Riël Malan

Private Equity Investor, Chairman: Nurture Brands, entrepreneur, collector of quotes, father & podcast host of the Shapers Podcast.

[Farai Mazhindu @FaraiMazhindu]

A boy from Pretoria, South Africa, has become the world's first trillionaire, but with an American citizenship and an American portfolio.

His success is a mirror that reflects South Africa's absolute failure.

Elon Musk's historic milestone proves that wealth, progress, and monumental breakthroughs are created through merit, relentless innovation, and visionary execution.

They are not created through bureaucratic gatekeeping, red tape, and ideological obsession. South African politicians hate him because his mere existence exposes their profound failure to build anything of lasting value.

Elon Musk's story is the absolute opposite of the South African story.

Had the environment allowed it, he could have built SpaceX in South Africa. Decades ago, the country possessed a first world military space and missile infrastructure.

Instead of being nurtured into a global commercial aerospace hub, it was dismantled and collapsed under decades of ANC mismanagement, state capture, and political patronage.

We cannot even talk about Elon Musk freely investing his billions back into South Africa. Despite being born in Pretoria, race based economic policies and restrictive BEE ownership mandates have historically locked out global builders who refuse to bend to political dictation.

The South African story has become a tragic tale of what could have been, tainted by toxic governance, race politics, and destructive economics.

[Wandile Sihlobo @WandileSihlobo]

In 1989, black farmers accounted for 0.5% of South Africa’s total wool production. Today, in 2026, they account for a 16% share of production.🇿🇦

Still, this is an undercount as production volumes of black farmers on freehold land in other parts of the country are not included in this statistic.

My guess is that it is probably exceeding 20%! This is encouraging progress, and continuous collaboration between organised agriculture and the government is key.

Improving genetics and infrastructure, and addressing stock theft, are among the key interventions.

[Farai Mazhindu @FaraiMazhindu]

The ANC is facing a total political collapse because they choose political patronage over national progress.

Support has crashed across almost every voter group, including black and rural voters. In suburban areas, they are completely wiped out.

The economic destruction is real, as GDP per capita has fallen and job creation has collapsed under Cyril Ramaphosa. Millions of South Africans are actively getting poorer.

To make matters worse, corrupt officials are committing digital sabotage. They blocked Starlink from launching because Elon Musk rightfully refused to pay them bribes.

They would genuinely rather leave deep rural communities in the dark ages without high-speed internet, killing small businesses and education, just because party cadres couldn't line their pockets.

Liberation credentials cannot hide this level of economic failure and greed.

[Nix @NixPret]

R4.45 billion. Gone.

The government’s pension fund invested in 15 companies which lost 100% of their money – Newsday https://t.co/8Q8pcFL7aw

[Global Statistics @Globalstats11]

Top 25 Friendliest Countries in the World 👫

1. 🇿🇦 South Africa
2. 🇬🇷 Greece
3. 🇭🇷 Croatia
4. 🇲🇽 Mexico
5. 🇸🇪 Sweden
6. 🇦🇺 Australia
7. 🇨🇦 Canada
8. 🇩🇪 Germany
9. 🇪🇪 Estonia
10. 🇧🇪 Belgium
11. 🇪🇸 Spain
12. 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
13. 🇮🇹 Italy
14. 🇯🇵 Japan
15. 🇺🇸 United States
16. 🇳🇱 Netherlands
17. 🇵🇹 Portugal
18. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
19. 🇵🇱 Poland
20. 🇨🇭 Switzerland
21. 🇦🇹 Austria
22. 🇫🇷 France
23. 🇮🇪 Ireland
24. 🇭🇺 Hungary
25. 🇫🇮 Finland

Source: Remitly, as of last updated till 2024.

[Marty 🇺🇸🇿🇦 @Darth_Martys]

President Ramaphosa warns we need massive investment for growth.

Meanwhile: Nissan leaves, Starlink blocked by BEE rules, and businesses hoard cash instead of investing.

You can’t chase capital away and then beg for it. Fix the policy contradictions first.

Simple

Source: https://t.co/ou8jnTl0X2

@elonmusk

[Solidariteit @solidariteit]

Solidarity triumphs as central pillar of NHI collapses

Solidarity celebrates the Constitutional Court’s ruling today on the Certificate of Need and considers it a huge victory for healthcare practitioners and the broader public.

According to this ruling, parts of the National Health Act that provide for the so-called Certificate of Need have been declared unconstitutional.

This Certificate of Need was one of the most important mechanisms by which the government wanted to exercise greater control over the health industry.

Read the media statement here: https://t.co/GuK73arFRE

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

@solidariteit Well done Solidarity! Your work so important in SA.

[Kevin Kelly @kevin2kelly]

I rewrote my 1,000 True Fans essay. Now valid more than ever. (This time the revision will stay up.) https://t.co/FZGJWutbyx

[Tesla Owners Silicon Valley @teslaownersSV]

ITALY IS DYING — AND THE NUMBERS ARE BRUTAL

Italy just recorded its lowest number of births since 1861.

Only 355,000 babies were born in 2025, while deaths reached 652,000 — a net loss of nearly 300,000 people in a single year.

The total fertility rate has collapsed to 1.14 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain a population.
This isn’t a temporary dip.
It’s a long-term demographic collapse that threatens Italy’s entire future: shrinking workforce, collapsing pensions, aging society, and disappearing regions.
Without massive immigration, Italy’s population would be shrinking even faster.
This is what happens when birth rates stay critically low for decades.
Italy is the clearest warning sign for many other developed nations heading in the same direction.

[Mossad Commentary @MOSSADil]

🚨 IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
At a protest in Amsterdam, a “Queer for Palestine” activist tried to join—
and was told:
“We are Muslims. You disgust us. You don’t belong here.”

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

@HermanMashaba I had such high hopes for you and Action SA to become a multi racial party, Herman. Seems the only card you have left to play is the divisive apartheid & racial one. Such a disappointment!

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

@BusinessTechSA @MaxduPreez Just to be looted by corrupt ANC officials again. Why don't they just give it directly without creating hope?

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

Fast on its way to Nr 1...probably reached that spot already, but botched the entry form due to incompetence! 🤣

[Helen Zille @helenzille]

Aiming for the top spot!

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

@DWYPD_ZA @s_chikunga Thousands butchered by this regime, and the ANC government, ignores this, much like they ignore their own failures in South Africa. Disgraceful.

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

58 000. Some say more than 100 000.

And the best SA can do, is abstain from the cute. Sickening!

[Peter Bruce @Bruceps]

This is such a disgraceful thing. I've no idea if these pictures are fake or not but if they were, even supposedly, of Palestinians the South Africa government would be outraged. But it can't even bring itself to support the mildest possible rebuke of Iran at the UN.... pathetic @DIRCO_ZA we couldn't condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Selective morality stinks.

[William Gumede @william_gumede]

New Order: developed nations racing to repivot economies - develop new tech, get cheap energy, source critical minerals, finding new markets. SA, frozen in post-colonial ideology, dated slogans, living-in-past leaders, face being left behind permanently.
https://t.co/yHLoKEBDHP

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

@News24 Poor non-objective reporting. And not what the economic numbers are showing. And looks like a page copy and pasted out of a leftist media publication. Go look at the effect of his policies. Undeniably working.

[Riël Malan @Gabriel_CT_SA]

No risks anymore... Already there

[Daily Investor @DailyInvestorSA]

South Africa risks becoming irrelevant in a world where powerful nations act unilaterally to pursue their interests, as its weakened economy, eroded industrial capacity, and diminished soft power leave it unable to meaningfully influence global events.
https://t.co/TQMbdt6E6b

[Daily Investor @DailyInvestorSA]

South Africa risks becoming irrelevant in a world where powerful nations act unilaterally to pursue their interests, as its weakened economy, eroded industrial capacity, and diminished soft power leave it unable to meaningfully influence global events.
https://t.co/TQMbdt6E6b