Thekiso considered a career in astronomy before turning to financial journalism, and more recently joining Executive Communities to engage and support the network of CFOs.
CFO South Africa has a new community manager (Thekiso Lefifi started in the role in January 2026) and the community had better be ready, because Thekiso brings energy – oodles of it.
Schooled at Edu-College in Pretoria, he matriculated in 1992 with a passion for science and astronomy – so much so that he used to take a taxi to Christian Brothers College at night to meet with the Astronomy Club for stargazing. That was just one of his interests: he was a Boy Scout, too, which he says helped his introverted side “come out of my shell” and gave him responsibilities and a sense of belonging. Plus, there was stargazing there as well.
But the self-confessed “eccentric little boy” also loved the financial newspapers Business Day and Business Times. The vendors and shopkeepers on his way to and from school got to know him so well that they would often keep back the early editions for him once the late editions went on sale, and let him have them for free. It’s unsurprising, then, that he was the high school newspaper editor too.
It stands to reason his dream career was always going to be in astronomy or in financial journalism. A family friend who happened to be a school principal talked him out of astronomy, though, suggesting he might find it challenging to secure employment. And when Thekiso heard the phrase “walking encyclopedia”, he knew that’s what he wanted to be one day. He set his sights on a career in financial journalism.
The circuitous route to journalism
That is exactly what he achieved – via a circuitous route. Some twists and turns took him through a stint as a DJ and an entertainment journalist and another as the communications manager for the South African Music Awards (SAMAs). But, he says, “I did not want to be in my 40s and 50s and still be interviewing musicians”.
Thekiso moved to reporting at EWN, and worked on The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield on 702, on and off, as a producer for many years. He was a financial reporter at the Sunday Times and Business Times, and even worked at Reuters, China Global TV, CNBC Africa, and as a freelance journalist and producer.
Each gig taught him more skills: he says he learnt writing at Business Times and well remembers his first CEO interview, with the CEO of FirstRand Group, as being “intimidating”. Then, producing wire copy for Reuters was a challenge of a different sort. “However, at the wires, you were writing for analysts, and I wanted to write finance news in a way my mom could understand,” he says.
Being a radio producer demanded a whole new different skill set. Thekiso wasn’t daunted by these changes, because he loves to learn, and even completed a certification as a registered financial adviser/planner on the side. “This is for when I’m in my 60s,” he half-jokes. “As a fallback career.”
CFO South Africa calling!
When CFO South Africa called him in to interview for the role of community manager, Thekiso was excited to expand his skill set once more. It has been an eye-opener, he concedes: “Everything is new. As the community manager for CFOs, I have to organise upcoming CFO events; I have to interview nominees for the CFO of the Year Awards; there is the Finance Indaba and the exclusive dinners where CFOs get to network among peers: I’m learning, learning, learning. For example, I have learned that CFOs from really diverse sectors experience the same issues and challenges. The work is rewarding. After the last CFO event, one CFO thanked me because, they said, ‘I have made three new friends.’ I can see we are impacting people in a meaningful way.”
He does describe the process of pinning down busy CFOs as “herding cats”, but says that he is sure, in time “it will start feeling manageable and then effortless!”
Thekiso says he is a “fact magnet” who is very grateful for his extensive experience in financial journalism before joining CFO South Africa – because he knows these people, and he knows their companies, well. He’s the “walking encyclopaedia”, remember? He hopes it will make some of the jitters wear off in time too.
“At The Money Show I did not have to ask the difficult questions, Bruce did. But now I have to interact with the CFOs and of course they can be intimidating. You might think, ‘These people are smarter than I am, they all have MBAs,’ but it helps to remember they are also just humans. In fact, they say to me, ‘We are the experts in our field, but you are the expert in your field.’ Then I know that I am good at what I do. The CFOs have been really engaging and friendly to me.”
In his journalism days, Thekiso noted that CFOs used to be silent partners to the CEO, but says that now that he deals with them regularly, he sees that dynamic has changed. “The are much more involved in all aspects of the company now,” he says, adding that this makes them even more interesting to talk to.
One last thing about Thekiso: he is a man who likes to be busy. In his free time, he still enjoys his stargazing, though he does this while hiking and camping these days, and not through a telescope. He loves mountain biking and golf. He calls his love for gardening his “middle-aged man hobby”. And he has just completed the Cape Town Marathon too!
“My motto is there are 24 hours in a day. Use them wisely,” Thekiso says.
It’s clear that he certainly does just that!
