The Dojo SA Podcast

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In this episode, the crew hosts the final audience-participation recording of The Dojo and opens with retirement annuities, inheritance, estate taxes and the financial realities families face when a loved one dies. Women’s Day then sparks a heated debate about whether the holiday has become another Valentine’s Day, why today’s women expect to be personally celebrated, and whether independence has genuinely liberated women or simply left them carrying both corporate and domestic responsibilities.

From there, the conversation turns to traditional wives, stay-at-home mothers and the danger of building your entire life around a man who can one day decide to leave. The crew debates whether a single-income household is still realistic, how capitalism has forced both partners into the workplace, why some men still expect working women to fulfil traditional duties, and whether marriage contracts, shared property and financial independence can ever truly protect someone from divorce.

The audience joins in as the discussion expands into marriage, lobola, family expectations and the difficult balance between choosing a partner for yourself and choosing someone capable of fitting into the wider family. The crew questions whether marriage is still about love or has become an economic and cultural arrangement, why long-term relationships require constant evolution, and how people raised in single-parent and two-parent homes may carry completely different ideas of commitment, conflict and family life.

Things get even messier when the crew asks whether straight women would date bisexual men. That opens a brutally honest conversation about masculinity, homophobia, sexuality, cheating, competition and why people feel differently when their partner is attracted to both men and women. They also debate whether relationships are damaged by our desire to “own” people, whether consensual non-monogamy is more honest than cheating, and how a hypersexual society is reshaping intimacy, identity and the way children understand sex.

The audience then brings up men borrowing money from women, love scams and whether gender equality means women should also be willing to financially support their partners. This leads back into a wider discussion about successful men gaining access to more women, wives receiving the burdened version of their husbands while outsiders get the fun version, and whether providing financially is enough when someone is emotionally absent from the marriage.

The episode closes on a more reflective note as younger listeners ask the crew for advice about marriage, responsibility, personal growth and becoming the person their future family will need. Long-time supporters share heartfelt stories about discovering The Dojo, finding community through the podcast and having their values challenged over the years. As the second-last episode draws to a close, the final audience participation becomes both a classic chaotic Dojo debate and an emotional tribute to the impact the podcast has had over its ten-year journey.

In this episode, recorded at Smoke and Blaze in Parktown North, the crew officially begins the final stretch of The Dojo and answers the question everyone has been asking: why end the podcast after ten years? They unpack how life, work, family responsibilities and changing priorities have made it increasingly difficult to get four adults into the same room every week. They also reflect on feeling as though they have said almost everything there is to say, and why it matters to leave voluntarily, on their own terms, rather than waiting for the show to slowly die or be forced out. The crew launches a WhatsApp hotline for listeners to share voice notes, videos, favourite moments, worst takes and personal stories about what The Dojo has meant to them, while teasing an upcoming audience-participation episode.

From there, the episode becomes a full trip through The Dojo’s history. The crew remembers the wild night that inspired the podcast, finding their first recording studio online, paying for time in a bedroom setup and releasing the earliest episodes with questionable GoPro footage. They revisit the barbershop and salon concepts, early guests, the PMI and Yamaha eras, pop-up recordings, house parties, festival appearances, failed attempts to build a podcast network and the many venues, sponsors, collaborators and friends who became part of the journey. They also look back at the technical disasters, financial risks, marathon episodes, memorable interviews, legendary parties and unexpected opportunities that came from building one of South Africa’s earliest long-form conversational podcasts.

The reflections become more personal as they discuss how the podcast changed their friendships, careers, confidence and social lives, while also remembering former guests and members of the community who have since passed away. They unpack disagreements behind the scenes, the pressure of carrying the show through difficult periods, the people who joined and left along the way, and the strange feeling of finally recognising the impact of something while preparing to let it go.

The final stretch shifts into a heated conversation about modern dating, men approaching women, rejection, workplace boundaries and the difference between behaviour that is socially inappropriate and behaviour that is morally wrong. The crew debates sexual harassment, unsolicited explicit pictures, why women sometimes respond politely when they feel threatened, why victims may remain silent and how people instinctively defend members of their own “tribe.” That opens an even messier discussion about power, promotions and transactional sex: whether sleeping with someone to advance your career makes both parties complicit, whether meaningful consent can exist when one person controls the opportunity, and whether someone who willingly tries to bypass the system can later claim exploitation when the deal goes wrong. It is a nostalgic, funny and deeply contentious episode that celebrates ten years of The Dojo while proving that, even this close to the end, the crew can still find something new to argue about.

In this episode, the full crew gets together for a rare midweek recording and starts off with the realities of getting older, gym avoidance, failing knees, personal trainers and the terrifying speed at which the years seem to be moving. Then comes the biggest announcement of the episode: after ten years, The Dojo Podcast as you know it is coming to an end. The crew reflects on how much life has changed, how difficult it has become to get four adults into the same room every week, the journey from the earliest recordings to now, and what they hope to do with the final stretch of the podcast — while calling on listeners to share their favourite episodes, wildest moments and what The Dojo has meant to them over the years.

From there, the conversation moves into Zimbabwe’s constitutional and electoral changes, Mnangagwa’s extended time in office, whether presidents sometimes need longer than five years to genuinely change a country, and whether constitutions should really be treated as untouchable documents. The crew debates direct presidential elections, party politics, term limits, the balance between youthful leadership and the wisdom of older statesmen, and whether a political reform should be judged differently depending on who is benefiting from it.

The discussion then turns to former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, attempts to have her disbarred, professional ethics and whether political figures face consistent standards of accountability. That opens a much broader conversation about Jacob Zuma, selective outrage, political persecution, the power of media ownership and the uncomfortable reality that whoever controls the media often gets to control the narrative.

Things widen further into a heated discussion about Black solidarity, anti-imperialism and why Black people so often show up for the struggles of others while receiving little solidarity in return. The crew gets into Palestine, Sudan, Russia, China, Cuba, Western imperialism, the dangers of replacing one powerful “friend” with another, and why African political movements rarely seem to build meaningful relationships with leaders and movements on the continent itself. From there, they question the absence of strong Black-owned media and professional institutions, discuss status, monarchy, African elites and the need to build our own spaces rather than constantly seeking acceptance elsewhere.

The episode closes with a wider debate about African leadership, the Sahel and figures like Ibrahim Traoré, whether developing nations sometimes become distracted by culture-war issues while basic state-building remains unfinished, and what genuine Pan-Africanism should actually look like in practice. Through all of it, the crew keeps returning to the bigger question hanging over the episode: after ten years of talking, arguing, growing and sometimes getting it completely wrong — what does the end of The Dojo actually mean, and what comes next?

In this episode, the crew begins with a surprisingly revealing conversation about money, from stokvels collapsing after funds disappear to the truth behind 13th cheques, instant gratification and the eternal battle between paying cash and protecting your monthly cash flow. Payflex, Mobicred, clothing accounts and unnecessary Takealot purchases all enter the chat before the conversation turns to sleepless nights, anxiety, alcohol, hangovers and knowing when the party has gone too far.

From there, the episode moves into its biggest and most controversial discussion: the June 30 anti-immigration mobilisation, the fear experienced by both documented and undocumented foreign nationals, and whether movements built around genuine public frustration can be manipulated by larger political forces. This leads into a heated debate about Zulu political mobilisation, the influence of the monarchy, the July unrest, MK’s rapid rise and whether Jacob Zuma’s political journey has always been connected to a deeper project of Zulu nationalism and greater power for traditional leaders.

The crew also unpacks Ramaphosa’s decision to bring Dina Pule back into government, whether disgraced politicians deserve second chances, and how criminal records can follow ordinary people long after they have served their punishment. Zuma’s meeting with the Gupta family in India raises further questions about his continued political influence, while the controversy surrounding Tony Leon and Resolve Communications sparks a debate about lobbying, racial double standards and why access to government is called “state capture” in some hands but “facilitating business” in others.

The episode winds through the weakening and privatisation of state institutions, Eskom, voter frustration and the increasingly impossible question of who South Africans should support at the polls. It then takes a more personal turn into church, gospel music, fading religious communities and whether faith served as spiritual belief, social discipline or simply a way for previous generations to survive. Finally, the crew debates the disappearance of physical games, DVDs and CDs, asking whether the subscription economy is slowly creating a world where we pay endlessly but never truly own anything.

In this episode, the crew returns after a break and eases in with some funny Father’s Day talk before getting into a broader conversation about modern life, money and how everyday consumers keep getting squeezed. What starts with small irritations like pricing tricks, paid extras and disappearing “freebies” turns into a bigger discussion about capitalism, exploitation, restaurant economics and how ordinary workers often end up taking the heat for decisions made far above them. From there, the episode shifts into one of its strongest debates: AI and music. The conversation digs into authenticity, whether fans really care how music is made, whether honesty about AI would matter, and how technology is already forcing the industry to rethink performance, ownership, royalties and what it even means to be an artist. As the discussion loosens up, the episode moves into more provocative territory around sex, digital mediation, desire and the strange ways technology is starting to blur reality itself. It’s a wide-ranging episode with humour, side turns, cultural commentary and sharp disagreement throughout, before closing out on a lighter note with nostalgia, performance energy and a push for listeners to support the movement.

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In this episode, we unpack the madness of the Bushfire trip — camping struggles, glamping flexes, exhausting pack-ups, and the border chaos on the way home. From there, the conversation shifts into real-life pressure: work stress, parenting frustration, discipline, and the everyday grind. Then it gets heavier as we dive into South Africa’s immigration debate — broken systems, asylum loopholes, weak enforcement, public anger, and the uncomfortable questions nobody wants to ask out loud.

This week we get into the real cost of adulting — how every decision is a trade-off, how capitalism squeezes people from every angle, and why even the small stuff like restaurant extras, stale takeaways and everyday pricing says a lot about the economy. From there, the conversation spirals into criminal procedure, a wild story about being arrested for “kidnapping” without rights being read, the mess around debt, rent, evictions and squatters, and the tension between dignity and survival. Then it gets deeper: jealousy, sabotage, why people would rather see you lose than win, and how religion, race and morality shape the way people justify what they do.

We’re back after two weeks and reflecting on the latest Y2K Nine9 event — the turnout, the bigger venue, the weather, the lessons, and the DJs who absolutely carried the day. We also touch on the hustle behind the scenes, from brand collaborations and merch to reviving the phone repair business and the love shown on late-night TV. Then we get into the heavyweight conversation: Ramaphosa, Phala Phala, the impeachment process, whether resigning would actually save his legacy, and what accountability really costs when a country’s politics are already on a knife edge.