South Africa's May 2024 Election - Binary, but fraught with opportunity

ABOUT

BizNews is hosting a one-off conference in London within a fortnight of South Africa's historic May 29 General Election where the socialist African National Congress's three decades of political dominance is set to be replaced by the country's first coalition government in more than a century.

South Africa's economy has massively underperformed, especially over the past decade and a half, as the ANC followed the well-trodden destructive path of liberation-focused political parties. But with the ANC's vote share sure to drop below 50% for the first time since it assumed power in 1994. With the emergence of Jacob Zuma's MK party and the buoyancy enjoyed by numerous new entrants, it is not inconceivable the ANC's share drops into the mid-30s.

Apart from focusing on likely changes the election will introduce, this one-day event will also expose three unexposed areas in the SA economy with vast potential: game-changing oil and gas discoveries off the Cape's Southern and Western coastlines; the massive boom in private solar power which is fast eradicating electricity scarcity; and rapid expansion of the informal sector which offers exciting investment opportunities.

Alec Hogg, founder of BizNews, an independent South African publisher, will host this one-off event featuring seven South African-based thought-leaders. Their insights will be shared in an intimate setting (max 200 delegates) and in an interactive format. Not since full democracy dawned for the country three decades ago has SA been on the brink of such major change - fraught with danger but also offering great opportunity.

This is a rare opportunity for those based in Europe to get an inside track on seismic changes that will be ushered in by an election to be held a fortnight later in South Africa, its continent's most industrialised economy.

Programme

08:30 - Registration - tea, coffee and pastries

08:50 - Welcome and overview - Alec Hogg, founder of BizNews

09:00 - From effective one-party state to Coalitions - how the new political dispensation will transform SA's growth trajectory - Dr FRANS CRONJE, political scientist, chairman of the Social Research Foundation; former CEO of the Institute of Race Relations.

10:00—The world's next oil and gas province—South Africa's third natural resource miracle after diamonds and gold — JAMES LORIMER MP, shadow minister of Mineral Resources in the Democratic Alliance, SA's official opposition.

11:00 - Mid-morning tea, coffee and biscuits

11:15 - Will SA still be a great country to live in, in 2025? - PAUL O'SULLIVAN, forensic investigator, founder of Forensics For Justice; Ace crime fighter whose investigations jailed two SA Police Commissioners.

12:15 - The solar revolution; why things are looking up and how it is helping to beat SA's electricity shortage - ANDREW MIDDLETON, actuary and former investment banker, CEO of GoSolr, SA's leading retail solar power provider.

13:00 - Finger Lunch

13:45 - South Africa's thriving, massive, unrecorded, unappreciated informal sector - GG ALCOCK, SA informal sector specialist and advocate; author of bestsellers 'Born White, Zulu Bred', 'Kasinomics'; Director of AltVest.

14:45 - How tech-rich AltVest democratises small business access to capital by democratising private equity - WARREN WHEATLEY, CA (SA); founder and CEO of SA's disruptive financial services player.

15:30 - Mid-afternoon tea, coffee and brownies

15:45 - Investing in Turnarounds and Emerging Markets - some ideas for the new-look South Africa - SEAN PECHE, portfolio manager of Ranmore Global Equity Fund.

16:45 - Summary and conclusion followed by drinks

17:30 - Conference ends

DIRECTIONS