Daily Maverick

Cape Town’s iconic Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens remain a breathtaking sight, but experts warn the institution behind the beauty is in quiet crisis. Collapsing systems, vanishing expertise, and suffocating red tape are undoing what generations built. Daily Maverick’s Don Pinnock explains. Reporting by: Don Pinnock Filmed by: Joel Seboa Edited by: Joel Seboa Produced by: Emilie Gambade  C...

The marches are done. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis sits down with reporters Lerato Mutsila, Felix Dlangamandla and Naledi Mashishi — fresh off the ground in eThekwini, Joburg CBD and the Garden Route — to ask the talk about the day and ask the question: what happens now, in the townships and villages, when no one will be watching? Hosted by: Rebecca Davis, Lerato Mutsila, Felix Dlangamandla, Nal...

South Africa is experiencing its strongest anti-migrant backlash in years. But when we investigated one of the most successful online campaigns driving this movement, we found evidence suggesting its real motivations may not be what supporters believe. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains.   Reporting by: Rebecca Davis Filmed by: Joel Seboa Edited by: Anda Tolibadi Produced by: Emilie Gambade ...

South Africa is confronting one of its most significant waves of xenophobic unrest in years. Rebecca Davis, Victoria O’Regan and Felix Dlangamandla examine the forces driving it, the human impact and the questions hanging over the days ahead. Hosted by: Rebecca Davis, Felix Dlangamandla, Victoria O’Regan Edited by: Joel Seboa Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa Original Theme Music & Design b...

South Africa’s political map is shifting fast. Can Helen Zille take Johannesburg? Is the ANC running out of leaders? Why is the DA struggling to broaden its appeal, and is MK set to dominate KZN? Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makhanya unpack the race for Joburg, coalition politics, and the major political realignments reshaping South Africa. Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makh...

The Western Cape Education Department has confirmed that George Gueorguiev, the Kommetjie Primary School principal at the centre of a 2025 hate speech controversy, has been transferred to a deputy principal post at Simon’s Town School. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains.  Reporting by: Rebecca Davis  Filmed by: Joel Seboa  Edited by: Anda Tolibadi  Produced by: Emilie Gambade  Creative lead b...

Nelson Mandela Bay is under Parliament’s microscope after the Cogta committee called for a criminal investigation into irregular job advertisements posted by the troubled metro. With no permanent city manager in place and a growing leadership vacuum, MPs are demanding accountability over who authorised the suspicious hiring process — and why it was allowed to proceed unchecked. Read more: https://...

A once-in-14-years opportunity to put better books in South African classrooms. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis investigated what happened when a group of educators tried to seize it — and who is driving the narrative against them.  Reporting by: Rebecca Davis Filmed by: Joel Seboa Edited by: Joel Seboa Produced by: Emilie Gambade  Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn Suppo...

From R9,500 commercialisation conferences to millions of livestream views, school sport is increasingly being drawn into a professionalised, high-pressure economy. Coaches, psychologists and parents say its educational and developmental purpose is being displaced by performance and profit, while legal experts warn that children risk being reduced to unpaid entertainers in a rapidly expanding youth...

In this episode of Power Chat, Marianne Thamm discusses with Caryn Dolley the relentless campaign for justice led by the families of victims of apartheid-era atrocities. Backed by civil society organisations, the Foundation for Human Rights and the South African Coalition for Transitional Justice, the effort eventually resulted in the establishment of the Khampepe Commission, the Judicial Commissi...

Is the South African justice system being run by a drug syndicate? This week, Caryn Dolley and Marianne Thamm unpack the testimony from the Madlanga Commission that has sent shockwaves through Pretoria. From R55-million in ‘vanishing’ cocaine to the high-ranking police officers allegedly on the payroll of the “Big Five” cartel, we explore how organised crime allegedly moved from the streets to the...

In April 2026, Mozambican authorities announced a major crackdown that involved confiscating masses of chemicals used to make drugs. They also announced arrests, including of two individuals suspected of being Sinaloa Cartel members from Mexico. Mozambique borders South Africa, suggesting that the notorious cartel is on our doorstep. Now, there’s mounting evidence to suggest it’s actually much clo...

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 Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyur...

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 fall...

SAA’s new acting CEO is facing strong headwinds to turn the business around from the cliff face it was about to crash into - but he is confident that he can do it, without a bailout. Hosted by: Lindsey Schutters Guest: Matshela Seshibe 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 Y...

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 M...

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 expl...

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 Associat...

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: Mal...

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...

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 Tyi...

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:...

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: Ia...

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...

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 & Des...