SMWX

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh unpacks one of the most consequential accountability cases of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency as the Western Cape High Court considers his attempt to review and set aside the Section 89 independent panel report on Phala Phala. The report found prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct and became the basis for a full parliamentary impeachment inquiry. At stake is whether the President’s legal challenge will correct a flawed process—or help him avoid the public accountability that the impeachment inquiry was intended to provide.

Feroz Khan brought a postponment application to the Madlanga Commission and former Hawks boss Godfrey Lebeya returned to continue his testimony at the Madlanga Commission. We unpack this and more.

Lt Col Govender appeared before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry today and revealed explosive phone recordings. We unpack this in today's analysis, as well as Feroz Khan's surprise hospitalisation.

South Africa’s borders sit at the centre of some of the country’s biggest debates — immigration, national security, trade and the movement of people across the continent. In this episode of Mzansi Way Makers in collab with Brand South Africa, Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh sits down with Dr Mike Masiapato, Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), for an in-depth conversation about the work being done to manage and secure South Africa’s borders.

In this wide-ranging conversation, author Jackie Phamotse joins us to reflect on the personal experiences that shaped her writing and the journey behind her Bare book series. She speaks about surviving sexual violence, entering a world of powerful and wealthy individuals, and the experiences that led her to explore themes of human trafficking, organised crime, corruption and the so-called “blesser” economy. The discussion then turns to her latest book, The Big Five Cartel, and its parallels with revelations emerging from the Madlanga Commission, including alleged criminal networks, political connections, extreme wealth, the role of women around powerful figures and the hidden systems that enable organised crime. Phamotse also reflects on global trafficking networks, the Epstein files, the vulnerability of children online and why South Africans may still be underestimating the scale of the criminal underworld operating around them.