A R21bn fintech empire hides inside Pepkor. Plus: The last old-school hotelier passes the keys

In this episode, Arthur Gillis, the last of the old-school hoteliers, reflects on 50 years in the industry, growing Protea Hotels from four properties to 116 across seven countries, negotiating its R2 billion sale to Marriott in 2014, and now handing the keys of Platinum Hospitality Holdings to his son Anton after deliberately leaving the room during the board process that appointed him. Patrick Schofield of BackaBuddy tells the story of a platform he inherited with no staff, no momentum, and R14 000 raised in its first month, to now being on track to reach R1 billion raised and 1 million donors in 2026, sustained by a bold decision to drop platform fees entirely in favour of optional donor tips. News24 Business editor Helena Wasserman unpacks Pepkor’s R21 billion fintech play targeting township traders, a trusted employer scheme cutting visa times from months to days, and Gareth Penny’s consortium emerging as the preferred bidder for De Beers. And Peter Armitage of Anchor Capital tells us why South African bonds are attracting record foreign capital and why the AI spend is the one secular force holding global markets together despite oil, inflation and rising long bond yields. This podcast is sponsored by Capitec. To catch every episode, click the follow and subscribe buttons on News24’s Spotify, Apple, and YouTube podcast channels, or catch up on past episodes here. Editions drop on Thursdays at 17:00.