Remember when Christmas was a day? Then it became a season. Black Friday, you would think, would forever be a day, that day being, you guessed it, Friday. Turns out, Black Friday is now fast becoming a week, and will inevitably soon become a season. And talking of seasons, it has been the season of gambling, dubious state financing, election upsets, struggling governments and regime change. Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and business editor Tim Cohen discuss all of the above, and more in this, our final podcast for the year.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

Pardon the confusion, but didn’t President Joe Biden say he would not pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted recently on tax and gun charges? Turns out, he did say he would not. But then he did issue the pardon over the Thanksgiving weekend. Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Daily Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss forgiveness and, critically, whether you can forgive yourself. One example would be the Mayor of Johannesburg Dada Morero forgiving himself for cutting off his own electricity and water, because the city leased properties from an ANC property cadre and city landlord who did not pay his utilities bill on time. It's confusing, but karma has its own logic, as you might discern from this week’s StandUp! Business podcast.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

How much is a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape actually worth? Or, to put it another way, have we all gone bananas? Which leads on to the more important topic of the value of money, and that involves inflation. And interest rates. This week entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Daily Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss last week's small interest rate cut, whether it was enough, and issues related to debt. Then there is the rugby and the tricky issue of height.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

Is it Cop or cop-out; it's hard to tell. The UN’s Conference of Parties (COP) on climate action and sustainability is currently happening in Baku, Azerbaijan - the second time the conference is taking place in a petro-state. Unsurprisingly, it's currently hard to breathe in Deli. But, on the other hand, bitcoin is booming, raising the question of whether SA should rent out Simonstown, now that SA’s navy is down to a single ship. Other than that, entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Daily Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss why cheating on your CV is becoming so prevalent in SA. We don’t discuss the weather at all.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

How is it possible that someone so obviously flawed as a person can become president of the world's most powerful country? Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and financial journalist Tim Cohen (try!) to explain that, and other imponderables, like the global outbreak of oligarchism. Locally we discuss the powerhouse standoff between the City of Johannesburg and Eskom, and ask whether PPP's are always the solution.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

Botswana voters have just done something incredible - they voted out the party that has been running the country for 58 years and which brought about one of the continent’s greatest economic achievements. This is just one of the surprising election results around the world, which includes elections everywhere from Japan to Moldova. And of course, there is the big one this week. Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Business Maverick Editor at Large Tim Cohen discuss what might be underpinning these changes. Organised crime is in focus this week with the asasanation of Cape crime boss Mark Lifman. And the above ground criminality is reflected below ground too with an extraordinary number of zama zama’s being forced out of an old mine in Orkney.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

Why is the medium-term budget statement like Johannesburg water supply? This is one of the key questions in our podcast this week, in which entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Business Maverick editor discuss the said budget, some related questions like SA's recent per capita GDP growth, and how it relates to the government of national unity. We also discuss the D-day election in the US, solutions to Cape Town's traffic jams, and the art of slapping. Seriously.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

For the first time in front of a live audience, entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Business Maverick editor Tim Cohen discuss the latest turn of events in the South African Rugby Union buyout saga, the twists and turns in the US election and the surprising similarities - and differences - between the state of the equity markets in 2024 with those in the dot com era of 2000. And we take questions from the audience of some of Johannesburg’s most influential lawyers and bankers brought together by leading business rescue house Metis.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

This week, entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Business Maverick editor Tim Cohen discuss the proposed sale of a stake in the Springboks (skande!) and the politicisation of the weather (double skande!). It turns out the weatherman is not out to get you, but maybe the weather authorities are - particularly if you live in Johannesburg.Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.

Entrepreneur Mark Barnes and Business Maverick editor Tim Cohen discuss whether the state pensioners’ fund manager, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) which now has R2.7-trillion under management, should be split up. Also, does the GNU mean SA will stop drifting into the ambit of authoritarian regimes? And finally, is sports betting a financial risk to sports enthusiasts or a financial boon to sporting codes. Or both!Production and Editing by Tevya Turok Shapiro.

Music & Design by Bernard Kotze.

Created by Mark Barnes, Tim Cohen, Bernard Kotze & Branko Brkic.