Right of reply: Anushka Bogdanov
Anushka Bogdanov in a right of reply says she is aware of the SENS announcement published by the JSE on July 25, 2025 referencing her academic qualifications. She claims the announcement contains several factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations.
Bogdanov says she is a highly qualified governance and risk management specialist with over three decades of professional experience in senior leadership positions in various financial and development institutions. She says she has submitted all supporting documentation from accredited institutions, including her doctoral research, to the JSE in good faith and in full transparency.

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IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Kumba Iron Ore eyes growth despite market challenges
Although revenues for the half year period to June 2025 were 4% softer, Kumba is banking on improved operational performance, increased sales and consistent production to attain its full-year production guidance of 35 to 37 million tons. Image: Supplied Kumba Iron Ore said on Tuesday that it remained poised for growth, fortified by robust demand for steel and high-quality iron ore products, despite a landscape marked by global economic uncertainty and shifting market dynamics. This optimism was articulated by Kumba's CEO Mpumi Zikalala following the company's announcement of an impressive interim cash dividend of R5.3 billion. Kumba declared an interim dividend of R16.60 per share for the period ending 30 June 2025 despite revenues declining by 4% to R34.5bn after basic headline earnings per share slightly fell to R22.26. Half-year earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) amounted to R16bn. The dip in revenues has been attributed to a 6% reduction in the average realised Free On Board (FOB) iron ore export price to $91 per wet metric ton compared to the same period last year as well as a stronger exchange rate. However, the Anglo American-owned firm earned a premium of $7 per wet metric ton during the period compared to $1 in 2024. Shares in Kumba Iron Ore surged 4.9% to R310.16 in afternoon trade on the JSE on Tuesday. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading This has placed Kumba Iron Ore's realised price 8% above the benchmark FOB export price of $84 per wet metric ton, with Zikalala saying that demand prospects still favoured premium producers. 'The world needs steel to build, grow and develop, and iron ore is a key ingredient in steelmaking. Kumba's high-quality lump iron ore products are unique and play a critical role in the manufacturing of carbon light steel products,' said Zikalala. Global markets for steel outside of China, particularly in Europe, were nonetheless under pressure due to increased availability of the Chinese steel in the traded market. This has forced Kumba Iron Ore to reduce sales to these markets to 42% of total sales as China's share of export sales ramped up to 58%. Although revenues for the half year period to June 2025 were 4% softer, Kumba is banking on improved operational performance, increased sales and consistent production to attain its full-year production guidance of 35 to 37 million tons. This comes as Kumba has made 'progress on our strategy of unlocking value from our core assets' on the back of cost and capital' discipline. As revenues dipped, Kumba has placed greater focus on lowering costs and it said it was on track to achieve its C1 unit cost target of $39 per wet metric ton. Over the half-year, the company accrued cost savings of R661 million. Kumba's unit cost guidance for Sishen is at R510 – 540 per dry metric ton while Kolomela's is at between R430 and 460 dry metric ton. On the logistics front, Zikalala said despite an unscheduled shut to repair a stacker-reclaimer, overall equipment availability at Saldanha Bay Port had improved compared to the same period in 2024. Sales for the quarter to end June firmed up by 8% compared to the first quarter, bringing up Kumba's total sales for the half-year period by 3% to 18.7 million tons. Shipping costs decreased by 18% though to R3.5bn due to lower freight rates of $15 per wet metric ton. Total finished stock was subsequently broadly flat at 7.4 million tons while mine stock levels reduced by 500 000 tons 6.4 million tons. Stock at the Saldanha Bay port increased to 1 million tons compared to 500 000 tons as at the end of December. 'The recovery of the logistics network is critical to the health of the value chain. We are also encouraged by the pace of logistics reform through Private Sector Partnership,' said Zikalala. Analysts are of the view that 'Kumba is a good pick' due to its debt-free status, high grade iron ore deposits complemented by large amounts of lumps. Moreover, 'lump ore is interesting for steel plants to avoid sintering,' while 'railway issues will be solved' amid expectations of a recovery in iron ore prices. BUSINESS REPORT

IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Kumba results lift stock 6% but five-year losses leave investors 43% in the red
South Africa is one of the largest producers of iron ore in Africa exporting $4.8 billion of the commodity in 2022. Kumba Iron Ore's share price collapse has wiped out nearly half of investors' money over the past five years as it reported flat headline earnings per share on Tuesday. A R10, 000 investment in 2020 would now be worth just R5, 387 – unless you sold at its 2021 peak, where the profit would have been roughly the same as selling today. This is thanks to a 44% climb in stock over the past year, while the five-year view shows a decline of 43%. Despite the increase in value, it's a far cry from the JSE's All Share figures, which has shown a return of 74% over the same five-year period. Kumba's figures, however, are purely based on share price movements and do not include dividends, such as the interim cash dividend of R16.60 declared on Tuesday morning as the miner published its interim results for the period to June. Although this payment, out of attributable free cash flow of R7.9 billion, comes to a payout for shareholders in total of R5.3 billion, it is lower than last year's R18.77 paid out per share. The iron ore miner's share price started falling from around last January. Kumba, which owns both Sishen and Kolomela mines, is one of the operations Anglo American said last May that would continue to form part of the group.

IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Boxer Retail's share price rises following positive trading update
Boxer produced consistent market share gains through the 17-week period to June 29, 2025. and also saw positive recent trends, as the high base from the first few months of 2025 normalises, Image: : Nqobile Mbonambi/Independent Newspapers Boxer Retail was one of the top biggest movers on the JSE Tuesday morning after it reported a strong performance for the 17-week period to June 29, despite a highly constrained consumer environment and internal food selling price inflation of -0.6%. The soft discount retailer, which was listed out of Pick n Pay in November last year, saw its share price rise 3.58% to R69.21 early Tuesday morning after the release of a trading update that showed turnover up 12.1% and 3.9% on a like-for-like basis. The share price is not far off the R63.51 it traded at when it listed. This represents a positive trend when compared with the 9% turnover and 3.7% like-for-like growth reported for the second half of its 2025 financial year, as disclosed in Boxer's results for the 53 weeks to March 2, 2025. 'Boxer has produced consistent market share gains through the period and also seen positive recent trends, as the high base from the first few months of 2025 normalises,' its directors reported. They said the internal food inflation on a volume-held-constant basis represented a further reduction from the volume-held-constant inflation of 0.3% for the 2025 financial year. 'Despite the challenging economic environment and the mild deflation reported for the period, Boxer remains comfortable that it is on track to meet its previously guided low-teens FY26 turnover growth objective, given the like-for-like momentum and store rollout program,' the directors said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Boxer opened 7 Superstores and 10 liquor stores in the first four months of the 2026 financial year, and it was on track to meet its previously communicated store roll-out targets, the directors said. 'Boxer remains confident with its FY26 gross margin outlook, despite the inherent margin management challenges in a low inflation environment,' they said. Boxer, which is still 65.6% held by Pick n Pay, said it was switching to reporting volume-held-constant inflation, which more appropriately reflects its effective selling price inflation to customers. For the 2022, 2023, and 2024 financial years, Boxer's volume-held-constant internal selling price inflation was 4.2%, 10.1%, and 3.1% respectively. BUSINESS REPORT