Premium: RIP JKB – a giant in SA liberal thinking and a BizNews tribesman to boot

START YOUR MORNING BY LISTENING TO TODAY'S BIZNEWS BREAKFAST BRIEFING PODCAST: Shares rocket despite Fed's 0.75% rate hike; Rand rises strongly; BN favourites report – Spotify jumps 12%; Meta falls 6%; Dr Frans Cronje on SA's rebound.That unwavering pillar of hope and good sense, Bobby Godsell, closed off an interview two years ago by reminding us how South Africa has always been cursed by its governors – but blessed by its people. In our engagement yesterday, Dr Frans Cronje opined that this depressing 400 year stretch will soon end..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Cronje's thesis is after coalition politics arrives on the national stage in 2024, it will usher in a new era of economic prosperity for SA. Sadly, one of Cronje's long-time former colleagues at the IRR, John Kane-Berman, will not be here to share in the fruits of tireless labouring for his homeland's true new dawn..An email this morning from John Endres, Cronje's successor as CEO at the IRR, informs that JKB has passed away after a short illness. Johannesburg-born, the Wits-educated Oxford Rhodes Scholar, former journalist and author was 76. Endres says "his work was always informed by an unshakeable commitment to freedom.".Adding that he leaves a 'profound legacy' and his "brave and unstinting commitment to the liberal cause inspired legions of SA liberals, myself included." We mourn the passing of this member of the BizNews tribe. Farewell JKB. You ran a great race. RIP..WATCH: For over a decade, Dr Frans Cronje was SA's party pooper. The former CEO of the IRR was perceived as an arch pessimist, a man guaranteed to prick bubbles of optimism before they could inflate. He regarded himself merely as a realist, sharing the harsh truth because anything else would have been dishonest. Cronje's prescience when the country was sliding into its darkest period adds considerable weight to the credibility of his forecast of a political transformation that is set to unleash SA's undeniable potential. In this fascinating podcast, Cronje explains to Alec Hogg of Biznews how he reached his phoenix rising conclusions. Shaped by deep polling of ANC voters, a bloc now busy divorcing itself from a party it regards as useless, incompetent and corrupt. The future, he predicts, will be governance by a German or Israeli-type coalition – a unique situation for a nation which for 400 years has been subjected to a dominant, often abusive ruler..More for you to read today: .Stocks End Higher After Fed Decision on Interest Rates. Investors also cheer better-than-expected results from megacap tech companiesFacebook Parent Meta Platforms Reports First Ever Revenue Drop. Social-media giant missed Wall Street's sales expectation by 10%, shares drop 6% in after hours tradingMbeki's attack on Ramaphosa is a watershed. Douglas Gibson on the former ANC President's criticism of the current ANC President's failure to live up to his promisesSpotify Adds Subscribers, Ad Revenue Despite Fears of U.S. Economic Malaise. Shares jump 12% after the audiostreaming company surpassed forecasts growing subscriber base by 19%.NB FOR YOUR WALL STREET JOURNAL ACCESS….As a Premium subscriber you are entitled to full membership of wsj.com (normal price $29 a month). Be sure to action your access through the Premium link on the BizNews website. Because of The Wall Street Journal's credential requirements, be sure to create a password which has at least 8 characters and includes at least one letter and one number – NB it MAY NOT contain any special characters (ie #, !, @ etc). To maintain access to WSJ.com, you MUST enter our partner's website via Biznews Premium at least once a month. A final PS, if you had previously signed up for WSJ you'll need to clear the cookies from your device. Our helpdesk can assist – support@alecbiznews-com

Premium: RIP JKB – a giant in SA liberal thinking and a BizNews tribesman to boot

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