eNCA business journalist and markets anchor Motheo Khoaripe
they’ve developed into fully fledged businesses is gratifying. “I want to help black people to be part of the economy, to give them the right tools to equip them adequately to get ahead in business, and to learn and talk about money comfortably”, he says. His TV job aside, Khoaripe has also partnered with a financial advisor to improve financial literacy and educate high school learners as well as young professionals. “I want to teach as many people as I can, as soon as I can, to become money wise, to learn how to keep money, not only spend it”. To this end, he is also working to introduce a workable financial literacy programme into the South African curriculum system. “The practical aspects of finance need to be understood by all”, he says. He is inspired by the underdog. “Everyone has a war story. Those who make it to where they want to be, despite the odds stacked against them. Those people inspire me”. Last year, Khoaripe was named among the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 young people. Plans for the future? “I want to get into the agriculture technology business. It’s something I have been passionate about for a long time. So going back to school to get a new set of skills is part of the plan. I would also love to lecture a course on financial journalism and journalism in the modern era. So lots to do!”
and by midday, I’d be at work, then return for a 7.30 pm psychology class”, he says. It didn’t get easier afterwards. Despite Khoaripe’s degree, he sold pots for two years in order to make ends meet. “I managed to get by. We all have fight in us, and I rely on my unassailable faith that my life is part of a bigger plan. I am here to add something to the world, so even when things don’t go according to plan, I take that as only a life lesson more than something that would break me. So always rise above the challenge, knowing it will be a reference point for my next challenge”, he says. Khoaripe was 24 when he started working at YFM, under the guidance of Zukile Majova, the editor of the station at the time. At Power FM, he was mentored by Siki Mgabedeli, and produced Power Business and Power Perspective shows. At eNCA, dissecting his first budget speech remains the highlight of his career. “It was a chance to delve into its depths, fully unpack it and help people understand its significance. A chance to serve others”, he says. Khoaripe says he has noticed how many people encounter “glass ceilings” when it comes to money. “The financial jargon doesn’t help the masses to understand their financial issues. That’s why I love the world of finance, and business journalism. It’s a platform for me to bridge that gap”, he says. For the same reason, telling stories about start-up businesses and how
Motheo Khoaripe, 32, is a business journalist and markets anchor for eNCA, best known as anchor of the channel’s Moneyline show. He cut his teeth in broadcasting on YFM radio station, which he joined in 2012 as a news and sports reporter before moving to Power FM as a business reporter in 2014 for a year. He joined eNCA in 2015. “As a business reporter, I’ve discovered there is a section of society that will never get to know how money works. It’s not that people don’t have money, it’s that they just don’t know how to use it”, he says, adding: “I’d like to teach young people about money before they get money. And to tell the stories untold”. Khoaripe matriculated at Wordsworth High School in Benoni, with merit, in 2006. “My mind wandered and I found it difficult to concentrate. I loved sport more than my books, to be honest. I did really well in the Quiz and JSE challenge team”, he recalls. As a boy, he had his mind set on being a soldier or Navy officer. “I also did well in cricket so I also had a dream of representing the Proteas”, he says. Instead, he enrolled at UJ, completing his BA in Corporate Communications in 2010. Money issues made it a tough journey. “It was also very important to me to prove to my parents that I was deserving of all the sacrifices they’d made for me to go to varsity. I did promotions and odd gigs to help them pay the fees. I would go to class in the morning
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