The Money Maze: Investing in South Africa

A year ago, Mantengu blamed short sellers. Now the audited numbers are in. We unpack the R315 million loss, the qualifiedaudit, the going concern warning, the Sublime mothballing, the Blue Ridge sale, and the Averi Finance reverse takeover that leaves shareholders with a third of the company. Bull and bear, in plain English.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stop drowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they're doing. This is notFinancial advice.

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria. But Tesla, SpaceX, and his trillion-dollar net worth were built in California. So what does that tell you about capital, ambition, and the JSE? In this episode, we ask the uncomfortable questions: Why do our best founders leave? Why is the JSE shrinking? And where should your money actually go to access real growth? Because understanding why growth happens elsewhere is the first step to protecting your portfolio.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stop drowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they're doing. This is not financial advice.

Harmony Gold just met its full-year production guidance for the eleventh year running and handed shareholders R4.4 billion in dividends over the past twelve months. In this Sunday Maze Dive, we unpack the interim earnings surge, the Tshepong North impairment reversal, why HEPS grew slower than EPS, and Harmony's quiet pivot into copper through MAC Copper and the Eva Copper project. Gold, copper, and a management team that actually does what it says. The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stop drowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they're doing. This is not financial advice

Everyone celebrates “record profits” on the JSE. Cool. But where did the money actually go? In this episode, we break down the Statement of Retained Earnings, how dividends affect it, why capital allocation matters, and how retained earnings can either compound wealth or quietly destroy shareholder value. If you invest on EasyEquities and want to think like a long-term owner, this one matters.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stop drowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they’re doing. This is not financial advice.

Anglo American just slashed the value of De Beers by $2.3billion, marking the third diamond write-down in three years. But is this acollapse, or part of a bigger restructuring play?

In this Maze Dive, we unpack the impairment, the 3.7-billion-dollarnet loss, copper’s role in holding the fort, and what this means for JSEinvestors watching Anglo in their Top 40 ETF.

We cut through the drama and explain what matters: cashflow, EBITDA, asset sales, and strategic pivot.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stopdrowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who knows whatthey’re doing. This is not financial advice.

Trellidor just guided for a 95% to 99% collapse in HEPS.From 29.6 cents to almost nothing. In this Sunday Maze Dive, we unpack the trading statement, the R32 million court case hangover, weak South African demand, lumpy UK project revenue, and what a R1.96 share price really means forvaluation and a possible buyout. We break down HEPS, P/E ratios, turnaround risk and small-cap volatility in plain language.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stopdrowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they’re doing. This is not financial advice.

A company makes a profit… then cuts the dividend. Whatgives?

In this episode of The Money Maze, Jay breaks down cash flow in plain English, explaining why profits don’t always mean cash, how dividends really get paid, and why “good results” can still end in rights issues. We unpack operating cash flow, free cash flow, working capital, and the red flagsRetail investors keep missing on the JSE.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stopdrowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they’re doing. This is not financial advice.

Vukile Property Fund announced the disposal of part of its Spanish Castellana retail park portfolio, a move that matters for REIT investors watching NAV, dividends, and balance sheet strength. In this episode, I unpack the SENS, explain why REITs sell assets, what capital recycling really means, and how this could affect future distributions. Straight talk for JSE investors, no jargon, no hype.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stop drowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they’re doing. This is not financial advice.

Executive hedging, Discovery headlines, and why the internet panicked too early.

This Money Maze episode breaks down what executive hedging actually is, why markets reacted to Discovery’s hedge disclosure, and how timing plus uncertainty fuel overreactions from retail investors.

I unpack:

• Executive hedging explained in plain language

• Why hedge length matters more than share sales

• How the Discovery admin billing error was resolved

• Why social media narratives form before the facts

• What retail investors should actually pay attention to

Braai-side explanations, real market behaviour, and a reminder that vibes are not an investment strategy.

The Money Maze, helping South African retail investors make sense of the market. This is not financial advice. Do your own research.

After a short break (and a few power cuts in Zimbabwe), I'm is back — this time cracking open the story behind Coca-Cola’s R45 billion exit from direct bottling in South Africa. I unpack why the world’s most famous drink is handing over the factory keys, what it means for jobs, and whether this is a clever strategy or a sugar-tax dodge.

The Money Maze helps South African retail investors stop drowning in jargon and start navigating the market like someone who actually knows what they’re doing. This is not financial advice.