Old Mutual earnings spike as firm gears up to find a new boss March 18, 2025 Pan-African financial services group Old Mutual recorded headline earnings growth of 20 per cent last year as the firm gears up to find a new CEO. The London-listed group reported 14 per cent growth in adjusted headline earnings, while profit after tax climbed nine per cent in its full-year results. However, the financial services group’s stock price [...]
Hannes Myburgh’s Meerlust Estate is wine tasting paradise March 18, 2025 Meerlust Rubicon was the first wine I bought en primeur. This is the process of buying wine while it is still aging, ahead of it coming to market. It means securing sought-after bottles at potentially lower prices while the winemakers receive an early cash flow. I felt very grown up and sophisticated and rather lucky [...]
Formula 1 race in Rwanda would be ‘blood-stained’, says DRC February 12, 2025 Formula 1 risks having its brand “smeared by a blood-stained association with Rwanda” if it presses ahead with talks to stage a grand prix in Kigali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has warned. DRC minister of foreign affairs Therese Kayikwamba Wagner wrote to F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali this week to urge him [...]
Springboks face new bid for stake by Leeds United private equity investors Ackerley Sports Group January 6, 2025 The world champion Springboks could sell off a stake of their commercial rights company to investors in Leeds United as South African rugby looks for a stronger financial footing. Seattle-based firm Ackerley Sports Group LLC is reportedly set to revive plans to invest in the 2023 Rugby World Cup winners after an initial bid foundered [...]
Springboks enter long-term deal with British rugby brand Rhino January 1, 2025 The South Africa rugby Springboks have a seven-year deal with ball supplier Rhino in a major boost to the British-founded brand. The deal will see the world champions use Rhino balls for their home Test matches while the agreement stretches to the women’s international team, and the Currie Cup. Rian Oberholzer, chief executive of SA [...]
Ollie Phillips: Dupont leads my 2024 rugby union awards December 20, 2024 For my last rugby union column of 2024 in print it’s only right that we hand out a couple of awards covering the last 12 months. Rugby has seen an Olympic Games sit front and centre of the calendar while there have been some surprises in terms of domestic winners. It wasn’t easy but I’ve [...]
Ninety One: Profit sags as investors continue to pull funds November 20, 2024 Investors pulled £5.3bn from asset manager Ninety One over the last six months, although a strong investment performance helped offset outflows. In the group’s half-year results, the Anglo-South African financial firm revealed that while outflows had hit growth, overall assets under management had risen one per cent to £127.4bn in the six months to 30 [...]
Non-doms: South Africa’s richest woman is fighting to stay in the UK November 18, 2024 When it comes to leaving countries in a hurry, Magda Wierzycka has plenty of experience. At just 12 years old, the South African entrepreneur and her parents fled their native Poland under the the cover of night, becoming refugees after its communist government declared martial law. Ending up in South Africa – via an Austrian [...]
Fortress Twickenham breached: England in a dark, dark place November 18, 2024 England’s 29-20 loss to South Africa was their fifth defeat on the bounce. Fortress Twickenham has been breached and Eddie Jones is up next for Steve Borthwick. If deep-pocketed disruptors really were to tempt more than 100 players away from their clubs to form a LIV Golf-style rugby competition as mooted last week, they’d be [...]
Time for England’s wilting roses to blossom against Boks November 15, 2024 When penning this column the niggling thought in my mind is that there’s no possible way that England beat the Springboks. Steve Borthwick’s wilting roses are struggling across the board, and shipped a record points total against a southern hemisphere side at home under his tenure in last week’s loss to Australia. Meanwhile South Africa, [...]