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What does it really take to build a business from nothing in South Africa? Founder of Universal Kitchens, Clinton Van Breda, shares the unfiltered story of how he dedicated two decades to turning a R500 000 loan into a business employing over 200 people.

The Finance Ghost welcomes Altron CEO Werner Kapp fresh off a standout capital markets day that left a strong impression: this is a business whose growth story isn’t tightly tethered to South Africa’s traditional economic constraints. From FinTech and HealthTech to telematics and IT security, Altron operates a portfolio of platform businesses that quietly underpin everyday life, even if most consumers don’t realise it!  In this conversation, Werner unpacks how these platforms drive resilient, annuity-style revenues, while also leaning into powerful structural tailwinds like digitisation, mobile adoption and the evolution of the payments ecosystem.

Brait is stretching the definition of "value unlock" to breaking point. Libstar is having a rough interim period. BHP's Jansen Project is neither on time nor on budget. In happier news, STADIO's growth strategy is working and Sephaku grew earnings despite pressure at its associate. Reinet is starting to return cash to shareholders. enX found an international buyer for New Way Power.

Vukile is doing well everywhere, while property sector peer Stor-Age's strong local performance is being diluted by tough conditions in the UK. It's Chuckles all round for Premier investors thanks to the Millbake numbers. CA Sales is dipping into digital with a new acquisition.

With the August / September earnings season behind us, it's helpful to look at share price moves over the past 30 days on the JSE to see how sentiment has shifted. The PGMs have driven the Top40 higher, while insurance has taken a breather.

At the halfway mark in 2025, we've lived through some huge geopolitical shifts. The world's gaze has shifted beyond just the US market. Many investors choose to stick with what they know in times like these. This means homegrown favourites on the JSE. But which stocks have been the big winners thus far this year, and what do they have in common?