Bruce Whitfield’s Business Week

Doctors on demand. Plus: Peace in Iran and what it means for your bond

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.

SPAR’s comeback story. Plus: High oil prices linger longer

In this episode, Bruce puts SPAR CEO Reeza Isaacs in the hot seat. Isaacs, the retailer’s third CEO in three years, takes questions on why profits have more than halved, what’s gone wrong with the independent retail model, and how to roll out a turnaround plan that is more than just talk. We also get a glimpse into Handwritten, YuppieChef co-founder Andrew Smith’s new book on building one of South Africa’s most beloved online retailers from the ground up. Old Mutual’s Meryl Pick makes sense of a surprisingly well-behaved oil price, a dovish new Fed chair, and MTN’s long-awaited continental comeback. Lastly, News24 Business editor Helena Wasserman explores the mining sector’s anger over a new industrialisation policy, SA’s better-than-expected GDP number, and a court ruling that could quietly take the shine off crypto in South Africa. 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.

Tiger Brands roars back. Plus: The South African spirit born from a dad joke

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.

The AI hospital is here. Plus: SA’s pothole crisis meets its match

In this episode, Bruce chats with Netcare CEO Richard Friedland about how AI and digitisation are transforming healthcare. With savings now exceeding implementation costs, smartwatches are monitoring patients in real time, and algorithms detect sepsis long before symptoms appear. As Friedland puts it, the clinical AI revolution is already here. News24 Business editor Helena Wasserman unpacks new legislation on pay gap disclosure, Absa group CEO Kenny Fihla’s extraordinary talent raid on Standard Bank, and Pepkor’s bold move into banking with its new PlusB offering. Jaraad Hassim, founder of PatchPal, has a deceptively simple fix for South Africa’s pothole crisis: biodegradable mesh bags of cold-mix asphalt that can be dropped in, overlapped, and driven over. It works; municipalities are testing it. Now, the last remaining hurdle to clear is the law. Lastly, Jean Pierre Verster of Protea Capital Management compares Life Healthcare and Netcare, unpacks Pepkor’s banking ambitions, and weighs in on Pick n Pay. 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.

WeBuyCars backs itself as Chinese brands shake the showroom. Plus: Southern Sun’s best year yet

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.