Democracy Unplugged

Higher education in South Africa - are we future-proofing the country, or stuck in an old system? Just after the grade 12 results have been released, Phumi Mashigo hosts a conversation that cuts through the feel-good headlines and asks harder questions about the system. She’s joined by Hendrik Makaneta, education activist, former teacher and director of the Foundation for Education and Social Just...

How do South Africa’s laws and policies come to be, and what can you do to be part of the change? Phumi Mashigo dives into the stages and processes involved in making or changing a law, with RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana and The New South Institute’s Ivor Chipkin. This episode brings an understand of the nation’s policy making process, how the public can participate in the legislative process, and...

What should citizens be watching — not emotionally, but analytically — as we head into 2026? Kicking off the new political year, Phumi Mashigo speaks to Dr Levy Ndou (political analyst and politics lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology) for a catch-up on Jan 8, the 114th birthday of the ANC - a liberation movement that became a governing party, and now governs in coalition after losing...

What can we learn from 2025 to anticipate where the world is going next year? In this year-end conversation, State of the Nation host Mike Sham joins Phumi Mashigo for an unfiltered assessment of our political reality. This conversation cuts through the spin to examine local and global happenings, asking what the year truly revealed about accountability and the political path going forward. The Bu...

What will it take to turn South Africa’s municipal crisis around? Can local government still be rescued before the 2026 elections? In this follow-up episode of Democracy Unplugged, moderator Phumi Mashigo brings together panelists from multiple political parties to confront the question head-on. Featuring Afrika Mayibuye Movement’s Sydney Baloyi, PAC’s Jaki Seroke, GOOD’s Sarah Mabotsa and Action...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is re-writing the rules. Are we ready? In this episode of Democracy Unplugged Timothy Maurice Webster leads a dynamic conversation with AI experts George Nichas, Callan Abrahams and Mushambi Mutuma on how AI is reshaping work, creativity, governance, and daily life. The Burning Platform

What does South Africa need now, according to Floyd Shivambu? And will he be the answer to our political problems? Phumi Mashigo unpacks the evolution behind the headlines with him - from the ANC Youth League to the EFF, a stint in MK, and now his role in shaping the Afrika Maibuye Movement. Is this reinvention or conviction in motion? Floyd speaks candidly about ideological consistency, political...

Johannesburg is falling apart - power cuts, potholes, broken pipes, waste piling up, and corruption choking the city that once symbolised South Africa’s promise. But one of the country’s most formidable political figures says she can fix it. Phumi Mashigo sits down with Helen Zille, the former Mayor of Cape Town, Western Cape Premier, and now 2026 Johannesburg Mayoral candidate for the Democratic...

Local government is meant to be the heartbeat of democracy. But as cities crumble, services collapse, and trust erodes, South Africans are asking: can our municipalities still be saved? In this episode of Democracy Unplugged, host Phumi Mashigo leads an honest discussion with a panel of political leaders tackling the state of local governance ahead of the 2026 municipal elections. From collapsing...

What does it really take to root out corruption in South Africa? Stand-in host Xavier Bapoo speaks to former South African Police Service (SAPS) Anti-Corruption Unit head Stefan Grobler and specialist investigator Mike Bolhuis about the deep-seated culture of corruption exposed by the Madlanga Commission. This conversation lays bare the forces eroding accountability, looking at political interfere...

What does South Africa’s G20 presidency mean for the country’s future? In this episode of LevelUp, Phumi speaks with Ercilia Mata Ubisse, Regional Head for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and a member of the Startup20 Foundations & Alliances Taskforce, to unpack how small business, collaboration, and policy can reshape global development from an African lens. The Burning Plat...

How does a values-based politics survive in a system built on power and pragmatism? And what drives a leader who still speaks of conviction in an age of calculation? In the noise of South Africa’s political landscape in flux, African Transformation Movement’s parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula stands out for being both familiar and unexpected: a young leader who speaks the language of faith, morali...

Is local government failing the people? Part two of our discussion on local government - Phumi Mashigo discusses this with Sabelo Skiti, Sunday Times Investigative Journalist, Bongekile Macupe, News24 Deputy Politics Editor, and Mayihlome Tshwete, former government spokesperson and political commentator. What do voters in Gauteng really want to see and hear going into the local government campaign...

South Africa is running out of time. Load shedding, unemployment, corruption, crumbling infrastructure - the challenges keep stacking up. But can business step in where government is failing and help put the country back on solid footing? Join us for this urgent conversation with moderator Justice Malala, political economist Moeletsi Mbeki, corporate leader Bonang Mohale, founder of ActionSA Herma...

How do criminals exploit borders, trade systems, and corruption to move their money? For most of us the idea of ‘fake’ cigarettes and illicit trade really came to the fore during the Covid Lockdowns when even law abiding South Africans found themselves looking in the strangest places for their fix. Since then the conversations about illicit trade, the financial Action Task Force greylisting of Sou...

Is Helen Zille right for mayor of JHB? Has the mainstream media left us in the lurch when thinking about our choices? And has the ANC abandoned its post when choosing who to put forward for the positions of mayor? Phumi Mashigo asks these of her esteemed panel: Sabelo Skiti, Sunday Times Investigative Journalist, Mayihlome Tshwete, former government spokesperson and political commentator, and Soll...

Is Helen Zille right for mayor of JHB? Has the mainstream media left us in the lurch when thinking about our choices? And has the ANC abandoned its post when choosing who to put forward for the positions of mayor? Phumi Mashigo asks these of her esteemed panel: Sabelo Skiti, Sunday Times Investigative Journalist; Mayihlome Tshwete, former government spokesperson and political commentator; and Soll...

Who's profiting from SA’s black market? Who's paying the price? And what will it take to stop the cycle of chaos? Following from our previous Democracy Unplugged panel on crime, host Penuel the Black Pen continues the discussion with Free Market Foundation CEO David Ansara, Business Unity South Africa CEO Khulekani Mathe and Chad Thomas, IRS Forensic Investigations CEO. The Burning Platform

Have you ever thought how the gogo on the side of the road selling her vegetables or the flower trader at the station is affected by the decisions made in the legislature regarding trade and industry? Or even if their voices are ever considered in those ever talked about consultative processes? Rosheda Muller is the National President of the National Informal Traders Alliance of South Africa (NITAS...

Is political interference endemic in South Africa’s governance failures? Dr Simo Lushaba from the Institute of Directors SA and Wayne Duvenage from OUTA joins Phumi Mashigo to unpack the tensions between boards and ministers in state-owned entities. With SA Tourism once again in the spotlight after Minister Patricia de Lille dissolved its board, we explore where the line should be drawn between le...

What is the price of speaking out? Four years after the brutal murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran the conversation about protection and support for whistleblowers. Phumi Mashigo is joined by social justice activist Tebogo Khaas and whistleblower Martha Ngoye to talk about changing the negative term “impimpi” to a valued guard of our social fabric. The Burning Platform

Has South Africa collapsed? Embattled PRASA CEO and now Member of parliament for the MK, Lucky Montana seems to think so. He joins Phumi Mashigo for a wide-ranging conversation about changing his allegiance from ANC to MK and what he believes a collapsed nation can gain from his new party and its ideology. The Burning Platform

Is it fair to judge the National Dialogue before it’s even finished? Phumi Mashigo digs deeper into South Africa’s much-debated, two-day gathering of politicians, activists, academics, and community voices. While critics were quick to call it a failure, this episode asks: what did the headlines miss? Political analyst Matlala Setlhalogile; Project Leader of Indlulamithi SA Scenarios, Xolelwa Kashe...

What does it mean to be a woman in today’s world, and how do we create a future where women are truly valued? Phumi Mashigo along with Ayanda Allie and Mandisa Mashego have an unfiltered conversation about womanhood, feminism, and the complex realities women face in South Africa today. In honour of Women’s Month, this discussion dives deep and makes for an honest, and necessary dialogue. The Burni...

Is transparency possible in South Africa's government? Phumi Mashigo dives deep into political accountability, corruption, and the role of citizens in demanding better governance for our country. Together with writer Siya Khumalo and OUTA's Wayne Duvenage, they explore whether new political approaches could be the way forward, how money is extracted from the political system, the complexities of p...