Kaya 959 Kaya Biz

Dr Solomon Lefakane,Paediatrician

Loading player...
My dream as a child was not career driven but rather driven by the desire to escape poverty. At 18 I was compelled to plan my career path while at Orlando High School in 1954 when I started my matric year. The group of maths and science students that I joined had to excel to be eligible for university entry via the annual school principal’s scholarship program. My poor family financial situation compelled me to study diligently. It resulted in my being selected to receive a Johannesburg City Council appointment to be a pupil civil engineer training for participation in the Soweto Housing Division in 1956 and receiving a City Council scholarship to study civil engineering at Wits University where I qualified as the first black engineer in South Africa in 1961
7 Jan 2021 12PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

Opportunities and Risks in the Global Commodity Rally

Oil, copper and agricultural commodities are rallying as geopolitical tensions, climate pressures and energy-transition demand reshape global markets. Kaya Biz speaks to Simon Lacoume of Coface about the opportunities for South Africa's mining sector and the risks posed by rising inflation and food prices
27 Oct 1PM 15 min

African Bank's Next Chapter: From Turnaround to Growth

African Bank has spent years transforming itself from a specialist unsecured lender into a diversified retail and commercial banking group. Kaya Biz speaks to Chairman Thabo Dloti about the bank's evolution, the lessons learned from its acquisition-led growth strategy, leadership stability, and whether African Bank is finally entering the value-creation…
27 Oct 12PM 23 min

Pick n Pay trims it’s first half loss over 30%

Pick n Pay’s latest interim results point to encouraging signs in one of South Africa’s most closely watched retail recovery stories. CEO Sean Summers joins Kaya Biz to discuss improved profitability, Boxer’s standout performance, online sales growth, labour restructuring and the milestones investors should watch as the turnaround plan moves…
26 Oct 1PM 16 min

Beyond the Mini-Budget Speech 2026: Decoding Treasury’s Signals

The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement offers one of the clearest snapshots of South Africa’s fiscal health and economic trajectory. We speak to Deloitte Africa’s Le Roux Roelofse about the key takeaways from Treasury’s latest projections, whether the country is striking the right balance between fiscal discipline and growth, and what…
26 Oct 12PM 16 min

The Mental Health Cost of Financial Stress

Financial stress has emerged as one of the biggest threats to South Africans' mental wellbeing. Dr Rachel Moore, Chief Medical Officer at Mediclinic Southern Africa, discusses the psychological impact of economic pressure, barriers to accessing mental healthcare and what can be done to reduce stigma and improve support.
22 Oct 2PM 12 min
All episodes