Creator
Thalia Holmes
Thalia is a freelance business reporter for the Mail & Guardian. She grew up in Swaziland and lived in the US before returning to South Africa.She got a cum laude degree in marketing and followed it with another in English literature and psychology before further confusing things by becoming a black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) consultant.After spending five years hearing the surprised exclamation, "But you're white!", she decided to pursue her latent passion for journalism, and joined the M&G in 2012. The next year, she won the Brandhouse Journalist of the Year Award, the Brandhouse Best Online Award and was chosen as one of five finalists from Africa for the German Media Development Award. In 2014, she and a colleague won the Standard Bank Sivukile Multimedia Award. She now writes and edits for various publications, but her heart still belongs to the M&G.
Behaviour Change in the age of Covid-19
‘If we build better systems and ask the right questions and frame things in the right way, it may help us reduce incidences of corruption’
Fraud and corruption in the Covid-19 era
‘We need to make it fundamentally uncool to even be accused of a crime – right now in South Africa being accused of a crime doesn’t end your career’
Saving the class of 2020
The 10-week Educate programme was created to help matric students who have been disrupted by the pandemic get back on track for their final exams
The rise and rise of Rise Uniforms
‘If you can’t take a risk then you’re not an entrepreneur, and you might as well get out of the space’ says Ntombekhaya Nonnxuba
How to get R7 000 government funding for your spaza shop or traditional grocery store
The Spaza Shop Support scheme allows for your business to access a R3 500 working capital injection and an additional R3 500 in revolving credit
Two small business manage to stay afloat
When lockdown closes the doors of your business you have to learn to think on your feet to keep the wolf from the door
Rethinking partnerships: a key way to keep your business going through the pandemic
Stay in conversation with your suppliers, be agile and try to honour your debts wherever possible to keep your small business viable
Debt Relief Fund a mere drop in the ocean
Most South African SMMEs have received no assistance from the Debt Relief Fund, 90% are in crisis, and many will be forced to close
Cutting salaries? Five ways to make the process less painful
Debt will only put a future strain on cash flow and could result in tremendous financial stress on the owners of the business if they’re not able to recover
How to compare investment fees
It’s a matter of deciphering the acronyms, but the crouton in the financial alphabet soup is the EAC
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my levy
Treasury is coining it as South Africans continue to shell out for their favourite sugary drinks
72 hours to care: The precarious road to psychiatric help
For many people with severe mental illnesses, these special wards can be a lifeline and the first step to care — if they can get there.
The finance minister details a plan to ‘rebuild the ancient ruins’
It’s not often that Bible verses and Dickens are quoted in the same speech, especially when the speech is to outline the medium-term budget
Mboweni targets water crisis
The finance minister has vowed to tackle rampant corruption and municipal dysfunction
High fees erode your investments
New middlemen mean today’s investors are paying more fees than previous generations