School talk on saving money
Masonwabe wants to make a change in his community by passing on financial literacy tools to young South Africans, one savings talk at a time.
LOCAL resident, Masonwabe ‘Mason’ Tshobonga is on a mission to address the imbalances in financial education in the Black South African community.
The Glenmore resident started doing financial literacy consultation talks to help young Black South Africans become more informed on ways to save and invest money.
He has a passion for teaching and sharing information.
“My ultimate goal when I started was to make information, especially financial literacy tools, accessible to young, Black South Africans. I want young people to be aware of the fact that you don’t have to be an accountant to manage your savings, there is no reason a matric student should not be able to manage a bond. My goal is to pass on valuable and essential tools through the work that we do,” he said.
Tshobonga visits schools and universities across the country offering his consulting services and schooling youngsters on the importance of being smart with their money.
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“Due to the harsh effects of Apartheid that we are still dealing with, you will find that young Black South Africans are leaving school with no idea of how to handle their money and because of the poverty imbalance, their parents may be dealing with financial issues themselves, giving them no one to look to for guidance, so the accessibility to financial, educative resources is something I feel is essential in my community,” he added.
The former head boy of Brettenwood High School was recently invited back to the school to speak to the Grade 12 learners about financial literacy and education. He recalls the experience with fondness, “The meaningfulness of me going back to my old high school is overwhelming because they are the ones who got me asking all of these important questions and put the idea in my head that I am capable of making a change.”
He spoke to the high school learners with great passion and nostalgia in his heart, knowing that he once sat where they sat at the brink of starting life. He hopes to change the lives of young South Africans by encouraging them to make smart financial decisions.
“There is no better time than right now, to be young and Black, we have every opportunity at our fingertips and I want to teach kids how to access those amazing opportunities so that we can all succeed,” encouraged Tshobonga.
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