Analysis by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) comparing 2020 with the 2008 global financial crisis indicates that remote workers are likely to cope better in recessions in general (see the chart; one of its top for 2020). Teleworkers have generally fared better than individuals working for compa
Earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a difficult truth - Covid-19 is far from over, with cases spiking in different parts of the country. Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a difficult truth – Covid-19 is far from over, with cases spiking on the Garden Route, Eastern Cap
South African, Chinese citizens have been among those at the front of the queue for property investments and visa opportunities in Portugal. South African and Chinese citizens have been among those at the front of the queue for property investments in Portugal, partly to snap up a piece of sunny Med
Covid-19 vaccines have been described as the great weapon that will end the war against the pandemic. But, SA can only expect mass roll out from mid-2021, health ministry officials and advisors said at a webinar earlier this week.People who live in overcrowded settings – including in prisons and inf
The relationship between public relations (PR) practitioners and journalists is a peculiar one, starting with the expectation that the role of the PR must remain invisible in the information that appears in the media. Journalists have largely been acculturated to play along with the process.For thos
There’s little festive cheer anywhere in the world as Covid-19 containment measures have stopped business activity at the busiest time for the retail and hospitality sectors. Although vaccines are being rolled out in the US and the UK, New Yorkers have been warned by their mayor, Bill de Blasio, to
Ramaphosa needs to continue with a long-overdue shake up of the state entities that are sucking up taxpayers’ funds and this starts with Eskom.President Cyril Ramaphosa’s corruption crackdown is bearing fruit. More than 100 people have been arrested since September and corrupt multinationals have be
Jackie Cameron spent a pleasurable hour on Zoom in the company of characterful world-leading futurist Faith Popcorn and Dean Jon Foster-Pedley. Covid-enforced rules of engagement have given us all rare glimpses into other people’s lives that otherwise would have been unlikely. This week I was fortun
Piet Viljoen built a reputation as an asset management rock star at Investec before starting his own firm – to deal with his mid-life crisis, he told me with a wry smile at the time he took the plunge into entrepreneurship by launching RECM. Viljoen has stubbornly stuck to his value style of stock s
Britain’s health secretary Matt Hancock was overcome with emotion as one of the first men, named William Shakespeare and incredibly from the same area as the 16th century playwright, received a Covid-19 vaccine. Tuesday has been dubbed V-day, a play on D-day – the Normandy landings that started the
As cricket cancellation highlights, Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on sports: from professionals to school talent.England’s cricket tour of South Africa came to an abrupt halt on Monday as an SA player and hotel staff members tested positive for Covid-19. This is a disappointment not only for
12J investments are appealing more and more to South Africans incentivised to look beyond domestic assets for investment opportunities.A daily diet of headlines on corruption and economic contraction has incentivised many South Africans to look beyond domestic assets for investment opportunities. Ra
Magnus Heystek is one of the most popular columnists at BizNews.com. The former personal finance editor, author and founder of award-winning Brenthurst Wealth Management has a gift for writing about money in an engaging style and, perhaps equally importantly, a rare talent for de-mystifying complex
Julius Malema is known for stirring up racial tension for political effect. Now he is encouraging his supporters to attack police officers.Julius Malema is known for stirring the pot of racial tension for political effect. He has told us he isn’t anti-white, which is why he hires white lawyers to fi
Full taxis, no social distancing, sloppy mask-wearing: perhaps it's time to heed the call of the UK's prime minister to be 'jolly cautious'. With Covid-19 spiking up in parts of the country, there are fears restrictions will be tightened, leading to further job losses and business closures. The Orga
Energy expert Chris Yelland investigated and exposed that Eskom employees were fabricating reports about levels of pollution to keep regulators happy.As many as 20,000 people a year are dying prematurely because of toxins spewing out of Eskom coal-powered stations. That’s the number of people, rough
I recently helped a relative with a small payment of the equivalent of one month’s salary towards a property deposit for a home in the UK. The lawyer refused to take my money unless it came via a bank account. Furthermore, I had to explicitly demonstrate this money was earned legally.In South Africa
Magda Wierzycka says ‘greedy’ asset managers control your savings by blocking offshore investment to protect their wealth - not yours.A little gem that fell out of the lips of a highly paid investment professional during an interview at his Pinelands office has never left me: ‘Asset management is a
Giving us hope is the small army of corruption busters. Take the story of Stephen van Coller, who has actively worked at rooting out corruption at EOH.Under Zuma the state was repurposed to serve a group of cadres, rather than the people of SA. This has been highlighted by the DA’s Shadow Minister f
The South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) released a 104-page financial stability report on Tuesday in which it highlights that the country’s financial system has demonstrated resilience in the face of the unprecedented shock of Covid-19 containment measures. This was published on its website at best tw
After drawing attention to the economic pain that will emanate from two ratings agency downgrades, Mboweni asked what should be done about SAA? After the opposition Democratic Alliance produced long lists of politicians, retired officials and spouses enjoying flight freebies on taxpayers’ backs at t
Ratings agencies took analysts and the government by surprise at the start of the weekend. South Africa plunged deeper into junk territory after Moody’s Investors Service joined Fitch Ratings in lowering the country’s credit ratings to a level worse than in 1994 (full details, here). The National Tr
The circular recently issued by the Sarb that reclassified ETFs referencing foreign assets as domestic assets caught everyone by surprise. Recently the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) went unnoticed when it released Exchange Control Circular Number 15/2020 – with the exception of someone with a ke
Accountants and auditors have played a central role in the state capture story that characterised the Jacob Zuma presidency – yet they have largely remained out of the spotlight in the crackdown on corruption. KPMG, which had deep ties with the Gupta and Zuma families, is a notable exception.Whistle