Author · Founder & Editor
Liam van der Merwe
Founder and solo editor of Die Stoep, a student-led South African magazine project about money, work, technology, property, motoring, lifestyle and culture from the stoep.
Based in Sandton, Johannesburg · 49 stories for Die Stoep
Credentials
- Communications student
- Independent South African publisher
Previously at
- Student media projects
- Local reporting and editorial research
Contact
Business · HOUSEHOLDSThe Lights Came Back. The Pressure Didn’t.
South Africa is living through a more stable electricity period. But after years of planning around uncertainty, many households are still learning what it means to feel secure again.
24 May 2026 · 7 min read
Business · AI MONEYWhen AI Entered The Money Conversation
AI has moved from office tools and search boxes into the everyday way South Africans ask about money, markets and online platforms.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · KI GELDToe KI Deel Van Die Geldgesprek Geword Het
KI het van kantoorhulpmiddel na kombuistafel-gesprek beweeg — ook wanneer Suid-Afrikaners oor geld, markte en platforms wonder.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · BEGINNERSThe New Beginner: Why More South Africans Are Asking Different Money Questions
The modern beginner is not reckless. They are busy, cautious and trying to understand what changed before someone sells them an answer.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · BEGINNERSDie Nuwe Beginner: Hoekom Meer Suid-Afrikaners Ander Geldvrae Vra
Die moderne beginner is nie roekeloos nie. Hulle is besig, versigtig en probeer verstaan wat verander het voordat iemand ’n antwoord verkoop.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · QUESTIONSYou Don’t Need To Know Everything Before You Start Asking Better Questions
The barrier is often not intelligence. It is the feeling that everyone else already understands the room.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · VRAEJy Hoef Nie Alles Te Weet Voordat Jy Beter Vrae Begin Vra Nie
Die hindernis is dikwels nie intelligensie nie. Dis die gevoel dat almal anders reeds die vertrek verstaan.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · AI LEARNING5 Ways People Use AI To Understand Financial News Before Making Decisions
AI is most useful when it helps readers simplify headlines, explain terms and prepare better questions — not when it pretends to choose for them.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · KI LEER5 Maniere Waarop Mense KI Gebruik Om Finansiële Nuus Beter Te Verstaan
KI help die meeste wanneer dit opskrifte eenvoudiger maak, terme verduidelik en beter vrae voorberei — nie wanneer dit namens jou probeer kies nie.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · MARKET LEARNINGFrom Headlines To Questions: How AI Changes The Way Beginners Learn About Markets
A headline about the rand, oil or tech shares becomes more useful when it turns into questions a beginner can actually ask.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · MARKLEERVan Opskrifte Tot Vrae: Hoe KI Beginners Help Om Markte Beter Te Verstaan
’n Opskrif oor die rand, olie of tegnologie-aandele raak nuttiger wanneer dit in vrae verander wat ’n beginner regtig kan vra.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · LOCAL LIFEAfter Work, Before Dinner: The Quiet Hour When South Africans Research Money Online
Between the commute, the kettle and the evening routine, many people privately search the money questions they are not ready to ask out loud.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · PLAASLIKE LEWENá Werk, Voor Aandete: Die Stil Uur Wanneer Suid-Afrikaners Oor Geld Lees
Tussen werk, die ketel en die aandroetine soek baie mense privaat na geldvrae wat hulle nog nie hardop wil vra nie.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · BRAAI MONEYThe Money Conversation Around The Braai Has Changed
People still talk about prices, work and family responsibility — but AI, apps and online platforms have joined the conversation.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · BRAAI GELDDie Geldgesprek Rondom Die Braai Het Verander
Mense praat steeds oor pryse, werk en familieverantwoordelikheid — maar KI, apps en aanlyn platforms sit nou ook by die vuur.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · DIGITAL HABITSWhy ‘I’ll Look Into It Later’ Is Becoming A Costly Habit
The cost is not missed profit. It is being left outside important digital money conversations because understanding keeps being postponed.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · DIGITALE GEWOONTESHoekom ‘Ek Sal Later Daarna Kyk’ ’n Duur Gewoonte Word
Die koste is nie verlore wins nie. Dis om buite belangrike digitale geldgesprekke te bly omdat begrip telkens uitgestel word.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · BEGINNER QUESTIONSThe 10 Questions A Smart Beginner Asks Before Opening Any Online Trading Account
A practical, plain-language question list for comparing platforms without turning the process into a compliance manual.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · BEGINNER-VRAEDie 10 Vrae Wat ’n Slim Beginner Vra Voor Hy Enige Aanlyn Handelsrekening Oopmaak
’n Praktiese vraelys in gewone taal om platforms te vergelyk sonder dat dit soos ’n regulasiehandleiding voel.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · WALKTHROUGHWhat Happens On A Trading Platform Walkthrough?
A walkthrough should reduce uncertainty by explaining layout, terms, demos and support — not push the reader into a rushed decision.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · DEURLOOPWat Gebeur Tydens ’n Handelsplatform-Deurloop?
’n Deurloop behoort onsekerheid te verminder deur uitleg, terme, demo’s en ondersteuning te verduidelik — nie deur die leser te jaag nie.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · DEMO FIRSTDemo First: Why Many Beginners Prefer To Look Around Before Taking Action
Looking around first is not hesitation. It is often the healthiest way to understand an online platform before any decision.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · EERS DEMOEers ’n Demo: Hoekom Baie Beginners Eers Wil Rondkyk Voor Hulle Optree
Om eers rond te kyk is nie huiwering nie. Dit is dikwels die gesondste manier om ’n aanlyn platform te verstaan voordat enige besluit volg.
22 May 2026 · 10 min read
Business · GLOSSARYThe Online Trading Terms People Search For Before They Speak To Anyone
A plain-language glossary for the words beginners often want to understand before they request a walkthrough or callback.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
Business · WOORDELYSDie Aanlyn Handel-Terme Waarna Mense Soek Voor Hulle Met Iemand Praat
’n Eenvoudige woordelys vir die terme wat beginners dikwels wil verstaan voordat hulle ’n deurloop of terugbel versoek.
22 May 2026 · 11 min read
CULTUREWhy the stoep still matters
A small architectural feature became a South African institution: part lookout post, part newsroom, part family court. That is where this magazine begins.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
BUSINESSThe small businesses learning to plan again
After years of batteries, diesel receipts and broken trading hours, South African operators are cautiously rebuilding around a simple luxury: predictability.
7 May 2026 · 9 min read
BUSINESSThe township side-hustle budget nobody posts online
Behind the WhatsApp flyer and weekend queue sit transport, data, spoilage, credit, family labour and the awkward maths of being small.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
BUSINESSWhat a rand actually buys now
Inflation becomes clearer when it is measured in bread, airtime, taxi fare, school extras and the substitutions families make without announcing them.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
BUSINESSThe new office is a mall parking lot
Hybrid work in South Africa is less about lifestyle freedom than Wi-Fi, safety, transport maths and finding a plug that works.
7 May 2026 · 6 min read
TECHNOLOGYAI has entered the family WhatsApp group
South Africans are adopting AI less through futuristic offices than through voice notes, school projects, side hustles and suspicious relatives asking if a message is real.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
TECHNOLOGYThe real cost of cheap data
A bundle can look affordable until you count expiry dates, app choices, Wi-Fi dependency and the quiet ways limited connectivity shapes daily life.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
TECHNOLOGYFintech is the new spaza counter
Wallets, instant payments and QR codes are changing how small amounts move through South Africa — but trust still works like it always has.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
TECHNOLOGYCyber safety for normal people
You do not need to become a security expert to make OTP scams, SIM swaps, fake buyers and WhatsApp hijackers work harder.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
PROPERTYThe new South African stoep is sectional title
Apartments, estates and complexes are changing the old dream of a freestanding house — and replacing the front stoep with shared rules, levies and WhatsApp politics.
7 May 2026 · 9 min read
PROPERTYRenting when the city keeps changing
The cheapest rent can become expensive once transport, safety, inspections, deposits and a changing neighbourhood enter the lease.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
PROPERTYThe hidden price of a good neighbourhood
A good area is not only a property price; it is school access, commute time, municipal reliability, grocery choices and the safety systems residents build themselves.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
PROPERTYSolar, borehole and the private-utility home
More homes are becoming mini-utilities, which brings resilience, maintenance, estate politics and a new kind of inequality to the driveway.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
MOTORINGThe bakkie goes electric, slowly
Electric pickups make sense on paper. South African roads, farms and charging maps are where the paper starts asking harder questions.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
MOTORINGThe petrol-price family meeting
When fuel moves, South African households renegotiate school runs, lift clubs, weekend plans, car choices and who gets the car on Friday.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
MOTORINGUsed-car red flags in South Africa
A shiny bonnet can hide finance trouble, accident repairs, weak paperwork and the old problem of wanting the deal to be real too badly.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
MOTORINGWhy minibus taxis are still the real mobility app
Before a phone can optimise a trip, South Africans have already built route knowledge, hand signals, timing and affordability into a living transport network.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
LIFESTYLEThe Sunday lunch index
Chicken, potatoes, salad, pudding and petrol for the auntie who came from across town: one family meal tells a surprisingly sharp story about South African inflation.
7 May 2026 · 8 min read
- LIFESTYLE
The South African home emergency kit
Not bunker drama — just water, light, documents, first aid, backup connectivity and a household plan everyone can actually find.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
LIFESTYLELocal travel without the Instagram budget
A good South African weekend away can be built from shoulder seasons, petrol maths, self-catering, family routes and places that do not need a drone shot.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
LIFESTYLEThe new grocery strategy
South African shoppers are mixing bulk buys, specials, loyalty points, house brands and family diplomacy to keep the trolley useful.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
CULTUREHow South Africans change language mid-sentence
Code-switching is not confusion; it is humour, intimacy, class navigation, workplace diplomacy and the sound of a country refusing one neat box.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read
CULTUREThe playlist at the braai
Amapiano, old-school soul, Afrikaans singalongs, gospel and radio hits turn one speaker into a family negotiation table.
7 May 2026 · 6 min read
CULTURESport as family calendar
Springbok Tests, school fixtures, football screens and braai plans do more than entertain — they organise weekends and mood.
7 May 2026 · 7 min read