Gareth's Guests

Iris Singer is an Austrian filmmaker and activist who has been telling the story of the Holocaust and survivors of the Holocaust - as well as organising events and tours to remind young people of the importance of history, and the most devastating genocides of the 20th century. In this discussion, she tells the story of her own anti-Semitic grandfather, the value of survivor stories, and the contr...

Bali Padda, former COO of LEGO, was one of the people who transformed that company from sinking ship to juggernaut. In his book, 'Deliver What You Promise', Bali shares business lessons from his own story to help the rest of us to become more efficient, to understand our businesses better, and to connect meaningfully with the market. In this conversation, he also shares the story of his own blue-c...

Al J Venter has written books on and brought us the news from war zones all over the planet. He has witnessed things most of us cannot comprehend: closer, louder and more frightening than any second-hand account can accurately portray. In this discussion, Al talks about the most dangerous places he’s ever been, the volatile situations he has found himself in, and the human stories that happen behi...

Thomas Grant KC is an English barrister, author and polemicist. His latest book on Sir Sydney Kentridge, called The Mandela Brief, is the incredible story of one of Apartheid South Africa’s most infamous trials. In this discussion, he and Gareth Cliff talk about Kentridge, the law, oligarchs, mock trials of the dead and lots more. www.cliffcentral.com

David Smith is the Washington correspondent of The Guardian. From 2010 to 2015, he was their Africa correspondent, and was based in Johannesburg. He has a completely different take on the midterm elections compared to Joel Pollak - who Gareth spoke to recently. They discuss the main issues on the ballot, where the Republicans and Democrats look strongest and weakest… and whether Biden stands a cha...

Joel Pollak is the Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News, and the host of his own talk show. In this discussion - just more than a week before the US midterm elections - Gareth and Joel get into the politics of America in 2022… the issues that voters care about, the biggest surprise races, the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans, and the role of the media. www.cliffcentral.com

Gareth chats to the host of Beyond Madness - Professor Christopher Paul Szabo. They discuss what the podcast series is about, and talk how we deal with mental health… because there’s no health without mental health! www.cliffcentral.com

Geordin Hill-Lewis is the youngest mayor of Cape Town, and he’s currently in charge of the Mother City - with all its charm, beauty, and of course, problems. Geordin and Gareth tackle some of the controversial questions that always seem to come with the territory in Cape Town, and get into the ups and downs of the mayoral job. Whether you live in Cape Town, or just want to know why they’re the bes...

Bill Nasson is a Professor of History who, along with several other authors, has written a New History of South Africa. He and Gareth discuss how the book was put together, why history should be about great stories, and how politicised so much of it has become. Bill also has a few wonderful anecdotal stories, that will surprise even the biggest history nerds... www.cliffcentral.com

Larry Elder is a talk show host, political commentator and black conservative voice in America. In this conversation, he and Gareth talk about race in America, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the conservative movement, and how awful California is. www.cliffcentral.com

Johann Hari has written an astonishing book about how we’re more distracted than ever, and how everyone (and he does mean EVERYONE) can’t focus. It’s partly obvious - screens, technology, non-stop reels of news, pictures, videos and self-absorbed nonsense… but it’s also much more dangerous. It’s actually making us dumber too. Join Gareth and Johann as they unpack his research, the stories in the b...

Dr Alan Mendoza is a Founder and the Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society - which is a British-based think tank with a global outlook. He directs analysis, research focus, strategy and development for the organisation. Since this discussion was recorded on the day Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister, Gareth launched straight into that. The conversation touched on Russia/Ukraine, Ch...

Two brave women made it out of a cult and lived to tell the tale. Erika Bornman and Celimpilo Malinga were both taken to KwaSizabantu at a young age and raised in the mission. There they were subjected to some disturbing and abusive experiences, and somehow found a way to escape. Hear their incredible stories in this interview. www.cliffcentral.com

Comedian Jason Goliath comes in guns blazing as he stands up for fat people against Gareth Cliff and Ben Karpinski. They also get into a discussion about how he survived lockdown, how a hacker defrauded his business of over R250k, the difference between ‘digital’ and ‘real life’ comedians, and being the new voice of Comedy Central Africa. www.cliffcentral.com

Professor David Block is an astronomer and highly sought-after inspirational speaker. He joins Gareth to have an eye-opening conversation about the black hole photo from the Milky Way, the recent lunar eclipse, and his astronomical achievements! www.cliffcentral.com

Pie-Pacifique was 13 when the war in Rwanda started, and he lived through the terror of the ensuing genocide. His experience of it, and the story of how his life fell apart and was rebuilt from nothing is inspiring and extraordinary. He sat down with Gareth to explore just a few of the unbelievable and terrifying things he has been through - from refugee, to car guard, to university graduate, to b...

Warning: excessive laughter might occur while listening to this podcast! From entertaining fans online with his virtual comedy club, to gracing the big screen in the hit film, New Material, comedy heavyweight, Dr Riaad Moosa has kept us entertained for the past two years. And soon he’s returning to a real stage… www.cliffcentral.com

Reflecting back on his journey, Jesse will be making a welcome appearance at the Teatro at Montecasino this weekend, where he will be performing his own original music and songs. Flying in specially for this show is Nicholas Petricca from the critically acclaimed band, Walk The Moon, who Jesse has spent a lot of time writing, producing and recording with in Los Angeles. The duo have a candid conve...

Thabang Skwambane is both a philanthropist and a capitalist - and proves they’re not mutually exclusive categories. He has risen to the top of the advertising business and has some interesting, and controversial, views on things like transformation and political correctness. Thabang also tells us about travelling through six countries without money, and helping to raise money for the most vulnerab...

Joel Pollak is the Editor at Large at Breitbart.com - America’s biggest and fastest-growing conservative news platform, and he has a wide range of experience in politics and media. In this comprehensive interview, Gareth and Joel unpack Trump, Biden, cancel-culture, Andrew Breitbart and his legacy, Trudeau’s tyrannical behaviour, and even South African politics. www.cliffcentral.com

Prof Gilbert Khadiagala is the Jan Smuts Professor of International Relations and Director of the Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of Witwatersrand. In this discussion, he and Gareth get into the details of the relationship between South Africa and the US, covering everything from Trump to AGOA to the African continent - and our challenges with changes in world power. ww...

Judith Sephuma is a South African multi-award-winning artist, who has been dubbed the 'queen of Afro-Jazz'. She joins Gareth to have an in-depth conversation about her career, the move from jazz to gospel, the back stories to some of her famous songs, and more. www.cliffcentral.com

Fiona Dawson is a writer, producer, activist and film director. Her Emmy-nominated LGBTQ documentary, TransMilitary, has won numerous awards - and she has just written a book called 'Are Bisexuals Just Greedy?' She and Gareth unpack and attempt to cover all the complex (and cancellable) questions her book addresses. www.cliffcentral.com

Broadcasting legend Dan Moyane has a candid conversation with Gareth about his new memoir, 'I Don’t Want to Die Unknown', which is a slice of South African history. He takes us down memory lane as he shares his favourite childhood memory, the incorrect spelling of his name, the moment he first saw his wife and much more. www.cliffcentral.com

Allen Ambor is the colourful character who started a South African institution - Spur! The greatest family restaurant in the country’s history comes from the imagination and great work ethic of a man whose family narrowly escaped the Holocaust, and who developed a taste for life during his wild years of surfing, travelling and making a great steak. From his first restaurant in Newlands, to the cor...