Sanlam

• Based on a remarkable depth of research, it is written in an elegant style which makes for a delightfully easy read.
• It is rendered the more impressive by the author’s deep conversance with the debates over the relationships between mining capital, Afrikaner nationalism and apartheid.
• Cardo’s reckoning is that Oppenheimer transcended his country’s parochial political arena to become a significant figure on the world stage.

The man behind the money

• Yet Oppenheimer emerges from this study not as a “malevolent monster” (p.1) but as a personally likeable individual, intensely loyal to his friends.
• One who was highly cultured and sophisticated, with a deep love of art, literature, old books and antiques for their own sake, rather than for opulent display.
• His devotion to his Anglican faith was deep and real, underlying his perhaps too-convenient conviction that wealth and power could be combined with “doing good”.
• His father, Ernest, was the founder of the Oppenheimer empire, but Harry would become its consolidator (p.18).

The conservative liberal

• He served as the party’s financial spokesman and was touted as a future leader.
• Later, when liberals formed the Progressive Party, he lent them his firm support.
• Cardo characterises Oppenheimer’s liberalism as “pragmatic”, opposing the idea of a universal franchise.
• Regarding himself heir to British colonialist and businessman Cecil Rhodes, he deplored the threat to civilisation represented by “primitive tribesmen”.

The influential magnate

• He exercised all the soft power at his disposal, through Anglo and his personal contacts with politicians locally and internationally.
• His advice to prime minister and president PW Botha to inaugurate multiracial negotiations was ignored.
• But when Botha’s notorious “Rubicon” speech in August 1985 prompted a massive outflow of capital, he urged US companies to resist the disinvestment drive.
• All these efforts were capped by Gavin Relly, who had succeeded Oppenheimer as chairman of Anglo, meeting with the ANC in exile.
• Oppenheimer and Anglo now reached out to leading figures in the ANC to reshape their ideas on the economy.
• This book does not offer a radical re-interpretation of either the Oppenheimers or the Anglo-American empire.

• The "The Retirement Funding in South Africa 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
• This report on retirement funding in South Africa includes information on the state and size of the industry, its major players and various corporate actions and developments, as well as regulatory and other developments that affect the sector.
• At present fund members have to either resign or be retrenched before they can get access and cash out their entire pension funds.
• South Africa's retirement funds sector experienced significant change in the past few years, largely focused on stronger regulation to protect members' interests.

• Glacier Financial Solutions Pty Ltd, an investment platform and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanlam Limited (JSE:SLM) with more than R400 billion in assets under administration, will be the first business within the Sanlam Group to partner with SS&C.
• "SS&C is renowned for its global expertise and stood out as the best choice to partner with us to support our local investment, international investment and life investment solutions requiring investment and policy administration.
• Through its clusters: Life and Savings encompassing Retail Mass, Retail Affluent and Corporate business units; Sanlam Emerging Markets; Sanlam Investment Group; and Santam, the Sanlam Group provides comprehensive and bespoke financial solutions to institutional clients and consumers across all market segments.
• For more information on Sanlam, visit www.sanlam.com
  Glacier by Sanlam is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanlam, a leading investment platform in South Africa, providing a gateway to industry-wide asset manager solutions, and is a significant contributor to the Sanlam Group's success, administering over R400 billion in assets.

• The "The Life Insurance Industry Including Reinsurance in South Africa 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
• In 2020, 65 primary life insurers, five life cell captives, five composite reinsurers (offering life and non-life reinsurance), two life reinsurers, and one life microinsurer were registered with the Financial Services Conduct Authority.
• The life insurance sector is dominated by large companies such as Sanlam, Discovery and Old Mutual.
• The coronavirus pandemic has put pressure on new business, lapse rates and potential future claims in the life insurance sector.