Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #115: Life after JIBAR – how Intengo simplifies the ZARONIA era
Debt has never been simple, but the shift from JIBAR to ZARONIA has added a whole new layer of complexity. Ian Norden of Intengo Market joined me to unpack what South Africa's new benchmark rate means for borrowers, lenders and treasury teams - and how Intengo can help.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #114: The STADIO growth formula
STADIO CEO Chris Vorster and CFO Ishak Kula joined me to unpack how the group reached its 56,000-student target. Perhaps more importantly, we discussed how STADIO plans to grow to 80,000 students by 2030 while maintaining academic quality, affordability and attractive returns on capital.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #113: What every CFO should know about changing auditors
Changing auditors is not something most CFOs do often, but when the moment arrives, the decision can have far-reaching implications for governance, stakeholder confidence and the effectiveness of the audit process.
In this episode of Ghost Stories, The Finance Ghost is joined by Yolandie Ferreira, Head of Audit Africa at Forvis Mazars, to explore what companies should consider when appointing a new auditor and why the process is about much more than compliance.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #112: Decision fatigue – why important financial decisions get delayed
In this episode of Ghost Stories, The Finance Ghost is joined by Colleen Wagner, CFO of Satrix, to unpack the concept of decision fatigue and why it so often causes long-term financial goals to fall to the bottom of the priority list. Colleen shares a number of practical strategies for breaking the stress cycle and getting back on track.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #111: Global equities with 100% capital protection and geared upside (Japie Lubbe of Investec)
The award-winning Investec Structured Products team brings you the latest iteration of International Titans Basket Ltd. This product offers 100% capital protection and geared upside (with a cap), referencing a basket of underlying global equity indices. Bringing decades of experience and passion to this discussion, Japie Lubbe walks us through exactly how the structure works.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #110: Putting performance in context – choosing the right benchmark
In this episode of Ghost Stories, The Finance Ghost is joined by Siyabulela Nomoyi from Satrix to unpack one of the most important, yet often misunderstood, concepts in investing: benchmarks. From retail portfolios to institutional mandates, we explore why returns only tell half the story and why every investment outcome needs a meaningful point of comparison.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #109: The quant behind the alpha – inside Old Mutual Investment Group’s Global Managed Alpha Fund
In this episode of the Ghost Stories podcast, The Finance Ghost sits down with Reza Fakie, portfolio co-manager of the Old Mutual Investment Group Global Managed Alpha Fund. The fund has delivered consistent outperformance against its benchmark since inception, but the real story is how it does it. Reza takes us inside the world of quantitative investing.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #108: Due diligence decoded – inside the modern deal risk process
Due diligence is often described as "doing your own research" before an acquisition, but the reality is far more complex. In this episode of Ghost Stories, The Finance Ghost is joined by Althea Soobyah, Bongiwe Mbunge and Johan Marais from Forvis Mazars to unpack what a modern due diligence process really looks like. This episode offers valuable insights into what happens after the letter of intent is signed and the real work begins.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #107: The real risk is playing it “safe”
Volatility feels like risk. The daily noise, the red screens, the uncomfortable drawdowns - these are the stress points for investors. This is what might keep you out of the market altogether. But what if the real risk was avoiding the markets over the long-term, rather than managing the bumps along the way? Kingsley Williams of Satrix explains.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #106: Load shedding to load sharing – South Africa’s energy market evolves
The Finance Ghost sits down with Tokollo Tau from Nedbank CIB to unpack how South Africa’s energy landscape is evolving beyond the dark days of load shedding. What once felt like a permanent crisis has receded into the background, but the real story now is what’s being built in its place (like power wheeling and aggregation). Against the backdrop of the Africa Energy Forum, the conversation explores the infrastructure and commercial models that are reshaping how electricity is generated, moved and sold across the country, unlocking new levels of flexibility and opportunity for businesses.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #105: Altron – a multi-platform, multi-decade moat
The Finance Ghost welcomes Altron CEO Werner Kapp fresh off a standout capital markets day that left a strong impression: this is a business whose growth story isn’t tightly tethered to South Africa’s traditional economic constraints. From FinTech and HealthTech to telematics and IT security, Altron operates a portfolio of platform businesses that quietly underpin everyday life, even if most consumers don’t realise it! In this conversation, Werner unpacks how these platforms drive resilient, annuity-style revenues, while also leaning into powerful structural tailwinds like digitisation, mobile adoption and the evolution of the payments ecosystem.

