Kempton Park teacher Giba Mahlangu’s quest to convert pupils into market-minded entrepreneurs

South Africa’s next generation of investors has outpaced the broader market in this year’s JSE Investment Challenge, delivering returns that eclipsed the All-Share Index’s 23% gain during the competition period. The top-performing team in the schools’ income portfolio category was “Cheslin Kolbe 1st Try” from Hoërskool Birchleigh in Kempton Park. Behind their success and that of three other winning teams stands Giba Mahlangu, a maths teacher with a knack for turning classrooms into incubators of financial savvy. In an interview with BizNews, Mahlangu shared his investment philosophy, his methods for sparking student interest in the stock exchange, and his deeper mission: nurturing entrepreneurs from a young age. “We have a serious problem with unemployment,” he said. “That’s why I expose my learners to the stock market. I believe entrepreneurship is the only sustainable solution to South Africa’s unemployment crisis.” His biggest challenge? The enthusiasm of his students. “They’re so keen,” he said, “they sign up for everything.”