Jabu Jakes - Bitcoin Works Because Nobody Owns It

A government can threaten bans, taxes, and capital controls, but what happens when the thing it is trying to control is just code running on a global, decentralised network? We sit down with Jacques “Jabu Jacks” Strydom to get past the noise and talk about Bitcoin in South Africa the way business owners, engineers, and everyday people actually experience it. The conversation starts with identity and lived experience, then quickly lands on a practical question: how do you fit Bitcoin into the real world without turning it into another hype product? 

We unpack why a single Lightning Network transaction often becomes the true “aha” moment, and why guaranteed settlement matters more than most people realise. From buying a cold drink to paying suppliers, moving value across borders, or avoiding proof-of-payment fraud, we explore Bitcoin as a payments rail and as digital property you can verify, not just trust. Jabu Jacks explains the technical and philosophical edge that separates Bitcoin from other crypto assets, and why self-custody is not a fringe idea but a core safety standard for anyone putting Bitcoin on a balance sheet. 

Then we bring it home to South African governance: collapsing municipal service delivery, rates disputes, and the hard reality that citizens struggle to “vote with their wallet” when billing is bundled and transparency is weak. We discuss how multisig custody could help communities coordinate funds responsibly, and why the current regulatory push around capital flows runs into an enforceability problem when the network does not have a head office to serve papers to. 

If you care about Bitcoin regulation, financial sovereignty, the Lightning Network, sound money, or simply keeping your savings safe in an uncertain system, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who still thinks Bitcoin is “nothing”, and leave us a review. What would need to happen for you to trust self-custody?

https://x.com/jabulanijakes

https://www.linkedin.com/in/strydomjacques/

Links:

X: @gavingre

Primal: [email protected]

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