Bruce Whitfield’s Business Week

In this episode, Greg Solomon, the new CEO of Pantry by Marble, discusses what it takes to scale a chef-driven luxury food concept without losing its soul. After 15 years of growing McDonald’s SA to 400 locations, Solomon is now applying that discipline to David Higgs’ rapidly expanding premium brand. Michelle Mokone of Mo’s Crib tells the story of two sisters from Mabopane who sold their iPhones to travel to New York, survived Covid-19 by making masks, cracked into the Target and CB2 markets, and are now taking their R4-million factory sale model to Los Angeles in December. News24 Business editor Helena Wasserman speaks on the government weighing R10 billion in fuel relief as petrol approaches R33 a litre; Richemont and Signet joining the De Beers consortium; and a billionaire bust-up between Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Minerals and the Sacco family’s Assore over a major manganese mine. Lastly, Gary Booysen of Rand Swiss tackles why hotter US inflation sent the Korean market into circuit breakers while South Africa shrugged it off, and what 65% IT earnings growth expectations mean for markets heading into US earnings season. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec. To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24’s Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels, or catch up on past episodes here. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.

In this episode, Capitec CEO Graham Lee joins Bruce to unpack another extraordinary set of results from South Africa’s most disruptive bank. With 16.5 million digital clients, a cost to income ratio that has dropped to just 36 cents in the rand and business banking growing at over 50%, Capitec continues to defy every sceptic. Lee explains why the branch network is not a cost but a competitive advantage, what fully banked really means and why he is more heavily weighting negative economic scenarios heading into 2027.Craig Pitchers, CEO of The Courier Guy, on the last mile problem that has plagued South African logistics for decades and how 3,500 pickup points, lockers and kiosks are finally starting to solve it. With fuel costs at record highs, doorstep delivery is the most expensive way to move a parcel, and the shift to collection points is not just convenient. It is the future of the industry.Helena Wasserman, editor of News24 Business, on the ports authority finally breaking free from Transnet, Goldfields making a bold half-trillion-rand bid for Australian miner Northern Star to become the world’s second largest gold producer, and the Gautrain getting new operators with fresh promises and French flair.And Meryl Pick of Old Mutual Investment Group on the seismic knock-on effect of the Dangote Refinery IPO for Nigeria’s currency and MTN investors, and whether stock markets always fall in rate hiking cycles.

In this episode, Momentum CEO Jeanette Marais unpacks a standout year, with normalised headline earnings hitting R7 billion ahead of schedule, five business segments crossing R1 billion for the first time, and India emerging as the group’s most exciting long-term growth story after the health insurance joint venture with Aditya Birla Capital turned profitable for the first time in a decade. Eben de Jongh, founder of Skubu, joins Bruce to explain why it is expensive to be poor, and how his refill-based retail concept in Diepsloot is cutting prices by up to 60% through eliminating packaging and buying directly upstream. Four stores in, with a more compact format called Skubu Nyana in development, the model is gaining serious momentum.News24 Business editor Helena Wasserman reflects on Pick'n Pay tapping a former Woolworths executive as its next CEO, Remgro sitting on R22 billion in cash and feeling unusually bullish about South Africa, and Neal Froneman’s serious plans for a Formula One circuit near Malmesbury in the Western Cape. And David Shapiro of Otto 1890 on why AI is now the defensive play in global markets, Nvidia trading at a lower multiple than the S&P 500 despite a R5.5 trillion market cap, and the one thing that keeps him up at night about the sustainability of this market. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec.To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24’s Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels, or catch up on past episodes here. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.

In this episode, Bruce chats with Stuart Williams, CEO of Rolux Global, about one of the most unlikely turnaround stories in South African business. In 2023, six weeks from closure, Williams shipped product cold into the United States with no brand and no customers. It sold out in six weeks. He has since moved his family to Atlanta, partnered with EGO Commercial on battery mowers to crack California, and is building a deliberately niche but genuinely underserved global business. The episode also features Deon Gouws of Credo in London on Andy Burnham’s UK leadership prospects; why Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s hawkish stance has limits when inflation is supply-driven; and why 30 years of government debt warnings haven’t yet collapsed the system. Business editor Helena Wasserman weighs in on the week’s big talking point: Alcoa’s acquisition of Hillside, South Africa’s biggest power user. Also up for discussion are the Constitutional Court’s dismissal of the broad rand manipulation case, and growing anxiety about the Government Employees’ Medical Scheme. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec. To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24's Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.

In this episode, Bruce chats with AD Schoeman, co-founder of The Surgical Assistant, about the platform connecting unemployed young doctors with surgeons needing theatre assistants. Built from personal frustration in 2018, it now spans a staffing platform, a training academy and an NPO, though the founders admit it only thrives because the system around it is failing. Helena Wasserman, editor of News24 Business, unpacks the Iran peace deal and what it means for SA interest rates, Vodacom’s new pay disclosure, and the IDC’s deal to rescue Tongaat from liquidation. Bruce also looks at Premier Group’s record year, with revenue up 6.6% and profit up 29.3%, driven by volume rather than price, plus its R6.5 billion acquisition of RFG Holdings. And Rand Swiss portfolio manager Gary Booysen makes sense of the markets: SpaceX post-IPO, oil and Sasol after the Iran deal, and what it all means for interest rates. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec. To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24's Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.

Bruce chats with Tiger Brands CEO Tjaart Kruger about a robust set of interim results: operating income up 26.1% and R9.2 billion returned to shareholders since 2024. But with geopolitical uncertainty expected to bite harder in the second half, the question is whether the momentum holds. Adrian Kinsey-Quick tells the story of Bangbroek Aperitif, a vodka-based spirit infused with Karoo Agave Syrup, cinnamon and a chilli kick, born as a tribute to a fearless dad and now making its mark on South Africa’s crowded spirits market. Helena Wasserman unpacks the US government’s proposed new tariffs on South African imports, a health ministry crackdown on Dis-Chem, and Canal+’s quiet JSE debut, replacing Mr Price on the Top 40. And Graeme Korner makes sense of markets – where AI is driving extraordinary flows into chips and memory while draining liquidity elsewhere, and what the SpaceX IPO means for the broader market. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec. To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24's Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.

This week on the podcast, Bruce chats with WeBuyCars CEO Faan van der Walt about how Chinese and Indian vehicles are reshaping South Africa's used-car market, accelerating depreciation for legacy brands, and forcing a new equilibrium in the industry. Despite the headwinds, WeBuyCars is backing itself hard, expanding aggressively, targeting 20% market share, and doing it all without debt. Then, Southern Sun’s Marcel von Aulock unpacks a standout year for the hotel group, but with the G20 tailwind fading and global uncertainty mounting, can the momentum last? Plus, Rand Swiss portfolio manager Gary Booysen offers market insights, and News24 Business editor Helena Wasserman examines the stories shaping the economy. Lastly, well-known human potential expert Nikki Bush joins Bruce to explore the number one way to improve your leadership. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec.To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24's Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.

In this episode, Bruce explores the global fallout from the Iran conflict – and why the risks extend far beyond oil prices. Omnia Group CEO Seelan Gobalsamy explains how disruptions to fertiliser supply chains could place renewed pressure on food prices, farmers and the broader economy, even if a peace deal is reached. Helena Wasserman, editor of News24 Business, unpacks China's tariff removal on thousands of South African exports, Pick n Pay's labour shakeup, and what a potential US-Iran agreement could mean for the rand and local markets. Portfolio manager Meryl Pick shares why elevated oil prices may persist longer than markets expect, while Nic Eve, CEO of Donkey Long Tong, tells the story of how a joke around a braai became one of South Africa's most recognisable outdoor brands. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec. To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24's Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.