Alec Hogg’s regular column covering investment, economics, moneycraft and, occasionally, something very personal.
My UNDICTATED column for Business Day this week has a look at something very close to the heart. In the mid 1990s, I ran Group Communications at ABSA. Among the responsibilities was media relations, an especially tricky task. The relationship between the bank and reporters was at rock bottom. It wasn’t exactly my forte’ either. … Read more
There’s much to be said for personal experience. My first stock market bubble was in 1987. Things were so crazy back then that my employer, Prescon, ran a daily share tipping service. Punters would phone an answering machine which would play my recorded “tip” of the day. They paid the equivalent of R8 000 a month … Read more
Hi there, I had a hunch last week’s invitation to write for Biznewz would generate positive response. What actually happened blew me away. Best read stories on the site on Wednesday and Thursday were both by community members. And today we’re heading for a trifecta with the lovely “What it means to be an African”. … Read more
There’s plenty excitement in my hometown about the triumphal return by its business community’s most famous son, Ivan Glasenberg. The billionaire who runs the R700bn Glencore group – and regularly raids Johannesburg’s top schools for fresh talent – last week told the world his group intends applying for a secondary listing on the JSE. Put … Read more
Last week’s column for the Financial Mail generated a lot of heat. Especially the part towards the end criticizing the Naspers directorate for agreeing an open-ended deal with its brilliant CEO Koos Bekker which has netted him R14.5bn so far. The magazine’s space restrictions made it difficult to record the other side of the argument … Read more
My UNDICTATED column in Business Day this week stirred some very powerful pots. And reminded me that everyone is entitled to change their mind. Especially elephants. And especially about stuff said in, erm, convivial surroundings. Richemont chairman Johann Rupert says my take on his relationship with Naspers’s Koos Bekker is “devoid of any truth”. Bekker … Read more
I’m really loving getting older. That reality hit me this week when the first “Rational Alternative” column appeared in the Financial Mail. My better half said she loved the photo the FM had used. Personally, fewer lines and some more hair would have been preferable. But those come with aging. And when you really think … Read more
On Mondays, my Undictated column appears in Business Day newspaper. Here is this week’s contribution. It reminds us how billionaire Dave King actually made his money. And how the most unlikely of beings – a totally committed public servant – proved to be his Nemesis. The family of the late Charles “Carl” Chipps have good … Read more
Comedian Spike Milligan chose the unlikely title of Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall for his autobiography about wartime experiences. It’s similar for me writing about the late Sir David Frost, the broadcaster’s broadcaster, who died over the weekend. I never saw Frost in person. But his influence on my career was immense. In … Read more
I can’t remember when last I published a Media Statement in full. But it’s not often you get one that cost more than R1m per word. Or that the company whose executive chairman is the central character becomes the JSE’s biggest mover on the day, jumping 27% in value. This is no ordinary release. It … Read more