Sunday Times Politics Weekly

Amid continuing uncertainty in the leadership of metros in Gauteng, ActionSA has tabled motions of no-confidence against the current mayor Thapelo Amad and speaker of Johannesburg, Colleen Makhubele. To talk about what seems like a drastic step, and other issues afflicting party coalitions as well as ActionSA's way forward going into the 2024 elections, host Mike Siluma is joined by ActionSA Natio...

Our country has been placed in a quandary after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin which compels SA, as a signatory to the ICC’s Rome Statute, to arrest him if he visits South Africa. International relations minister Naledi Pandor has said Russian is an old, historic friend which supported the fight against apartheid. Putin is expected...

This week on the Politics Weekly we reflect on the public protector’s leaked preliminary report, which seems to have exonerated President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal. We also look at public accountability of our judges, and why it seems to take so long to bring them to book when they stray. Joining us for this episode of the Politics Weekly is Franny Rabkin (Sunday Times legal cor...

The recent cabinet reshuffle was not intended to address South Africa's crises but to satisfy ANC factions. And Gwede Mantashe and Pravin Gordhan will call the shots regarding electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. The two ministers, Mantashe (energy) and Gordhan (public enterprises), might overpower the new electricity minister who was brought in to deal with the ongoing load-shedding crisis...

Guilty players castigating former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter expose their lack of commitment to solve corruption crisis, argued Lawson Naidoo and Wayne Duvenhage on the 'Sunday Times Politics weekly'. De Ruyter made claims of how corruption brought the power utility to its knees. The ANC party has challenged him to provide proof to back up his allegations, failing which, it says, it will take legal...

The latest crime stats indicate that, despite government’s promises to contain it, crime is getting worse, posing a threat to the country and its people — that’s the focus of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast this week. The head of justice & violence prevention at the Institute for Security Studies, Gareth Newham, spoke on crime patterns and trends in the country while giving his expert...

The latest local authority elections have been hailed as an indicator of the rapidly waning influence of the ANC. But they also gave us a foretaste of what life might be like under a national coalition government. To date, that foretaste has at times been sweet, and at other times rancid and desperately wanting.  This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we look at the phenomenon of coalition...

As power generation crumbles around our ears, experts are calling to have politicians ousted from Eskom's decision-making processes. South Africa in the throes of the worst power crisis in history and the government has again promised it has a plan to end load-shedding. But given previous empty promises, what is the country to make of government pronouncements? This is the question Sunday Times Po...

One of the biggest problems in our country is the failure of the state to provide quality services to us, the citizens – such as public health services, transport and education. This week Sunday Times columnist Prof William Gumede wrote that the solution lies in forcing political leaders to use public services in order to improve them. In this podcast, Gumede, associate professor at the School of...

On Sunday Times Politics Weekly, Zweli Mkhize chats about what he will do if he is elected ANC president at the party's elective conference this weekend, Digital Vibes corruption allegations and the growing support he has received since being nominated. The former health minister received 916 nominations for the position, while his rival, President Cyril Ramaphosa, received 2,037. However, Mkhize...

The much-anticipated ANC national conference takes place next week at Nasrec in Johannesburg. Apart from providing policy direction for the organisation, one of the key tasks of the conference will be to choose a new party leadership. But unfortunately for the party, none of its nominated leaders join the fray without the lingering stink of scandal and accusation. In today’s episode of the Sunday...

Pule Mabe joins Sunday Times Politics Weekly to reflect on his tenure as ANC spokesperson, speaks about contesting for a top 6 position, competition, dubious cadres and party electoral decline. Mabe is running for the position of treasurer-general alongside presidency special adviser Benjamin Chauke, who received 552 nominations, and recently resigned ANC Ekurhuleni councillor Mzwandile Masina, wh...

Public enterprises deputy minister Phumulo Masualle, chatting to Sunday Times Politics Weekly, says some candidates for the ANC top six don’t deserve support. He motivates why President Cyril Ramaphosa's time in office has expired and rallies behind former health minister Zweli Mkhize. Ramaphosa and Mkhize are the only candidates running for presidency next month when the party elects new leadersh...

ANC “top six” contender Mdumiseni Ntuli spoke to Sunday Times Politics Weekly. He assesses the governing party and speaks about “lies” he found himself embroiled in with former KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala, including plotting to have former president Jacob Zuma incarcerated. Ntuli is running for the secretary-general position. He is confident he will receive the support of most provinces a...

Paul Mashatile hosted the Sunday Times Politics Weekly team at his home to chat, rolling up his sleeves to be “hands on deck” if elected ANC deputy president next month. He is ANC treasurer-general and speaks about his rise to the position. The governing party will elect its new leadership at its elective conference from December 16 to 20 and Mashatile has been nominated for deputy president, alon...

ANC deputy secretary-general hopeful Nomvula Mokonyane opens up to Sunday Times Politics weekly about dirty politics, why she is contesting and corruption-accused Bosasa. She is hoping to win an ANC secretary-general position when the party holds its elective conference next month. The former environmental affairs minister hosts Kgothatso Madisa at her home and reflects on her relationship with la...

ANC deputy president hopeful Ronald Lamola talks to Sunday Times Politics Weekly about his personal life and politics. In conversation with special edition host Kgothatso Madisa from his home, Lamola focuses on his life before politics and what he can offer should he pin down the position.  The ruling party is expected to hold its national elective conference next month, at which its new top six l...

Recent political events in coalition-run municipalities have cast doubt on the viability of such governments. A prime example is Johannesburg, whose mayor Mpho Phalatse and speaker Vasco da Gama were removed last month after no-confidence motions. Phalatse was ousted by an ANC-led coalition that included the EFF and Patriotic Alliance (PA).  Sunday Times Politics Weekly hosts the mayor, who has si...

While many taxpayers struggle to make ends meet, ministers and their deputies — who earn a salary of between R2.5 and R2m a year — do not pay a cent for municipal services such as water and electricity at their official residences.  City Press reported that the ministerial handbook has been amended to remove a cap on municipal utilities for ministers and deputy ministers. According to the previous...

In this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we discuss what has been happening in Gauteng’s metros of Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, caught up by coalition government infighting. We also take a look at the latest in the ANC’s leadership race ahead of the parties national conference in December.  Our host Mike Siluma is joined by Sunday Times Politics editor, Sibongakonke Shoba and Sunday...

Mpho Makwana, the new chair of Eskom, has backed incumbent CEO Andre de Ruyter and set his sights on bringing down the price of electricity by reducing the cost of coal supplied to its plants while also improving the quality of the fuel it receives. In an interview with Business Times this week, Makwana spoke about the link between Eskom’s climate commitments and the cost of coal supplied to the c...

Today on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we give you a sneak-peak into our discussion with veteran business leader Mpho Makwana, who is Eskom’s new chairperson.  Makwana gives us insight into his perspectives on Eskom and the seemingly insurmountable energy crisis the country faces. Having worked at the utility before, Makwana says he is lucky to benefit from institutional knowledge and hopes to...

In this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we discuss the politics which has historically shaped, and which continues to shape SA's energy crisis. Our host, Mike Siluma is joined by Prof Mark Swilling chair of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and professor at Stellenbosch University and Prof Mazwe Majola, CEO of  the Worldwide Institute of Leadership. The panel discusses the facto...

By all indications, the ANC’s leadership succession race well underway. This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we assess the likely effectiveness of the party’s new campaign rules, which, on the surface, seek to improve the quality of its leadership. We will also look at the leadership candidates that have emerged so far, and what these rules mean for their various campaigns. Are the new r...

He left office more than four years ago but former president Jacob Zuma has remained a feature in SA's political and public life. This week the Pietermaritzburg high court gave VBS Mutual Bank permission to seize Zuma’s assets to repay a loan of nearly R7m relating to the refurbishment of his Nkandla homestead. This follows his pending corruption trial and a separate court case on whether he shoul...