#AndilesTake Podcast

In this relaxed chat - taped on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018 - Business Report (South Africa) Content Editor, Philippa Larkin and African Tech Roundup Executive Producer, Andile Masuku, chat about topical global issues impacting Africa's tech and innovation industry. Listen in to hear how the conversation takes some unexpected twists and turns as Philippa and Andile discuss the continent's unfolding digital transformation jou...

In this instalment of #AndilesTake, I catch up with my mate, Chef Lesego Semenya, a year and a half or so after he first shared the vision for his LesDaChef fine dining brand with me. I'm fascinated by the level of focus and intentionality this Soweto-native, and Prue Leith Chefs Academy graduate in Centurion brings to his culinary hustle, and I take great pleasure in celebrating the fact that since we last spoke on mic,...

During a recent trip on a dodgy Greyhound coach to visit family in Zimbabwe, I learned some rather poignant lessons about the importance of looking past the trivial business of daily life, and peered past man-made hype to what really matters. Shout out to Africa's busiest border post. It's all love, Beitbridge! Music Credits: Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution ...

This episode of #AndilesTake explores the importance of delusion, and it features the live wire that the Toro Orero, a Nigerian-born Managing Partner of Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, DraperDarkFlow. One of the key things Toro and his partners at DraperDarkFlow look for in a startup founder that they might invest in is a sense of delusion. He believes that being a little nuts is often a good indicator that so...

As promised in Episode 7 of the #AndilesTake podcast, this is the uncut conversation I (Andile Masuku) had with Nigeria's inimitable Andre "Blaze" Henshaw. Andre is easily one of Africa’s leading broadcasting talents. While he's probably most famous for his work on Nigerian public radio, and hosting primetime extravaganza’s like Nigeria’s Got Talent on television, it’s his work on the My Africa podcast (available on iTune...

So, I’ve decided to pick up where I left off in terms of the audio journal I started just over 18 months ago. Technically, this is Episode 1 of the 2nd Season of the #AndilesTake podcast series. Except as you’ll gather in this instalment, I’m still trying to figure out what it is I’m actually trying to say, and why. I feel like once I properly get my thumb on that, the name of the podcast will change. In the meantime, c...

The gift of speech is a hugely underrated blessing. I'm at the stage in my life-- personal and career-wise, where I've developed an awareness for the potential of what comes out of my mouth to either kill or heal, build or destroy. In this episode of #AndilesTake, I look back on the influences that have shaped the broadcaster I am today, share what fuels my sense of purpose as a communicator, and reflect on what inspires ...

This is the second and final part of my take on the transition from craftsmanship to entrepreneurship featuring Unathi Msengana and Asanda Madyibi. Unathi Msengana is a well-loved South African media personality and business woman (Musician, Metro FM DJ, Idols South Africa Judge and Television Producer) who is easily one of the most relevant and, indeed, most bankable entities in the Africa’s fickle entertainment industry...

Unathi Msengana is a well-loved South African media personality and business woman (Musician, Metro FM DJ, Idols South Africa Judge and Television Producer) who is easily one of the most relevant and, indeed, most bankable entities in the Africa's fickle entertainment industry. While, Asanda Madyibi is an incredibly talented fashion designer to the stars whose garments have graced catwalks around the world. Unathi, Asanda...

Join me in celebrating the mango! *cue fireworks* In this feature I contrast the amazing qualities of 2015's "Fruit of the Year" with the dodgy quality of customer service in South African supermarkets. While it's been a remarkable year for the mango, public outrage at poor customer service in South Africa continues to grow (with significant amounts of frustration being aimed at the big supermarket chains). Is it possibl...

The wait is over. The Muffinz have finally released their much-anticipated sophomore album, "Do What You Love"-- following the success of their critically-acclaimed, award-winning debut, "Have You Heard" in 2012. After touring widely since the release of their first album (selling out venues like New York's famous Apollo Theatre along the way), and sharing the stage with legendary artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo and O...

Stacey Davidson is the Executive Director of The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA)-- an award-winning non-profit organisation which aims to develop a sustainable South African tyre recycling industry.

As I was packing my stuff away after a stimulating hour-long #AndilesTake podcast interview with Stacey and Lebogang Selepe-- co-owner of Ronetta 28 Resources (one of the many small busines...

After letting the hype around the recent launch of eTV's new drama series, "Ashes to Ashes" die down, I finally decided to watch the first episode of the show online to see what all the fuss was about, and give you my candid first impressions. Believe it or not, watching the show got me thinking deeply about some important things-- like how it seems we black folks struggle to master the dynamics of generational wealth-cre...

Ofentse "Scrooch" Mwase is a South African film and media-maker on the rise. He's gone from being a video game-obsessed teen from a little town in the Northwest Province, to a Johannesburg-based, Loerie award-winning cinematographer who was recently named one of 18 international photographers to follow on Instagram (@unclescrooch) by the Business Insider.

Scrooch also happens to be one of the most in-demand mainstream music...

Claire Reid is the ultimate over-achiever. She is a qualified architect who founded Reel Gardening at the age of 16, aiming to solve the problems she encountered when she tried to start her own vegetable garden in order to grow produce to sell to her parents for pocket-money.

Today, Reel Gardening is multi-award-winning brand, and a thriving social enterprise that has recently raised several million rands in a recent fundin...

Booster Energy is Africa's first brand to produce and market ingenious smartphone covers that not only protect your device, but can charge it as well. 26-year-old Njabulo Makhathini is COO and Co-founder of this clever tech-business, and is notably an alumnus of both the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship and Seed Engine. (Picture by Katego Bodibe)

Njabulo and his Booster Energy co-founder Njabulo Mtshali have made signific...

Lesego Semenya is not only a talented, classically-trained chef, he is a focussed entrepreneur who knows what's up. This Soweto native quit a lucrative corporate process-engineering job several years ago to train as a professional chef at the well-respected Prue Leith Chefs Academy.

Lesego has spent the last five years "studying the business of food", and honing his culinary skills by working for five-star establishments li...

Following Quirk Agency MD, Justin Spratt’s recent talk and fireside chat with aspiring entrepreneurs at iAfrikan.com’s Start-up Manifesto at Jozihub last week, I was lucky enough to land a slot in Justin’s diary to find out how he went from being a curious, ten-year-old “hacker” in Australia, to rocking a suit at Morgan Stanley in London-- then later becoming a tech-loving digital agency exec and start-up investor, right h...