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.

Tim and Mark discuss the threat of WWIII and why it is best to be a South African when it does break out.

In the first of this weekly series, investment banker Mark Barnes and ranking journalist Tim Cohen talk about the G7, the government’s idea of a ‘national convention’ and, inevitably, about sport. This has been a week for high drama on the sports field, and even higher drama on the international front, and we delve into what they might mean. If you are looking for sensible, considered, and well-thought-out views, this is not the place for you! If you are looking for light-hearted, casual but ultimately serious viewpoints and ideas, then please do, Listen Up!