Outraged unions fight govt cuts; fresh SAA bail-out; coronavirus leaps outside China; Massmart, Implats

Loading player...
In today's business news headlines:
* The credibility of South Africa’s proposals to curb debt and save its sole investment-grade credit rating will be put to the test by powerful labour unions outraged by plans to pare back the wage bill;
* Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has told journalists the government would be "stupid" to make noises that will precipitate the collapse of troubled national carrier SAA, which has received more taxpayers' funds to keep it in the air;
* The speed at which coronavirus is spreading outside China has overtaken the pace of the spread of the disease in the country where the first case was reported in early December, the World Health Organisation says;
* South Africa will lose out on Chinese tourism spend this year, with no Chinese tourists scheduled to visit the country this year - which is a far cry from the usual 100,000 travellers who visit the Western Cape and beyond.
* Retail giant Massmart, owner of Game, Makro and DionWired, reported a staggering R1.1bn headline loss in the 2019 financial year; and
* Impala Platinum posted a rise in half-year earnings, reinstated dividends and halted closure of two shafts, after higher metals prices and improved operations boosted profits, says Reuters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 Feb 2020 7AM English South Africa Investing · Business News

Other recent episodes

BizNews Edge: Stranger than fiction - Jooste's consigliere meets ET-type end

Today's BizNews Edge covers three stories that cut to the heart of South African business and politics. John Steenhuisen has broken publicly with the DA, naming Geordin Hill-Lewis and Tony Leon in allegations that threaten serious damage to the party just months before the 2026 municipals. Prosus, once a byword…
29 Jun 5AM 24 min

Criminalising corporate silence with Wendy Addison

South Africa's first high-profile whistleblower Wendy Addison is done talking shop. She's raised a criminal docket against a corporation and its directors for silencing two financial industry whistleblowers — and she thinks it could be a watershed moment. Can personal criminal accountability finally give whistleblower protection real teeth?
29 Jun 3AM 23 min

BN Daybreak: Strait of Hormuz showdown as US and Iran head back to Doha

Vessels are still threading the Strait of Hormuz, but a Bloomberg analyst calls it Schrodinger's Strait: you never know if it's open until you try to get through. With traffic down to a fraction of normal and ships taking hits, owners are weighing whether the world's most vital oil route…
28 Jun 9PM 15 min