Listen Up!

Once, Iran was the cradle of civilisation, but now it’s the cradle of war. The US/Israeli invasion could play out in multiple ways, some good, mostly bad. But the larger question is what war ultimately achieves in the modern era. Ever since the US war in Vietnam, aggressors large and small, democratic and authoritarian, have regretted their decision to opt for aggression. Barnes and Cohen discuss this, and the other issue of the moment, the budget aftermath. It's time to: ListenUp!This marks the final episode of Listen Up! on News24.

A strong gold price, lower interest rates, stronger consumer spending and marginally higher economic growth suggest a smoother national budget, particularly compared to last year when a surprise VAT increase sparked a crisis in the government of national unity. But does that mean SA is out of the woods? Absolutely not, argues Barnes, who points to larger structural economic issues that have yet to be addressed. What is structurally sound is the SA cricket team, and South Africa’s lack of snow. It’s time to: ListenUp!This show airs every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

Beer and national debt, which is the most important? Barnes and Cohen discuss this crucial question. But more importantly, how are we choosing our government ministers and their entourages? Shouldn’t the ministers choose the president, rather than the president choose the ministers? Just asking. It’s time to: ListenUp! This show airs every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

NOTE: We apologise for the poor audio quality in this edition. Should South Africans spend some time after graduation working for the government? Well-known businessman Mark Barnes thinks they should – in certain circumstances. Journalist Tim Cohen thinks they should not – in any circumstances. Also, is Patrice Motsepe a good candidate to be SA’s post-Ramaphosa president? Yes, no, maybe? This is your weekly nudge to: Listen Up! This show airs every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

South Africa’s economy might be moving forward, but the public sector is sliding into a kind of casual anarchy. Almost every robot in the country is now regarded as a suggestion, not an instruction. Is this fixable? How bad is anarchy? Corporate financier Mark Barnes and journalist Tim Cohen ask the crucial question: What is so wrong with anarchy, actually? And what about launching a set of public referenda on crucial national questions? And the markets and more. This show airs every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

The biggest question, when it comes to gold, is whether you say “all that glitters is not gold” or “all that glisters is not gold”. The formally accurate version from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is “glisters”, but what the bard meant was “glitters”, so that works too. Actually, that’s not the biggest question. In this episode, Barnes and Cohen discuss the much thornier issue of whether gold’s massive increase over the past few years will last, now that it has hit the $5 000 mark. And other things, like AI, chess, and sports betting. This show airs every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

Floods in the Kruger National Park but drought in the Karoo – weather problems abound. This week, the formidable duo that is Barnes and Cohen discusses the storms all over the world, including Greenland, which US President Donald Trump wants to, um, “buy”, but the Europeans are having nothing of it – so the USA will tariff them! 6-7 and ho hum. Locally, the prime rate debate is hotting up (but it’s ROA that counts), and markets are cooling down (as value metrics change). By all means, ListenUp! This show airs every Tuesday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s been quite a start to 2026, but what does it mean that the US has abducted the leader of a foreign power? What happens to international relations now and what has this got to do with the Peace of Westphalia? Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss how the international order has changed - and the local order has not.Also, is AI investment now in a bubble? Listen Up!

Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the year 2025 - the ups, the downs, and the potholes. It was a bewildering year, which went faster than any previous year. Well … not really. But I felt like it did. In South Africa, things actually went a little bit better. In the rest of the world, things didn’t go as badly as many expected at the start. Will 2026 be different? The only way to find out is to Listen Up!

The joys and dangers of ambition. South Africans are drowning in debt, but is that due to poor investment decisions or a lack of investment opportunities? Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss whether South Africa should build a very tall skyscraper, reaching for the sky. Like Dubai. Or not. How is it possible that someone can just decide to build a huge city, just go ahead and do it, earn the scorn of millions, yet succeed? Yet, SA can't maintain the tall buildings it already has. Also, the 30% pass mark debate. 

International comparisons suggest that South Africans work pretty hard - around 42.2 hours a week on average. That’s higher than Brazil and Mexico, and only a little less than China. It’s about double the total hours put in per week on average in Norway. Amazing. But is that the whole story?Not so much says Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen. It’s like golf - the winner is not the one who does the most work but the least. This … and other bits and pieces of the news this past week. ListenUp!

The G20 was simultaneously a grand success and a disappointing failure, and the key, according to Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen, is that there is an insufficient intersection of priorities and a lack of common purpose.Whose fault is that? What does it mean? Why is that happening now? These are all questions we discuss, along with the joys of public transportation and the surprising utility and value of art. Listen Up!

It's been a great week for South Africa, not least on the sports field with international wins in soccer, rugby and cricket.And then there is the unexpected S&P ratings upgrade.And the JSE hitting yet another record.And Jo’burg looking spectacular for the G20!Actually, wait a bit; let's not get too carried away. Jo'burg's still a bit dodgy, except where the leader convoys will go, but things do feel different.The question now is how to maintain the momentum, and one crucial question is whether we are overpaying or underpaying our leaders, like municipal managers for example.Listen Up! to Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen on this and the rumours of spring.

US president Donald Trump says no US officials will be attending the G20. Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen ask the crucial question: does that make the G20 in Johannesburg later this month a bit of a talk shop? Was it a talk shop in the first place? What actually is the point of the G20? And the rugby. Obvs. Listen Up!

October was an extraordinary month for stock markets around the world. Every single major stock market around the world hit record highs last month, other than the Chinese CSI index which is still a long way off its pre-Covid highs.Spain’s IBEX finally surpassed its 2007 highs, and even the big European countries with the slowest growth, Germany and France, managed to join in the act. In response, South Africans have decided to take a punt - but not on the JSE, which is up almost 30% over the past year, but on online betting sites.South Africans bet over R1.5 trillion in the past year, a 45% increase over the previous year. There are dangers and joys, in both methods of potentially losing money.In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the season of having a punt.

Change is, as they say, the one constant. In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the efficacy of rail transport, South Africa’s departure from the Financial Action Task Force greylist, trade negotiations and, of course, art theft. Listen Up!

We live in an era of being overwhelmed and disorientated, so now more than ever there is a value in the distilled essence. In this podcast Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the genius of simplicity in the midst of a discombobulated world. How do you achieve it in the face of societal and business pressures: excessive borrowing against the future, an emerging gambling addiction and a crisis in the police, just to name a few. Also, the greatest baseball game ever.

October is turning out to be a big month for enquiries into what happened to the money, with the continuing Madlanaga commission into allegedly corrupt police tenders, the spat between Lucky Montana and SARS, and the continuing Road Accident Fund hearing in parliament. Mark Barnes and journalist Tim Cohen discuss why people do such odd things with their alleged ill-gotten gains - like buy three Lamborghinis. Why is one, or even three, never enough? There is lots to discuss here, please do Listen Up!

Everything is united - except it’s not! In this podcast, Mark Barnes and Tim Cohen discuss the prospects of Unite for Change, comprising GOOD, Rise Mzansi, and Build One SA, and wonder why they are uniting rather than being united. And on that subject, what are the prospects for the United Nations, and must it unite for change? And gold. Listen up!

It was a big sporting weekend, but also a contrasting one. Rugby, well known for its calm, quiet, subdued supporters, who were out in force in Durban to see South Africa thrash Argentina 67-30 to top the table with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu breaking a test points record. Contrast that with the European 15-13 victory in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. Golf supporters were, as usual, flagrantly out of hand, dropping f-bombs, harassing players and wearing odd pants. But what do we learn from this? Mark Barnes and  Tim Cohen take the score. And then there is Johannesburg...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.

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!