Alec Hogg's Transcribed Interviews - Business & Financial Interviews

PPC’s CEO Gordhan: Got the name, attitude; strategy; projects. Coat-tail him to grab a share of the African Dream

19th November 2013

Inspiring. Driven. Smart. You could devise many more superlatives for the man who, in January, took the reins at cement manufacturer PPC. But whatever they are, ordinary won’t be among them. Like most of us, he regards income disparity as a major threat to South Africa’s future. But instead of lip service, has done something … Read more

Loucas Pouroulis transformed “Lefcockroach” into Elands – can he promote coal play Keaton as adeptly?

19th November 201319th November 2013

Coal miner Keaton Energy produced breakthrough first half results this year – a 192% increase in HEPS, and a 70% increase in revenue to be precise, thanks to an increases in its production capacity. Keaton is a coal-focused group, and as CEO Mandi Glad explains in this interview, the company is betting that Eskom’s plans … Read more

The end of China’s one child policy – who cares?

19th November 201319th November 2013

China has announced the easing of its so-called one-child policy, a policy that restricted many couples in China to a single offspring, although there were always many exclusions, such as an exclusion for rural people, or for couples where both partners were only children. Some parts of the media have hailed this as an important … Read more

Telkom: Time to bet on its Dream Team; always had great assets, but now being well managed for first time

18th November 201318th November 2013

I’ve been warming to Telkom lately. During research into the saga around the suspension of its CFO Jacques Schindehutte it became apparent that new chairman Jabu Mabuza has used his considerable influence to gather around him a board and management that’s as close to a Dream Team as SA can deliver. Today’s announcement that Vodacom’s … Read more

Insider’s view of what went wrong at Abil, ways to fix the unsecured lending problem – Abil’s former CFO Dave Woollam

18th November 201318th November 2013

Dave Woollam had a 25 year career in financial services, moving from Tom Boardman’s BOE through to the boom times at African Bank (Abil). But a serious disagreement over strategy with Abil’s CEO Leon Kirkinis caused him to leave the now beleaguered micro-lender three years ago (although it was spun rather differently at the time … Read more

A spiral of strikes, unsecured debt, job losses, and poverty – the latest on mining & manufacturing

15th November 201315th November 2013

Recent data from the Manufacturing Circle shows that, perhaps unsurprisingly, confidence among South Africa’s manufacturers has remained weak in the three months to the end of September. As the wave of strikes continue – the latest being a strike among transport workers – manufacturers, and their peers in the mining sector, are facing major challenges. As Pan-African … Read more

Newly listed Glencore is the JSE’s third-biggest company, but not in the Top 40 – when will it be?

15th November 201315th November 2013

The listing of mining and commodities group Glencore Xstrata was a major event, and the Swiss headquartered group is now the third most-valuable company listed on the JSE. However, because local ownership levels remain low – Glencore has its primary listing in London, and is also listed in Hong Kong – the company is not … Read more

Betting QE will continue? Juicy 12% yielding Arrowhead, property stock that hunts in quiet places

14th November 2013

For as long as the US continues with Quantitative Easing – running the printing presses – interest rates worldwide will remain low and non-cash assets will continue flourishing. It’s an ideal scenario for Arrowhead, the JSE-listed property group which hunts outside the areas where others focus. In the year to end September, Arrowhead bought two … Read more

More People Power: Court forces Eskom to dismantle 4.5km of power lines, but it now threatens to erect them again

15th November 201314th November 2013

A few weeks ago attorney Anthony Norton told us about a court action where Midrand homeowners took Eskom to the High Court because the State utility illegally erected power lines on private property. Norton’s clients won the case and Eskom was instructed to remove the structures. As you’ll read below in the transcript of today’s … Read more

SA could be forced to write-off chunk of shale gas-rich Karoo if safe fracking impossible

24th November 201314th November 2013

That there is lots of shale gas in the Karoo is unquestioned. The apparently conservative update by the US’s EIA puts the deposit at the equivalent of more than 300 years of the country’s current annual crude oil consumption. But can it be commercially fracked, brought to the surface at the kind of costs the … Read more