Riaan Botha, Head of Benefit Consulting and Actuary, Simeka Consultants and ActuariesThe proposal from Treasury to postpone the implementation of the two-pot retirement system to March 2025 was noted with a sigh of relief from the retirement industry, and...
Q4 2023

Optimising retirement outcomes for members – a change in mindset
Since March 2019, legislation changed such that instead of leaving pensioners to their own devices, funds had to have in place “default” retirement products, secured at institutional pricing and appropriate for the needs of most members. These “default annuity...
Limiting medical aid increases isn’t the answer to our healthcare woes
Gary Feldman, Executive Head of Healthcare Consulting, NMG Benefits The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) recently recommended that medical aid schemes cap their contribution increases for 2023 at 5.7%. On the face of it, limiting medical aid increases looks like a...
Are insurers doing enough to educate members on their insurance products?
Abdur-Rehman Mangera, Head: Group Benefits, Bryte LifeInsurance products often top the list of grudge purchases despite the industry’s vital role as an economic enabler and financial safeguard. That becomes less surprising when we realise how little consumers...
How health, wellness and financial wellbeing intersect in South Africa
Fazlin Swanepoel, Head of Alexforbes Health, Alexforbes‘Focusing on health, wellness and financial wellbeing is like our GPS through the twists and turns of progress,’ says Fazlin Swanepoel, head of Alexforbes Health. Health and wellness are more than just buzzwords;...
Hybrid working – is this all we need retain strong talent?
Guy Chennells, Head: Product, Discovery Employee BenefitsIn the US, which is well known for being a front runner in global trends, we can see starkly the incredible revolution of hybrid working. While the hybrid work trend spiked during COVID, it has stabilised since...
5 Ways boards will leverage AI for next gen governance in 2024: the future of board portals
Zeldeen Muller, CEO, AgendaWorx.com, Board PortalsAs we stand on the cusp of 2024, the role of the board member is undergoing a transformation that is nothing short of revolutionary. Gone are the days of sifting through endless paperwork, relying solely on human...
Real and perceived obstacles to infrastructure investment are falling away
Thabo Khojane, Managing Director, Ninety One South AfricaSouth Africa has faced significant infrastructure investment challenges, from low levels of government funding capacity to investor concerns about governance, to a lack of project pipeline. Now, however, the...
Investors can find “safety” in SA asset valuations
David Knee, Chief Investment Officer, M&G InvestmentsDespite the unexpectedly challenging year 2023 has proved to be so far for South African assets, investment managers have not gone rushing for the exits to seek “safety” offshore. Many view local assets as...
On matters of environmental, social, and governance (ESG): Less exclusionary approaches, more coordinated and contextualised approaches
Lebohang Mofokeng, Equities Analyst, Argon Asset ManagementESG has become a mainstream business activity compared to yesteryears when these factors were marginalised against financial performance metrics. Over time, the relevance of ESG for policymakers and...