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.