Gareth's Guests

With a career spanning over 40 years, Cindy Alter joins the team to talk about her new single, 'Last One Standing', her album - having sold 12 million units to date... and she also shares some interesting stories about what she got up to back in the day. www.cliffcentral.com

Live from his car and still in his PJs is Idols judge and media personality, Randall Abrahams. He takes us on a musical journey like no other, letting us into his music room and sharing how he connects with music. Plus a random fun fact on why he thinks kids are overrated. www.cliffcentral.com

"Larry King was passionate about radio... he was the king of talk." - John Berks. The iconic Larry King has passed on. Gareth reminisces about his life and times with another legendary broadcaster, John Berks. www.cliffcentral.com

With the advent of Covid-19, most of the world has had a sharp response to external factors, but what are the controllable factors which we have ignored for far too long? Though jobs have been lost en masse, is there any hope for the global citizenry as we leave the pandemic behind? What is the difference between complex and complicated modes of economic activity? Should we still have a desire to...

In this special edition of Gareth’s Guests, Prof. David Block - astronomer and author, Emeritus Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand - gets to know the remarkable Dr Edith Eger. Dr Eger is a holocaust survivor and psychologist. At 93 years old, she has a stunning amount of experience in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Following on some insight from her international be...

The Covid-19 lockdown has affected the global economy, but the life of citizens has been different on each continent. Laurel McCulloch of 'Pumpkin Patch' fame - who is now a New Zealand citizen living in Australia - joins us to discuss how living in the first world isn't blissful during a global pandemic. How stringent is Australia's lockdown? Laurel also shares a touching story surrounding the tr...

Can you fall in love with someone in two months? Are you able to love more than one person at a time? What if your intentions are pure, but you enter a reality show where it's all about ratings? Is the magic of television lost if you understand the tricks of the trade? Lee Thompson from 'The Bachelor' talks about his mental health struggles after being thrust into stardom, and being part of a cont...

What is the role of political commentary in society? Can humour address incompetence effectively? Should satire be restricted only to certain parts of society? Cartoonist Jeremy Nell (Jerm) has in the space of 12 months been de-platformed on Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube. Who decides which voices and opinions can be heard, and why is Jerm being marginalised? The satirist and content creator joins us...

When a 30-year habit ends, how does one adjust? As a man who loved radio so much that he failed a year in high school, Aki Anastasiou has pulled the curtain down on being the voice of traffic information in South Africa... so where to now? What other business interests does he have, how will he pivot as the future unfolds? What life lessons did other radio legends share with him over the years? On...

How does gender-based violence fall on the shoulders of men in this day and age? This is what Gareth Cliff discusses with educator, filmmaker, and author Jackson Katz. He is also the Founder and President of MVP Strategies, and has a lot of insight to share to interrogate what a man truly is. www.cliffcentral.com

Has the art of erotica been lost as it's become commercialised? Some say the dismissal of sensuality as smut has led to relationships becoming stale and lifeless. What role does adult entertainment play in modern day society? Are dancers expressing feminine power, or are they victims of the commodification of their bodies? Is it all chaos and debauchery, or is decorum the name of the game as a dan...

The COVID-19 lockdown has created many social and economic problems, and those affected by sexual and gender-based violence are at even more risk than normal in these abnormal circumstances. What can be done to deal with this pandemic of violence? How can the community play its part? What are the consequences of the shame and stigma associated with SGBV? Join Gareth Cliff in conversation with Moni...

When we talk about sexual and gender-based violence, there's always a lot mentioned about women... as victims, what they can do to protect themselves, etc. But what about the men? What are they doing to help fight this social pandemic? Gareth Cliff speaks to a few men who are doing extraordinary work in the SGBV battle - Jackson Katz, Mark Ramsing, Charley Pietersen, Tumelo Mokowe and Jacques Rous...

The ownership of a lethal weapon is often characterised as 'men's territory'... well Lynette Oxley is having none of that. Firearm training of young women is starting around the age of 11 now. The aim isn't to create gung-ho gunslingers, the reality of the world means the safety of women is in their own hands. 'Girls on Fire' is allowing women to have a safety valve - should it ever come to that....

The pandemic has been brutal for the arts, but Netflix and the digital revolution have allowed actors to continue to thrive, even during the global lockdown. Fulu Mugovhani - star of ‘Seriously Single‘ - divulges the pleasures of working with comedy legend Tumi Morake, and who she uses as a muse for her characters. She's on screens in 183 countries now, but is her family proud of her? ‘Seriously S...

A study conducted by global audit firm KPMG in 2014, found that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) costs South Africa between R28.4bn and R42.4bn a year. It’s time for corporate South Africa to acknowledge that SGBV is not just a social risk... but a chronic political, market and financial risk that affects multiple industries, sectors and geographies. Join Gareth Cliff in conversation with H...

Death by its very nature is always a very messy topic, but somebody has to deal with the practical side... which is the cleaning up, after a traumatic event becomes a crime scene. From bereaved families to gross filth, Marelize and Benjamin van den Berg of Crime Scene Cleanup take care of the most horrific scenes, in order to make them habitable for human beings in future. Not all heroes wear cape...

With domestic violence escalating during COVID-19 lockdowns, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against girls and women a “second pandemic” raging in our country. Our nation has one of the world's highest rates of rape and femicide, and recently, several brutal killings have caused horror and public outcry. Join Gareth Cliff in conversation with Dr Roze Phil...

Is the extended, voluntary hard lockdown bringing South Africa to its knees financially? Is there an irrational side to hard lockdowns, even with a global pandemic being declared by governments globally? What are the metrics for success in order to end the lockdown completely? Reyno de Beer of the Liberty Fighters Network joins us to speak about the constitutionality of lockdown, and why the gover...

Two entrepreneurs - Andile Ramaphosa and Brad Fisher - are doing their part in the fight against Covid-19, by providing ventilation technology to taxis in Gauteng. This is a major development, but has been marred by controversy, given that Andile is the son of President Cyril Ramaphosa. With so many allegations regarding the funding of the project circulating, the co-founders of SDI Force speak to...

Your civil liberties are not a given, they are constantly to be fought for. Mark Sham of #SACitizensUnite challenges South Africans to not be silent in the fight for a better country. How can you get actively involved, how can you protest together, and will technology be the saviour of society against poor governance? It's okay to want a better life, but what are you willing to do to have that lif...

How much of what, and how you think is holding you back right now? Would you care to know? Harvard psychiatrist and brain scientist, Dr Srini Pillay, has a career that spans three decades and he's dubbed his recent learnings, 'The Science of Possibility: Leveraging your Brain for Future Success'. He gives Gareth a few tips and tricks on how shifting how you use your brain, could shift the way you...

Across the country, we are currently experiencing many schools dealing with students, both past and present, who have had enough. For years now, some high-profile schools have been hiding a wide-range of abuse behind “heritage”, “reputation” or “legacy”. Using the story of Collan Rex (the former water polo coach at Parktown Boys High School, found guilty of 144 charges of sexual assault and 14 of...

If your love language is to touch and hug, how does one deal with social distancing? What are the rules for making movies during lockdown? How long can creatives make it in South Africa without working? South Africa's marginalised populous is largely looked after by grandmothers and single moms, and Hlubi has put together a terrific initiative to help these 'imbokodos' in trying to feed their fami...

The rise of the South African black opera singer may be a surprise to some, but this maestro believes that the nature of South African social culture is to sing in choirs, so where better to find and breed talent? The lack of patronage for South African artists has driven Njabulo to help South African artists by starting the Voices of South Africa International Opera Singing Competition. Yes, ther...