At 39 years old, Johannesburg-based Zipho Buthelezi has carved out a career in the mining industry while building an impressive investment portfolio on the side.

Self-employed, passionate about sports, and driven by curiosity, he began investing several years ago and has steadily refined his approach, learning how to balance risk, diversify, and stay patient.

Today, Shyft plays a key role in how he manages his portfolio, particularly when it comes to offshore investing and seamless access to forex.

We chatted with Zipho about his journey with Shyft, his investment philosophy, and the lessons he’s learnt along the way.

Q: Do you remember how you first discovered Shyft and what stood out about it?

I think it was when you launched in 2016, but I only started being active on it about three years ago.

What attracted me to Shyft was literally the ease of use. Some platforms are cheaper, but Shyft makes everything accessible. For example, I can WhatsApp the team anytime and ask a question, and I’ll get an answer right away. That’s what I need.

Q: What’s your favourite function on Shyft?

The foreign exchange. When you change your currency, it’s there immediately. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow, like with some competitors. On Shyft, you buy foreign currency now, and it happens now.

Q: Tell us about your investment journey. When did you start, and what was your first investment?

I started investing with Shyft three years ago, mostly focused on US stocks. Outside of Shyft, I started around 2009. My first stock was Anglo American since I’m in the mining industry. Honestly, I didn’t analyse much in the beginning – I just bought whatever was famous, like Anglo or BHP.

Now, I look at the numbers, dividends, and company fundamentals before I put money in.

Q: What does your investment portfolio look like today?

Overall, I’m at about 54% growth since I became more aggressive in December. My strategy is simple: I just want high dividends. My portfolio is mostly mining stocks – about 80% – because that’s what I understand. 

Mining pays good dividends twice a year, and since I’m in the industry, I know how to analyse mining companies.

But I’m slowly diversifying into tech and learning about the sector. I invested in NVIDIA in December, and it’s up about 106% so far (at the time of writing). I used to hold Palantir; I bought it around 2020/21 for about $12. When it hit a badger, I took my money out, and I’m still kicking myself. 

I should have held on because it’s now sitting at about $180. But I guess you win some and you lose some.

My Shyft portfolio, on the other hand, has a 60/40 split: 60% is dollar-denominated because if you have dollars, you can just load them onto your Shyft card when you travel, while 40% is in SA because, at the end of the day, I’m South African and still based in the country.

Q: From your experience, what advice would you give first-time investors who don’t know where to start?

Don’t just go for the meme stocks. Read, analyse, and check the fundamentals. And understand that investing is a journey; you can’t expect results tomorrow.

Q: If you could wave a magic wand and add one new feature to the Shyft app, what would it be?

I’d like Shyft to offer other stock exchanges, like Hong Kong. I’d also love it if these ETFs on my wishlist made it to Shyft:

• Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ)
• Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
• Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD)
• JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI)
• JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ)
• NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF (SPYI)
• BlackRock Capital Allocation Term Trust (NYSE: BCAT)

And these are the shares on my wishlist that I’d like to see on Shyft:

• Oscar Health Inc (NYSE: OSCR)
• OFS Credit Company Inc (NASDAQ: OCCI)
• Orchid Island Capital Inc (NYSE: ORC)
• Ellington Credit Company (NASDAQ: EARN)
• Oxford Square Capital Corp (NASDAQ: OXSQ)

*Shyft has since added these shares and ETFs to the platform.

Q: If we topped up your Shyft wallet with $1 000 today, how would you spend it?

All of it would go into Palantir. I put $2 000 into the stock in 2020/21 and sold it too early, and like I said, I still regret that decision. So if you gave me $1 000 right now, I’d put the whole amount into Palantir and not even split it.

If you’d like to Show us your Shyft, join the conversation by reaching out on our social channels. We’d love to hear how our all-in-one global money app helps you take your ambitions worldwide.

The views and opinions shared are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to serve as investment advice and do not represent the views or opinions of Standard Bank. This information should be used as a starting point for generating investment ideas, and should not be relied upon as the basis for making investment decisions. The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited will not be responsible for the results of any investment decisions made based on the views provided.