Thursday 19 September 2019

The Bosasa Billions - James Brent Styan




“A timely, thorough account of the Bosasa saga. The chronicle of the transition from
freedom fighters to unscrupulous state captors is astonishing.”
– PIETER-LOUIS MYBURGH, AUTHOR OF GANGSTER STATE


Venue:             The Pavilion, Kelvin Grove
Date:               Thursday 3rd October 2019
Time:               10h00 for 10h30
Speaker:          James Brent Styan


Guest Speaker James Brent Styan is the best-selling author of Heartbreaker - Christian Barnard and the first heart transplant and Steinhoff: Inside SA’s Biggest Corporate Crash both of which Thursday Club launched.  If you were lucky enough to be with us for these two events you will remember that James Brent Styan is one of the best speakers we have ever had the pleasure of hosting.  He is with us to tell us more about his recently launched book The Bosasa Billions which has been flying off the shelves and is into its second print run.

A NEW CHAPTER IN STATE CAPTURE: THE CULT OF BOSASA

With South Africans still reeling from the revelations of state capture, the next bombshell hit the country: Bosasa – grand-scale corruption that had cost taxpayers billions.

Whistle-blower Angelo Agrizzi and Bosasa boss Gavin Watson soon became household names while gripping testimony before the Zondo commission held the public in thrall: little black books, elaborate bribes and walk-in vaults.

When President Cyril Ramaphosa – the man tasked with reforming the country – became entangled in the web himself, it sparked a political firestorm that threatened to engulf his presidency.
In The Bosasa Billions, best-selling author James-Brent Styan and co-writer Paul Vecchiatto tell the story of how one company hijacked the state to establish an extensive tender network stretching right to the top of the ANC government.

Watson’s employees likened the workings of his company to that of a cult. Ultimately, however, Bosasa was not in the business of saving souls. It was selling them.

 
James Brent Styan
Authors
James-Brent Styan, the former financial and parliamentary journalist is the best-selling author of Steinhoff: Inside SA’s Biggest Corporate Crash.
Paul Vecchiatto has more than 16 years’ experience as a parliamentary correspondent for several publications and wire services.

Venue
The Pavilion has always been enjoyed by members and Kelvin Grove will be serving a brunch which sounds fabulous. A glass of bubbly will start proceedings. The price per person is R330 which includes service and venue hire.

For more information please either call Sandy on 021 685 8016 or email.sandybailey@telkomsa.net 

We look forward to this one and I am sure the morning will be thoroughly enjoyed by all.


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Monday 2 September 2019

The Stellenbosch Mafia - Inside the Billionaires' Club

Launching


Buitenverwachting Restaurant, Thursday 5th September

Guest speaker PIETER DU TOIT is a political journalist and has held senior positions at a number of Afrikaans titles, including political correspondent and news editor at Die Beeld in Johannesburg. In 2017 he was appointed Editor of Huffington Post South Africa. He has covered politics for more than a decade. His first book Enemy of The People was a best seller.

THE BOOK
About 50km outside of Cape Town lies the beautiful town of Stellenbosch, nestled against vineyards and blue mountains that stretch to the sky. Some of South Africa’s wealthiest individuals: all male, all Afrikaans live here – and all very, very rich; Johann Rupert, Jannie Mouton, Markus Jooste and Christo Weise, to name a few.

Julius Malema refers to them scathingly as ‘The Stellenbosch Mafia’, the very worst example of white monopoly capital.  But who really are these mega-wealthy individuals, and what influence do they exert not only on Stellenbosch but more broadly on South African society?
Author Pieter du Toit begins by exploring the roots of Stellenbosch, one of the wealthiest towns in South Africa and arguably the cradle of Afrikanerdom. This is the birthplace of apartheid leaders, intellectuals, newspaper empires and more.

He then closely examines this ‘club’ of billionaires. Who are they and, crucially, how are they connected? What network of boardroom membership, alliances, and family connections exists? Who are the ‘old guard’ and who are the ‘inkommers’, and what about the youngsters desperate to make their mark? He looks at the collapse of Steinhoff: what went wrong, and whether there are other companies at risk of a similar fate. He examines the control these men have over cultural life, including pulling the strings in South Africa rugby.

NITTY GRITTY
We return to the beautiful Buitenverwachting Restaurant for this luncheon. A superb 2-course luncheon with Amuse Bouche and Petit Fours including wines will cost you R495.

For more information or to book please telephone  021 685 8016 or email sandybailey@telkomsa.net.