very useful insights on SA politics's big development of 2019. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The relief among investors was clear to see as they assessed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s South African cabinet line-up. The slimmed down executive were given the thumbs-up and the retention of the crucial Finance Ministry post to Tito Mboweni, while allowing Pravin Gordhan as Public Enterprises Minister to continue the clean-up of the state owned enterprises calmed the markets. The Rand advanced immediately after the read out of the names and continued its upwards move gaining another 0.4% around midday after the announcement. Political analyst Melanie Verwoerd delves a little deeper into the Cabinet to assess what it means and whether Ramaphosa is accelerating the clean-up of state capture. - Linda van Tilburg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the Brexit drama engulfing the UK and resulting in the scalp of yet another Prime Minister, it's tempting to overlook that country as a place to start a new business. However, the reality is that the UK's highly advanced first world market coupled with the fact that it remains geographically close to the Eurozone still continues to make it an attractive investment destination, despite Brexit. And in this interview, Sable International's Scott Brown explains how you can go about registering a new company in the UK. - Gareth van Zyl See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's business headlines:  Ramaphosa has announced a slimmed-down Cabinet, reflecting a clean-up but there are some political trade-offs; The Rand gains following the announcement of the Cabinet; Naspers says it is not abandoning South Africa as it plans to list in Amsterdam; Royal Dutch Shell takes a second stake in South African hydrocarbon project; and  Trade unionists are included for the first time on the PIC board. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's the full Cyril Ramaphosa cabinet announced on 29 May 2019: The Deputy President is David Mabuza. The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is Thoko Didiza. The Deputy Ministers are Sdumo Dlamini and Mcebisi Skwatsha. The Minister of Basic Education is Angie Motshekga. The Deputy Minister is Dr Regina Mhaule. The Minister of Communications is Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams. The Deputy Minister is Pinky Kekana. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The Deputy Ministers are Parks Tau and Obed Bapela. The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans is Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. The Deputy Minister is Thabang Makwetla. The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheriesis Barbara Creecy. The Deputy Minister is Maggie Sotyu. The Minister of Employment and Labour is Thulas Nxesi. The Deputy Minister is Boitumelo Moloi. The Minister of Finance is Tito Mboweni. The Deputy Minister is Dr David Masondo. The Minister of Health is Dr Zwelini Mkhize.

Naspers has taken another big step towards the listing of its international internet assets onto the Euronext stock exchange in Amsterdam. The shares jumped 4% on the news that by mid July shareholders will be able to trade these assets in a new as yet unnamed business. CEO Bob van Dijk takes us through the key dates and implications for shareholders, especially those in South Africa. - Alec Hogg  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's headlines: The rand fell on speculation that graft-tainted David Mabuza could be re-appointed as deputy president. The Sibanye share price gained about 9% on the news that Lonmin and Sibanye shareholders have approved the takeover of struggling Lonmin. Reunert fell more than 5% as investors absorbed the details of the unaudited statements for the six months to the end of March, released on Monday. Also down on Tuesday was Telkom, which lost some of its gains earlier in the week, and Old Mutual - which unsettled investors after it announced that it had suspended its CEO Peter Moyo in connection with business conflicts of interest. MacKenzie Bezos, the ex-wife of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, has promised to give half her fortune to charity. She joins billionaires such as investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the Giving Pledge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's Simon Lincoln Reader's regular assessment of the political scene in the UK (where he lives) and SA (where he comes from). The dominant themes are Theresa May's unlamented departure; the two heavy hitters who lead the succession race; and some unenviable cabinet choices for the man putting together the new Ramaphosa cabinet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's headlines: Telkom was a big mover on the JSE as its share price jumped nearly 14% to an all-time high of just over R98 per share after it released its Group Provisional Annual Results for the year ended 31 March 2019. Other JSE stocks that gained in value on Monday included Pioneer Foods, which rose about 4%, and Sappi, which gained about 2.5%. Losers of the day included pharmaceuticals company Aspen, which shed about 4.5%. The big political story on Monday set out likely candidates for deputy president. With President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration over, the focus is on who he will appoint to his new cabinet. In global news, Chinese technology stock Tencent suffered a blow as one of its big investments, China Literature, continued to fall in value. Global stocks gained Monday after voters in European Union parliamentary elections showed broad but more fragmented support for pro-EU parties, while populist factions gained less ground than expected. Also benefiting from an improvement in the Euro was

Martin Wierzbicki, an MSc graduate from the University of Pretoria, is making waves in the world of wood science. He was recently named among three winners of the global 2018-2019 Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation Award for his research on genome-based biotechnology for designer wood. Wierzbicki’s work has focused on how the genetic makeup of trees can be changed to improve how wood reacts to industrial processing in order to maximise the extraction of biopolymers such as cellulose, lignin and xylan (a complex sugar found in plant cells). His work in this field is regarded as being among the most advanced yet and his research is expected to go a long way in maximising the output of the forestry industry while making it more environmentally sustainable. In this interview, Wierzbicki and his supervisor at UP, Zander Myburgh, tell us more. - Gareth van Zyl See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electrical engineering student Nadine Maselle was a matric student at Salt River High last year and, while there, she realised that her old school's computer lab could do with a much-needed improvement. So, when she became a fellow of the Facebook Community Leadership programme, she had an opportunity to give back after receiving a grant for $50,000. In this interview, Maselle tells us more about how that money has been used to beef up something called the 'Dream Lab'. - Gareth van Zyl See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.