The Township Was My First Business School

The Township Was My First Business School

When I was thirteen, I was already running my father’s shebeen. Looking back now, it remains the longest surviving business he ever had. And I think I understand why.It was the only business where he truly involved the family.My father spent a lot of time away working — and, of course, enjoying life too — so I had to step in early. What started as helping out gradually became full operational responsibility. At thirteen, I…

For years, we have spoken about the Township Economy as one of South Africa’s greatest untapped growth engines. But growth without capability, digital infrastructure and globally relevant skills leaves millions of young people and small businesses on the outside of the digital economy they already participate in every day. That is why I’m immensely proud of my team for securing our Cisco Networking Academy affiliation, further entrenching Finlite’s position as a fintech and digital skills…

A Digitally and Financially Literate Stokvel Is Dangerous

A Digitally and Financially Literate Stokvel Is Dangerous

Dangerous because it knows its worth. The moment a stokvel becomes digitally and financially literate, the entire power dynamic shifts. It no longer operates from a place of exclusion or dependence. It starts negotiating from a position of knowledge, structure, and collective strength. And that changes everything. The Rise of the Informed Collective For decades, stokvels have been treated as informal savings clubs — useful, but limited. That view is outdated. Today’s stokvel is evolving…

If Your Growth Strategy Isn’t Built for WhatsApp, You’re Missing the Market

If Your Growth Strategy Isn’t Built for WhatsApp, You’re Missing the Market

If you are serious about mass consumer adoption — especially in underserved communities — then it’s worth being blunt: If your strategy is still centred around traditional apps, email campaigns, and website funnels, you are solving for the wrong environment. Not because those tools don’t work — they do. But they don’t work at scale for the realities most people live in. The Reality on the Ground In many communities, the barriers are not ambition…

Family Stokvels: The Quiet Architects of Generational Wealth

Family Stokvels: The Quiet Architects of Generational Wealth

I love Stokvels, but family Stokvels are closest to my heart. In them lies one of the most powerful and underappreciated vehicles for multigenerational transformation. They enable the transfer of knowledge, skills and wealth in ways that formal systems often overlook. These socioeconomic structures quietly do what many policies attempt to achieve. Recently I spent time with a family Stokvel that truly inspired me. It was formed over four decades ago by the elders of…