Have Ecsponent investors lost their money? Maybe not - Van Niekerk to Hogg

Ecsponent is a company that has attracted billions of rands in investments from individuals looking to generate higher income than they could get elsewhere through preference shares. But, as investment company entrepreneur and popular personal finance journalist Magnus Heystek told BizNews founder Alec Hogg in a podcast recently, they may have lost their savings. Not so fast, says Dave van Niekerk, a former shareholder in Ecsponent who sold a business, MyBucks, to the troubled company. Van Niekerk, who cofounded microlender Blue Financial Services (BFS), explains how Ecsponent might simply be facing a temporary liquidity crunch rather than heading for a firesale situation. - Jackie Cameron