Daily Maverick
Joburg’s Upper Houghton mansions ‘now slumlord dumps’
- Title
- Joburg’s Upper Houghton mansions ‘now slumlord dumps’
- Runtime
- 4:18
- Date posted
- 2 days ago
- Description
- The Joburg heritage area of Upper Houghton is facing severe pressure as historic homes are being vandalised, occupied and falling into disrepair. Daily Maverick’s Anna Cox explains.
Reporting by: Anna Cox
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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- Title
- Julius Malema – Conviction, Sentencing, and the Battle for the JSC
- Runtime
- 11:35
- Date posted
- 5 days ago
- Description
- Can a man sentenced to five years’ imprisonment fairly participate in the appointment of the nation’s judges? Despite his recent stadium shooting conviction, Julius Malema retains his seat on the Judicial Service Commission, sparking a legal firestorm. In this episode, Greg Nicolson and Nonkuleko Njilo unpack the Helen Suzman Foundation’s high-stakes court bid to remove Malema and explore the fallout of having a convicted leader vetting the bench.
Hosted by: Nonkululeko Njilo & Greg Nicolson
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
00:00 Malema Conviction Fallout
00:27 Why He Still Sits
00:34 Meet The Hosts
00:50 Helen Suzman Foundatio...
- Title
- Unpaid Winners and a Race in Crisis: The Soweto Marathon Fallout
- Runtime
- 2:22
- Date posted
- 7 days ago
- Description
- The Soweto Marathon promised prize money and prestige when it took place on 29 November 2025. But nearly six months later, the top finishers are still waiting to be paid. What should have been a routine payout has turned into a widening controversy, with unpaid athletes, conflicting explanations, and Central Gauteng Athletics stepping in to de-sanction the race altogether.
Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has said his department plans to temporarily take over the Soweto Marathon. He will meet with the race organisers and Athletics South Africa to help restore governance structures. He also suggested his department would find the budget to pay the out-of-pocket athletes. Daily Maverick’s Annemieke Thomaidis explains.
Reporting by: Annemieke Thomaidis
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Mike van Olst
Support journalism that protects democ...
- Title
- Are hackers holding our local government to ransom?
- Runtime
- 5:42
- Date posted
- 12 days ago
- Description
- South African municipalities are sitting on goldmines of your personal data — ID numbers, addresses, billing details — and they are catastrophically unprepared to protect it. No skills, ancient tech, and bureaucratic red tape have left our local governments wide open to ransomware gangs and phishing attacks. And the thieves? They’re already inside the house. Daily Maverick’s Lindsey Schutters explains.
Reporting by: Lindsey Schutters
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
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- Title
- Ramaphosa bets on legal review to stall Phala Phala impeachment proceedings
- Runtime
- 21:02
- Date posted
- 14 days ago
- Description
- President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing to challenge the Section 89 report in court, a report that could ultimately result in his impeachment. At the same time, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has announced plans to begin the process of establishing an impeachment committee to question the president over the theft at his farm. In this episode of Power Chat, Daily Maverick Associate Editor Ferial Haffajee and reporter Victoria O’Regan unpack the latest developments and examine what may lie ahead.
With: Ferial Haffajee and Victoria O’Regan
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcast!
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Chapters:
00:00 Phala Phala Returns
00:57 Two Tra...
- Title
- Minister Tolashe’s state-funded nanny — and the daughter who took half her salary
- Runtime
- 6:59
- Date posted
- 15 days ago
- Description
- Rebecca Davis investigates fresh allegations against Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe. Documents suggest a former household worker may have been forced to give half of her state-funded salary to Tolashe’s daughter.
The story follows earlier revelations that Tolashe accepted two luxury Chinese SUVs in 2023 — reportedly for the ANC Women’s League — without declaring them to Parliament.
On 14 May 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Tolashe. Sindisiwe Chikunga has been appointed acting minister until a permanent replacement is named.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
Read the full story: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-28-revealed-minister-tolashes-state-funded-nanny-and-the-daughter-who-took-half-her-salary-/?dm_source=blocks-grid-wide&dm_m...
- Title
- Ramaphosa’s future hangs in the balance
- Runtime
- 2:04
- Date posted
- 15 days ago
- Description
- The shape-shifting Constitutional Court judgment raises fundamental political questions for South Africa’s future. The court ordered on 8 May 2026 that an impeachment committee into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s conduct be established to interrogate the Section 89 impeachment inquiry panel finalised in 2022 and then voted against by an ANC majority later that year. The judgment raises five immediate big political questions.
Reporting: Ferial Haffajee
Video edited by: Anda Tolibadi
- Title
- Second Cabinet minister implicated in Chinese SUV scandal
- Runtime
- 5:58
- Date posted
- 25 days ago
- Description
- Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Maropene Ramokgopa has also been accused of giving luxury donated Chinese SUVs to her family and loved ones without disclosing this. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
With additional reporting by: Tembile Sgqolana
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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- Title
- Is your money really safe? South Africa’s invisible crime wave
- Runtime
- 12:22
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- South Africa’s latest crime statistics suggest a country getting safer, but that’s only part of the story. Commercial crime - fraud, scams, and financial exploitation - is rising, with cases doubling over the past decade. It’s a quieter crime, but one that targets ordinary South Africans directly, often through the very systems they rely on. Why has this surge escaped national attention? And what happens when victims try to fight back? Rebecca Davis, senior journalist at Daily Maverick, reports.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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Find us on...
- Title
- Minister Sisisi Tolashe’s Undeclared Luxury SUVs
- Runtime
- 4:49
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe told Parliament in February that she received two luxury SUVs as donations for the ANC Women’s League. Just one problem: the ANC doesn’t seem to know what she’s talking about. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
Read the full story: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-02-exclusive-the-mystery-of-minister-sisisi-tolashes-missing-suvs/
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Check our website: https://www.da...
- Title
- Somebody didn't care: how Grey's Hospital's failing air con became a surgical emergency
- Runtime
- 5:42
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Grey's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg is a surgical lifeline for 4.5 million people across western KwaZulu-Natal. For years, its ageing air conditioning system has been breaking down, forcing surgery cancellations and endangering patients. The department knew. It had a plan. The plan failed. Now it has another plan.
Reporting by: Craig Bentley-McKune
Edits and animation by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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- Title
- Meet the Nigerian mega pastor shouting hallelujah after bidding to buy iconic Cape Town building
- Runtime
- 5:57
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- In late February 2026, the City of Cape Town auctioned off 53 City-owned properties, including the famous Good Hope Centre. The man who claims his bid was successful is a Nigeria-born pastor who leads a charismatic church in Maitland. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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- Title
- Inside the US–Israel War on Iran and What It Means for Africa
- Runtime
- 30:23
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- In this episode, Redi Tlhabi sits down with political economist and Signal Risk director Ronak Gopaldas for a sharp, wide-ranging conversation on the escalating tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran. Together, they unpack what the conflict reveals about shifting global power, contested moral authority, and the often-overlooked consequences for Africa.
This conversation was recorded before the US and Iran came to a last-minute cease-fire deal, on Tuesday 9th April 2026.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
You can listen to the Let’s Talk Human Rights podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/59LYbrnDnmsupzBh9Sb9dH?si=9ea830a251094765
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Ronak Gopaldas
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You c...
- Title
- How Cape Town's municipal bills are outrunning its middle-class residents
- Runtime
- 6:35
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Cape Town homeowners who do not qualify for income-linked rebates are paying municipal bills that have significantly outpaced inflation and salary increases over the past decade as a result of spiralling property valuations and a wave of fixed charges that did not exist 10 years ago. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
Read more:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-22-how-cape-towns-municipal-bills-are-outrunning-its-middleclass-residents/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-26-the-city-of-cape-town-has-valued-your-property-heres-how-to-challenge-it/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-27-help-us-track-cape-towns-housing-crisis/
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insid...
- Title
- From Real Housewives fame to real ‘shoplifting’ arrest infamy
- Runtime
- 4:26
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- South African couple Melany and Peet Viljoen revelled in the limelight. Melany featured on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Pretoria. And Viljoen styled himself as a legal eagle. But all wasn’t as it seemed. The couple perpetuated the lie that there is a ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, with Afrikaners being violently targeted. So they moved to the US, where they were arrested on shoplifting charges. Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley explains.
Reporting by: Caryn Dolley
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-12-the-viljoens-from-real-housewives-fame-in-sa-to-us-shoplifting-bubbly/
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Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailyma...
- Title
- How R11m in ATM cash deposits followed Brian Molefe
- Runtime
- 9:44
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Between 2013 and 2018, R11.3-million in cash flowed into Palcocap — a company linked to former Transnet and Eskom boss Brian Molefe — through 706 ATM deposits across South Africa. Daily Maverick’s investigative journalist for Scorpio Pieter-Louis Myburgh maps the money trail: the ATMs near Molefe’s homes, the deposits that started four days after he moved to Eskom, and the striking overlap between his Gupta contact dates and cash flowing into the account. This is Part 2 of Daily Maverick’s Palcocap series.
Reporting by: Pieter-Louis Myburgh
Edited by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
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- Title
- Geordin Hill-Lewis: DA Leader, Cape Town's Mayor — Or Both?
- Runtime
- 26:56
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Daily Maverick’s Associate Editor Ferial Haffajee puts the hard questions to Cape Town's Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, on inequality, the DA leadership race, and what a functional city actually means.
Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee
Guest: Mayor of Cape Town Geordin Hill-Lewis
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
- Title
- Mkhwanazi vs McBride: Clashing claims tear South Africa’s security apart
- Runtime
- 3:49
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Two competing narratives have emerged since KwaZulu-Natal police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged in July 2025 that a cartel had penetrated South Africa’s criminal justice system, politics, and private security. Either he is exposing a national crisis, or he is deflecting from his own alleged misconduct. Daily Maverick's Caryn Dolley explains.
Reporting by: Caryn Dolley
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
- Title
- The wheeling and dealing behind South Africa’s AI factories
- Runtime
- 6:41
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- South Africa is in the grip of an infrastructure supercycle, but it isn’t roads or rails. It is the rise of the AI Factory, windowless fortresses consuming small cities worth of power.
Reporting by: Lindsey Schutters & Tony Carnie
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative Lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
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Read more:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-12-cloud-formations-how-data-centres-work/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-12-the-wheeling-and-dealing-behind-south-africas-ai-factories/
- Title
- How Cape Town Families Found Loved Ones in Paupers’ Graves
- Runtime
- 6:41
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Paupers’ graves are meant for the forgotten. But what happens when the people buried there were never forgotten at all? In Cape Town, an undertaker’s alleged fraud has exposed a failure of the systems meant to protect the dead – and devastated those left behind. Rebecca Davis explains.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Edited & animations by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
Read more:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-10-how-cape-town-families-discovered-their-loved-ones-in-paupers-graves/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-15-city-of-cape-towns-wall-of-silence-as-fafamilies-demand-answers-on-paupers-g...
- Title
- Redi Tlhabi Has Advice for America’s New Ambassador to South Africa
- Runtime
- 21:40
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- In this solo episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi discusses newly appointed US Ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, and the recent rebuke from Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola. Drawing on her own experience of living abroad, from the United States to London, she offers four tips” on what it means to enter a new society as a guest, why understanding local sensitivities matters, and how diplomacy can unravel when those lessons are ignored. Listen in!
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
You can listen to the Let’s Talk Human Rights podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/59LYbrnDnmsupzBh9Sb9dH?si=9ea830a251094765
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spo...
- Title
- Is the Iran Conflict Slipping Beyond Control?
- Runtime
- 27:17
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- As tensions sharpen between Iran, Israel and the United States, Redi Tlhabi and veteran journalist Phillip van Niekerk unpack the strikes, the denials and the shifting nuclear narrative. From the collapse of the Obama-era deal dismantled by Donald Trump to the long-running warnings of Benjamin Netanyahu, they examine how we arrived at this moment and whether bombing a nation can ever be sold as liberation.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
You can listen to the Let’s Talk Human Rights podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/59LYbrnDnmsupzBh9Sb9dH?si=9ea830a251094765
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Journalist and political analyst Phillip van Niekerk
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, includin...
- Title
- The alleged illicit millions that bankrolled Brian Molefe’s lifestyle
- Runtime
- 7:36
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- In this video, Scorpio investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh unpacks documents pointing to an alleged slush fund linked to Brian Molefe during his tenure at Transnet and Eskom — and what they suggest about money, influence and State Capture.
Daily Maverick reached out to Molefe for comment, but he did not respond. Reggie Maponya said she did not wish to comment.
Reporting by: Pieter-Louis Myburgh
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
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Or on Twitter here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article_tag/x/
- Title
- Herman Mashaba on Running Johannesburg
- Runtime
- 1:57
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- In a wide-ranging interview, Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee sits down with Herman Mashaba, president of ActionSA and mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, to probe his plans for a city in crisis. From the deepening water shortages and collapsing infrastructure to his hardline stance on undocumented immigrants, Mashaba lays out an agenda rooted in enforcement and administrative overhaul.
Watch the full video on our feed!
- Title
- Herman Mashaba on Running Johannesburg, Tackling the Water Crisis, and Politics of Exclusion
- Runtime
- 38:27
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- In a wide-ranging interview, Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee sits down with Herman Mashaba, president of ActionSA and mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, to probe his plans for a city in crisis. From the deepening water shortages and collapsing infrastructure to his hardline stance on undocumented immigrants, Mashaba lays out an agenda rooted in enforcement and administrative overhaul.
Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee
Guest: President of ActionSA, Herman Mashaba
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
01:49 Why Mashaba Is Running
01:55 Joburg in Crisis Overview
05:14 Fixing the Water Emergency
07:21 End the City Entities
09:40 Boards Waste and Delays
1...
- Title
- Paul Mashatile’s blue light brigade is back in the spotlight
- Runtime
- 2:30
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- The motorcade of Deputy President Paul Mashatile is accused of abusing its power in plain sight, regularly blocking early-morning traffic in Midrand, where he lives, driving against traffic on one-way sections and forcing motorists aside during peak-hour congestion. Daily Maverick’s Anna Cox explains.
Reporting by: Anna Cox
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
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Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-02-15-paul-mashatiles-vip-protection-unit-convnvoy-accused-of-flouting-traffic-laws-in/?dm_source=blocks-list-item&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform
- Title
- Suspicions circle SA over R4.3-billion drugs hidden in fruit export to India
- Runtime
- 6:21
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- In 2022, Indian authorities uncovered R4.3-billion worth of cocaine and methamphetamine concealed in two consignments of fresh fruit shipped from South Africa. A suspect, who denies any wrongdoing, now faces criminal charges in India. In South Africa, however, no one appears to have been held accountable for what amounts to a major narco-trafficking operation. Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley reports.
Reporting by: Caryn Dolley
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-12-10-sa-features-prominently-in-criminal-networks-trafficking-drugs-in-fresh-fruit-after-raids-in-europe-uk/
- Title
- Kruger Park After the Flood: A Minister’s Promise to Rebuild South Africa’s Crown Jewel
- Runtime
- 40:27
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- In this episode of Power Chat, Daily Maverick’s Tiara Walters speaks with Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp about the devastating floods that tore through Kruger National Park. With bridges washed away, camps submerged and key routes severed, Aucamp outlines a phased recovery plan and defends the park’s emergency response. But beyond the logistics, the conversation turns personal: for Aucamp, Kruger is more than a conservation asset — it is a refuge and a national symbol he says he will always fight to protect.
Hosted by: Tiara Walters
Guest: Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!
Support journalism that protects democracy.
Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMave...
- Title
- Epstein Files: Records Detail South Africa Links
- Runtime
- 7:07
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- US Justice Department records detail Jeffrey Epstein’s links to South Africa, including references to business contacts and efforts to recruit South Africans staff and models. There is no indication that the business figures named were involved in wrongdoing. The files place South Africa within Epstein’s broader international network. Daily Maverick senior journalist Rebecca Davis explains.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
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- Title
- Redi Tlhabi Talks AGOA With Wandile Sihlobo
- Runtime
- 1:09
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- After months of warnings that South Africa would be punished by the United States over its foreign policy, Washington has taken a different course. President Donald Trump has signed a short extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) until the end of 2026. In this episode, Redi Tlhabi and chief economist, author and a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council, Wandile Sihlobo, talk about why South Africa remains in AGOA, what the limited extension signals about US trade policy, and why the outcome contrasts sharply with earlier predictions of exclusion.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-...
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Wandile Sihlobo
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including S...
- Title
- Redi Tlhabi Talks AGOA With Wandile Sihlobo
- Runtime
- 25:05
- Date posted
- 3 months ago
- Description
- After months of warnings that South Africa would be punished by the United States over its foreign policy, Washington has taken a different course. President Donald Trump has signed a short extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) until the end of 2026. In this episode, Redi Tlhabi and chief economist, author and a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council, Wandile Sihlobo, talk about why South Africa remains in AGOA, what the limited extension signals about US trade policy, and why the outcome contrasts sharply with earlier predictions of exclusion.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Listen to Let's Talk Human Rights podcast: https://www.freiheit.org/ml/node/21782
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu00m-l7ea9IBJGB-21RBwXVEhmDeCY2N
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Wandile Sihlobo
Edited by: J...
- Title
- Inside a Zapiro Cartoon
- Runtime
- 5:17
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- In this video, Daily Maverick’s cartoonist Zapiro revisits a cartoon he published in December 2025, unpacking its symbolism and the political moment that informed it.
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edits and animations by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Robyn Leary
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
You can find us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/
On TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa
Or on Twitter here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article_tag/x/
- Title
- Epstein Files: What Emails Reveal About Jacob Zuma’s London Dinner
- Runtime
- 6:57
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- When newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein were published in January, journalists around the world began searching for any local connections hidden in the records. At Daily Maverick, we did the same — and came across a name we did not expect: Jacob Zuma.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Robyn Leary
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
You can find us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/
On TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa
Or on Twitter here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article_tag/x/
- Title
- Falsified CV, No Charges: The Quiet Resignation of a 22-year-old Ministerial Chief of Staff
- Runtime
- 4:58
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Last year, we exposed the fact that a completely unqualified 22 year old had been appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Social Development. She’s been suspended on full pay for three months - and has now quietly resigned, apparently without facing any disciplinary charges - despite the fact that the department has claimed that she was appointed because a falsified CV was submitted.
Reporting by: Rebecca Davis
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
You can find us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/
On TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa
Or on Twitter here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article_tag/x/
- Title
- Wanted ‘drug trafficker’ from Bulgaria is personal trainer at South African gym
- Runtime
- 5:39
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- In 2023, I reported on individuals from Bulgaria, wanted in other countries over crime issues, who may be in Cape Town, South Africa. Now it turns out that one of them, Stanislav Stamenov, wanted by Romania for alleged drug trafficking, has indeed been in the South African city – offering personal training services at a Virgin Active gym in a posh suburb.
Reporting by: Caryn Dolley
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
You can find us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/
On TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa
Or on Twitter here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article_tag/x/
- Title
- Why do South Africa’s most powerful leaders refuse to act, even in the face of crisis? #southafrica
- Runtime
- 2:35
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Corruption Watch Executive Director Lebogang Ramafoko about the Madlanga Commission, political accountability, and the failure of leadership at the highest levels of the state. They unpack why commissions of inquiry rarely lead to consequences, and how party politics overrides the public interest.
From the legacy of Zondo to the cost paid by whistleblowers, this conversation asks a blunt question: when power sits at the fault line between politics and force, who is actually being protected?
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-...
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Lebogang Ramafoko
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!
- Title
- Why Hasn’t the Police Minister Been Fired? Inside the Madlanga Commission
- Runtime
- 31:57
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Why do South Africa’s most powerful leaders refuse to act, even in the face of crisis?
In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Corruption Watch Executive Director Lebogang Ramafoko about the Madlanga Commission, political accountability, and the failure of leadership at the highest levels of the state. They unpack why commissions of inquiry rarely lead to consequences, and how party politics overrides the public interest.
From the legacy of Zondo to the cost paid by whistleblowers, this conversation asks a blunt question: when power sits at the fault line between politics and force, who is actually being protected?
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Listen to Let's Talk Human Rights podcast: https://www.freiheit.org/ml/node/21782
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu00m-l7ea9IBJGB-21RBwXVEhmDeCY2N
H...
- Title
- What I Saw on a Johannesburg Street One Night in January
- Runtime
- 3:27
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- What began as a routine stop at a petrol station turned into a disturbing encounter with suspected victims of a human trafficking operation in a Johannesburg suburb. After noticing several barefoot teenage boys in the custody of private security, unable to speak English and showing signs of abuse, I helped alert authorities. Within hours, police and community safety groups had rescued 10 foreign nationals and arrested a suspect. This is the story of how a hidden crime unfolded in plain sight — and what it revealed about trafficking networks operating in South Africa’s cities. Daily Maverick’s Aneesa Adams explains.
Reporting by: Aneesa Adams
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickcha...
- Title
- Redi Tlhabi on Trump's leadership #usa #Trump
- Runtime
- 1:52
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- In this episode of the Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi traces a familiar and dangerous pattern in modern leadership: paranoia as power. From Silvio Berlusconi to Jacob Zuma to Donald Trump, she unpacks how leaders who see criticism as personal attack begin to govern through grievance, blurring the line between policy and vendetta, statecraft and self-image. Tlhabi argues that when leadership becomes branding, institutions are hollowed out, credibility collapses, and ordinary people pay the price. A stark warning about what happens when ego overtakes governance and when the state is turned into a tool for settling scores.
- Title
- Redi Tlhabi on Trump and the Weaponisation of the State #US #Trump #power
- Runtime
- 1:25
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- In this episode of the Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi traces a familiar and dangerous pattern in modern leadership: paranoia as power. From Silvio Berlusconi to Jacob Zuma to Donald Trump, she unpacks how leaders who see criticism as personal attack begin to govern through grievance, blurring the line between policy and vendetta, statecraft and self-image. Tlhabi argues that when leadership becomes branding, institutions are hollowed out, credibility collapses, and ordinary people pay the price. A stark warning about what happens when ego overtakes governance and when the state is turned into a tool for settling scores.
- Title
- Redi Tlhabi on the blurred line between policy and vendetta
- Runtime
- 28:23
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- In this episode of the Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi traces a familiar and dangerous pattern in modern leadership: paranoia as power. From Silvio Berlusconi to Jacob Zuma to Donald Trump, she unpacks how leaders who see criticism as personal attack begin to govern through grievance, blurring the line between policy and vendetta, statecraft and self-image. Tlhabi argues that when leadership becomes branding, institutions are hollowed out, credibility collapses, and ordinary people pay the price. A stark warning about what happens when ego overtakes governance and when the state is turned into a tool for settling scores.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, includi...
- Title
- Joburg residents in the dark as streetlight repair time skyrockets #southafrica #johannesburg
- Runtime
- 1:09
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- If you think Johannesburg’s streets are looking a lot darker these days, your instincts are correct. A Daily Maverick community investigation has uncovered that the repair time for streetlights has doubled in the space of a year. Widespread crime, vandalism, and underspending are leaving frustrated residents in the dark for weeks, and in some cases, years.
Reporting by: Naledi Mashishi
Video edited by: Joel Seboa
Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-18-joburg-residents-in-the-dark-as-streetlight-repair-time-skyrockets/
- Title
- Knysna Water Crisis #southafrica #water
- Runtime
- 1:12
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Unless there’s a significant downpour in Knysna, residents’ taps will run dry within days. An intergovernmental team is looking at urgent interventions, but the crisis has been brewing for years.
Reporting by: Elaine King
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
- Title
- IDT CEO, spokesperson resign ahead of disciplinary hearings over Daily Maverick’s ‘bribe sting'
- Runtime
- 1:14
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- The suspended Independent Development Trust CEO, Tebogo Malaka, has opted to resign from her position instead of facing a disciplinary hearing over her alleged role in attempting to bribe this journalist. The entity’s former spokesperson has also resigned.
Story by: Pieter-Louis Myburgh
Editing by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Malibongwe Tyilo
#SouthAfrica #politics #investigation
- Title
- Joint maritime exercise “Will for Peace 2026”
- Runtime
- 1:12
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Joint maritime exercise “Will for Peace 2026” is under way in False Bay.
Navies from BRICS Plus countries are taking part in a joint programme of maritime safety operations, interoperability drills and maritime protection exercises.
Reporting by: Peter Fabricius
Video by: Anda Tolibadi
#SouthAfrica #Navy #military
- Title
- ‘Private militias,’ murders, drugs: South Africa’s crime flashpoints
- Runtime
- 4:56
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Different kinds of criminality, and even accusations that a drug cartel has infiltrated law enforcement, have ravaged South Africa in 2025. This means that honest police officers have had a rough year, from rooting out dodgy aspects of private security, to investigating countless killings. This has set the scene for 2026. Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley explains.
Reporting by: Caryn Dolley
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Robyn Leary
Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.
https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel
You can find us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/
On TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa
Or on Twitter here: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article_tag/x/
- Title
- Is the UN still relevant?
- Runtime
- 30:08
- Date posted
- 4 months ago
- Description
- Listen as Redi Tlhabi speaks with political scientist and PARI executive director Dr Sithembile Mbete about the United Nations at a moment of deep, deep strain. They talk through why decades of debate on Security Council reform have led nowhere, how the veto entrenches global inequality, and what this paralysis means for Africa and the global South. It is a conversation about privilege, stalled change, and the kind of crisis that may be required to finally force reform.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Dr Sithembile Mbete
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!
Support journalism that protects democracy.
Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com...
- Title
- "What We Lack is Urgency" – Fight Against Hunger Is Failing
- Runtime
- 4:55
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- Last year, 973 children under five have died of severe acute malnutrition in South Africa’s state hospitals. Activist Mark Heywood estimates the real number is ten times as much at around 11 000. Daily Maverick’s Estelle Ellis explains.
Reporting by: Estelle Ellis
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Filmed by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Creative lead: Malibongwe Tyilo
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
Estelle Ellis is an award-winning investigative journalist specialising in health, human rights, and social justice. With a career spanning decades, she has exposed systemic failures in healthcare, particularly in underserved communities. A key contributor to Daily Maverick’s Maverick Citizen, Estelle’s work has influenced policy debates and public discourse. She speaks with authority on health governance, inequality, and the power of journalism to drive change.
Support journalism that protects democracy. B...
- Title
- South Africa’s political parties on the recent US military attack in Venezuela
- Runtime
- 2:10
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- South Africa’s political parties are divided on their positions on the recent US military attack in Venezuela, in which long-serving President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured.
Original reporting by: Victoria O’Regan
Video edited by: Joel Seboa
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme
Production: Emilie Gambade
- Title
- Redi Tlhabi and Tony Karon on America’s Return to Gunboat Diplomacy
- Runtime
- 28:04
- Date posted
- 5 months ago
- Description
- In this episode, Redi Tlhabi is joined by journalist and editor Tony Karon to interrogate what Washington calls a “limited military operation” in Venezuela and what critics have described as a kidnapping of a sovereign president in the name of oil.
From the revival of the Monroe Doctrine as a modern-day “Donroe Doctrine”, the idea that all of the Americas fall under US dominion, to the long history of regime change from Iran and Chile to Africa and the Middle East, the episode asks a stark question: is the United States openly returning to an era of imperial, extractive foreign policy?
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Tony Karon
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
You can listen to the podcast everywher...
