Thebe makes debut in Pan-African business TV show

Thebe House is abuzz with excitement on the eve of the launch of the Resource Watch, a new business show sponsored by Thebe that is set to hit the television screens of 5.1 million homes across the African continent on Thursday 5 June 2014. The show will make its debut broadcast on CNBC Africa (Channel 410 on Dstv) on Thursday 5 June, 2014 at 20.30pm and will be hosted by Nozipho Mbanjwa, senior business TV anchor, every Thursday  for the next 52 weeks. Sen Mdhluli, head of marketing at Thebe, admitted to Thebe Times that there was heightened “curiosity” about the show.

“Thebe is moving into unchartered waters. The Thebe brand has not been in this space before in terms of brand building and presence. This show will enable Thebe to stand away from the shadows of our peers and take its rightful place as pioneers in the black business environment,” he says. Resource Watch is a fast-paced 15-minute weekly programme that will provide insightful current affairs content and will deepen the viewers’ understanding of the factors that drive the resources markets.

The show will serve as a platform to showcase the Thebe brand across 48 African countries and Indian Ocean islands where CNBC Africa broadcasts. Sen sees the Pan-African projection of Thebe’s brand as a great milestone for the group.

“This show has three significant outcomes. Firstly, it will positively position Thebe in the resources sector, especially in the Pan-African geographies. Secondly, we will be able to showcase our existing and new assets. Lastly, this show will allow us to showcase the talent that drive our businesses in the resources sector,” explains Sen.

He expects the Resource Watch to bring insightful and empowering business and financial content to the viewers, helping them to improve their understanding of the African resources markets as the continent is fast becoming an attractive investment destination which some commentators see as the “least discovered frontier market”. In an interview with Nozipho Mbanjwa, senior business TV anchor, she elaborates on the show.

“Resource Watch is a fresh look at resource industries, tracking notable movements and market indicators, bringing in industry voices to provide insight into the numbers behind companies but also the industry dynamics that often don’t make it to the traditional markets-orientated conversations. The show is accessible yet informative,” Nozipho explains.

She admits that she is very excited about hosting Resource Watch, particularly since the opportunity for a targeted sector focus is a rarity in an industry as broad as financial journalism.

“I’m looking forward to unpacking the resource front for viewers who are avid traders as well as those that just appreciate the impact of the sector on the broader economy and ultimately on the end consumer,” she explains.

Nozipho is currently hosting a range of shows on CNBC Africa including Open Exchange, Beyond Markets, Invest Africa, Women on Wealth, Captains of Industry Revisited, and Party of Six. Each of these shows is unique in approach and content, and Resource Watch adds to that diversity.

“I like to think of each show as a unique experience and that is an approach that will allow us to push for optimal creativity in this new offering to differentiate it from the rest. I’ve always been favourably biased to the Thebe brand because of the unconventional business model of putting the community at the centre of strategy and its execution. There are very few comparable brands in South Africa that can undeniably show that they live their corporate lingo,” she elaborates.

We look forward to the first broadcast of the show and hope that it will benefit the business communty at large.