What we see on the surface of the township economy is only a fraction of what is really happening. Walk through any township and you’ll notice the visible signs of economic life — spaza shops on street corners, hair salons operating from backrooms, food vendors serving daily customers, and small service providers hustling to meet demand. But this visible layer is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it exists a vast, dynamic, and…

The South African Paradox: We’re Insured to Die, But Not to Live. A R80bn Wake-Up Call. As the CEO and Creative Strategist at Finlite, I live in the space between two worlds. Finlite was created to bridge two worlds: a sophisticated insurance industry and millions of families making decisions based on cultural need. The data reveals a stark contradiction: South Africa has one of the world’s highest funeral cover rates (72%) but shockingly low life…

Cape Town’s investment community is missing a massive opportunity by overlooking its townships. The valuation gap between urban areas and townships highlights deep inequality in income, wealth, and quality of life. Soweto has over 1,600 properties worth more than R1 million. In the last year alone, property transactions there exceeded R1.1 billion, with a growing share driven by first-time buyers under 35. By contrast, Khayelitsha has zero properties valued at R1 million or more. The…

So, about 15 years ago when I first started working with Stokvels, I thought I was ready to “educate my people”. I was fresh out of corporate, naive, armed with pride, confidence and a cape🦸🏿no one gave me😅. One day I walked into a Soweto living room filled with mature women — medical doctors, entrepreneurs, and lawyers who were pooling money to buy holiday homes 🏨. I walked out humbled🤦🏿. Instead of teaching, I found…

I was mentored by award-winning entrepreneur and author, fondly known as the godmother of Stokvelling in South Africa, Busi Skenjane, who has been shaping the stokvel movement for over 40 years. From my own upbringing to my time under Mam Busi’s wing at the Stokvel Academy in Soweto, I saw that most stokvel members seeking training and mentorship were women. This shaped how I tailored my content to reflect the daily realities of the resilient…