US president Donald Trump says no US officials will be attending the G20.
Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen ask the crucial question: does that make the G20 in Johannesburg later this month a bit of a talk shop? Was it a talk shop in the first place?
What actually is the point of the G20? And the rugby. Obvs. Listen Up!
October was an extraordinary month for stock markets around the world. Every single major stock market around the world hit record highs last month, other than the Chinese CSI index which is still a long way off its pre-Covid highs.
Spain’s IBEX finally surpassed its 2007 highs, and even the big European countries with the slowest growth, Germany and France, managed to join in the act.
In response, South Africans have decided to take a punt - but not on the JSE, which is up almost 30% over the past year, but on online betting sites.
South Africans bet over R1.5 trillion in the past year, a 45% increase over the previous year. There are dangers and joys, in both methods of potentially losing money.
In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the season of having a punt.
Change is, as they say, the one constant.
In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the efficacy of rail transport, South Africa’s departure from the Financial Action Task Force greylist, trade negotiations and, of course, art theft.
Listen Up!
We live in an era of being overwhelmed and disorientated, so now more than ever there is a value in the distilled essence. In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the genius of simplicity in the midst of a discombobulated world. How do you achieve it in the face of societal and business pressures: excessive borrowing against the future, an emerging gambling addiction and a crisis in the police, just to name a few. Also, the greatest baseball game ever.
October is turning out to be a big month for enquiries into what happened to the money, with the continuing Madlanaga commission into allegedly corrupt police tenders, the spat between Lucky Montana and SARS, and the continuing Road Accident Fund hearing in parliament.
Mark Barnes and journalist Tim Cohen discuss why people do such odd things with their alleged ill-gotten gains - like buy three Lamborghinis. Why is one, or even three, never enough? There is lots to discuss here, please do Listen Up!
Everything is united - except it’s not! In this podcast, Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the prospects of Unite for Change, comprising GOOD, Rise Mzansi, and Build One SA, and wonder why they are uniting rather than being united. And on that subject, what are the prospects for the United Nations, and must it unite for change? And gold. Listen up!
It was a big sporting weekend, but also a contrasting one. Rugby, well known for its calm, quiet, subdued supporters, who were out in force in Durban to see South Africa thrash Argentina 67-30 to top the table with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu breaking a test points record.
Contrast that with the European 15-13 victory in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. Golf supporters were, as usual, flagrantly out of hand, dropping f-bombs, harassing players and wearing odd pants.
But what do we learn from this?
Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen take the score. And then there is Johannesburg...
Listen Up!
If we are being honest about being honest we might admit that for politicians, being honest is full of risks. But then again, so is lying.
However, the honest truth is that Joburg - South Africa’s economic and cultural centre point - is very badly run and consequently it constitutes an opportunity for the DA’s new mayoral candidate Helen Zille.
Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss Zille’s chances - and the problems she might face if she does win.
Then there is also the dollar. Listen Up!
Carrying the national debt is a lot like carrying a coffin: everyone pretends it’s manageable, but deep down everybody knows there is already someone inside.
Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss in this podcast why people call it a “debt burden”, even though nobody seems to ever put it down - we just seem to carry it further down the road.
Our advice: if you are in debt, you need to attend very, very closely to your finances - much more than people usually do. Listen Up!
In deference to the blood moon, Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss some left-field topics this week.
What does the non-breakup of Google mean for investors? What is the future of the DA? And perhaps most importantly, with government issuing guarantees left, right and centre, what is the state of the state’s balance sheet?
Hint: We should be worried.
There is a new phase of truth-telling going on in South Africa, and in this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the trend of whistleblowers popping up everywhere.
We are somewhat used to it, but we like it. The courage to speak out is our motto! Also, the Post Office and the international scene.
We live in an era where things feel broken, but are they? And if they are, how do you fix things?
Mark Barnes and London correspondent Tim Cohen banter on these topics, touching on wars, Transnet, the weather and of course, rugby.
We live in an era where audacity and modernity trump moderation and conservatism. That could be good - or bad. Listen up!
Why is the national dialogue not working? Was it a bad idea in the first place, or did it become a bad idea? Is it salvageable from here, and how?
Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen have some ideas about what the National Dialogue should be discussing, but is not. And why is it costing so much? Wasn’t it supposed to be voluntary?
We also discuss the Ukraine peace talks and the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
It's never great to be in a position where you feel you have to refuse a bribe, but should you be insulted that the bribe on offer is very small?
Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss this and other questions related to South Africa’s incremental decline - and how to reverse it. The key question is whether SA’s cost of capital is too high to attract investment, and how to fix that.
And would it help if politicians were not as old as they are - and podcasters!
Are South Africans too nice? Do we demand too little of ourselves, constantly making excuses for our underperformance and over-congratulating ourselves on minor gains? Merchant banker Mark Barnes and journalist Tim Cohen discuss this in connection with the International Mathematics Olympiad and Johannesburg. Then there is also tariff torture, inflation, and, as always, leadership.
It's been an odd week, and not a great one. “We are moving from the rule of law to the rule of war,” says investment banker Mark Barnes in this podcast with journalist Tim Cohen. We talk crime, Transnet, debt and other cheerful topics - but also, how other nations value our fresh air. Honestly. Listen Up!
The news of the past week has been worrying, from the crisis in the police, to more news about the construction mafia, to SA getting bad press internationally. In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss South Africa’s ailments - and some good news too, like the buoyant stock market and the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in KZN achieving an agreed communique. Most importantly, given the meme-of-the week of CEO’s canoodling on the kiss-cam, we have some sage advice for what to do if you find yourself a very surprised global figure at a Coldplay concert.
How does the suspension of SA’s Police Minister Senzo Mchunu change SA’s political dynamic? Would you believe in the good way? Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss this dramatic topic of the hour and its future ramifications - good and bad. We also discuss how AI is actually being used, and the political lessons of the Springboks victories over Italy. Listen up!
My word is my bond, so they say.
But is the bond market telling us the truth? Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss, wait for it, the bond market.
Exciting! Also … all the other stuff. The Trump tariffs trauma is back, so the subject of trade is back on the agenda.
But the story of the week is KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi throwing down the gauntlet on Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Please do, Listen Up!
South Africa’s GNU is having, how should we put it, “relationship issues”. In this edition of Listen Up!, Mark and Tim have a solution: focus on the kids! That would be us, the population. And try not to focus on each other so much; divorce is impossible, so work together and not against each other. Please. Also in this helter-skelter discussion, we talk about a fundamental change in the global stock markets and the fundamentals of satellites.