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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.