SMWX

A journey into the heart of South Africa politics, through interviews and analysis, with your guide Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh. Ayeye!
A journey into the heart of South Africa politics, through interviews and analysis, with your guide Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh. Ayeye!
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Episodes
Episodes



2 days ago
2 days ago
13 min
The killings of women in Kempton Park and across Ekurhuleni have left families grieving and communities demanding answers. Why are women still unsafe — and what must change? In this SMWX analysis, Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh examines the background to the killings, the wider crisis of gender-based violence, and the response from government and society.
2 days ago
13 min



3 days ago
ANC loses IEC case. What now?
3 days ago
3 days ago
19 min
The ANC took the IEC to the Electoral Court over claims that there were technical glitches that prevented them from submitting a number of candidates on their lists to the IEC. The Electoral Court has since ruled against the ANC. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the details of this case as well as the consequences for the ANC leading up to the 2026 Local Government Elections.
3 days ago
19 min



4 days ago
4 days ago
1 hr 7 min
Gogo Aubrey Matshiqi joins Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh for a wide-ranging analysis of South Africa's political moment: the Madlanga Commission, Phala Phala, the ANC's crisis and the 2026 local government elections. What remains unanswered about the relationship between organised crime, corruption and the state? What does presidential accountability mean in practice? And how could voter disillusionment and political realignment reshape Johannesburg? The conversation also explores ANC history, infiltration and Matshiqi's experience of the SABC blacklist. Allegations discussed are distinguished from established findings. Watch the full conversation and share your perspective in the comments. Subscribe to SMWX for in-depth South African political interviews and analysis.
4 days ago
1 hr 7 min



6 days ago
6 days ago
21 min
Five bodies of women have been found in and around the Kempton Park area in the last two months and the fourth being of the no-late runner, Elizabeth 'Tsontso' Moselakgomo. This has sparked outrage at the continous targeting of women in South Africa. Is there a serial killer on the loose in Kempton Park? We unpack it all in this episode.
6 days ago
21 min



Sep 8, 2026
ANC drags IEC to court
Sep 8, 2026
Sep 8, 2026
25 min
The ANC has in the last few days embroiled itself in a 'late' submission dramatic spectacle, after they allegedly failed to submit some of their candidate lists on time to the IEC last week Friday. In this analysis episode, we unpack what the consequence for this might be and how the ANC is potentially crumbling internally over who should take accountability for this saga.
Sep 8, 2026
25 min



Sep 7, 2026
Sep 7, 2026
17 min
In this analysis episode, Otsile Nkadimeng unpacks the trial of former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and her attempt at getting the case thrown out, the ANC's scramble after the allegedly submitted their candidate lists to the IEC late. We also unpack the Vusimusi Cat Matlala attempted trial and the latest coming from there.
Sep 7, 2026
17 min



Sep 6, 2026
Sep 6, 2026
52 min
Lord Peter Hain joins us on SMWX for a wide-ranging conversation on apartheid, the ANC, corruption, Nelson Mandela, Donald Trump, the Madlanga Commission and the alleged infiltration of South Africa’s law-enforcement institutions. Drawing on his extraordinary political journey — from growing up in apartheid South Africa and becoming a leading anti-apartheid activist to serving in the British government and House of Lords — Hain reflects on the values that drove the liberation struggle and why he now feels personally “betrayed” by the corruption that followed. He discusses the ANC’s decline, Jacob Zuma and State Capture, while arguing that corruption in South Africa did not begin in 1994 and that apartheid itself was deeply corrupt. The conversation also explores the international machinery behind corruption, including the role of banks, corporations, lawyers, financial advisers, offshore jurisdictions and foreign governments in enabling illicit money to leave developing countries. Hain makes the case for an International Anti-Corruption Court capable of targeting corruption that crosses national borders.
Sep 6, 2026
52 min



Sep 5, 2026
Sep 5, 2026
1 hr 2 min
Minister Thembi Simelane joins us for a deeply personal conversation about the disappearance of her sister, Nokuthula Simelane, an MK operative who was abducted by apartheid security police in 1983 and whose remains have never been found. Simelane reflects on her family’s decades-long search for truth and justice, the investigations and legal battles surrounding Nokuthula’s case, and the broader struggle faced by families still seeking answers about crimes committed during apartheid. She also discusses the work of the Nokuthula Simelane Foundation and the difficult questions surrounding accountability, reconciliation and the unfinished business of the TRC process.
Sep 5, 2026
1 hr 2 min



Sep 5, 2026
Sep 5, 2026
48 min
Otsile Nkadimeng and Khumo Khumalo unpack the arguments before the Western Cape High Court in President Ramaphosa's review case. We also preview the upcoming local government elections and why some political parties seem to be slow at ramping up their campaigns.
Sep 5, 2026
48 min



Sep 4, 2026
Will court bail out Cyril on Phala Phala?
Sep 4, 2026
Sep 4, 2026
42 min
President Ramaphosa's review of the s89 panel report continued in the Western Cape High Court and we also unpack the revelations out of Dr Lebeya's testimony at the Madlanga Commission.
Sep 4, 2026
42 min
