The Lead

EFF leader Julius Malema alleges it's a lie that there are farm killings in South Africa. Among other claims, Malema suggests that white people are not murdered in South Africa. The politician's April statements in Parliament in response to the Trump Administration’s US aid pullout were shared on social media without verification. That's until News24's Disinformation Desk got wind...

South African Police Service (SAPS) top brass dragged their feet in cancelling a tender awarded to a businessman known as "The Cat". News24 specialist investigative journalist Jeff Wicks combed through an internal audit report. In it, he found that tender tycoon Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala should've never scored a R360 million health services contract with the SAPS, a deal now s...

In 2023, 4-year-old Nada-Jane Challita was discovered dead in the bathtub of her Johannesburg home, with only one suspect to point the finger at: her father's now ex-partner, Amber Lee Hughes, who was also the little girl's former pre-school teacher. Hughes' trial – in which she is facing a count of murder and two of rape – got under way in the South Gauteng High Court this week, with...

Today on The Lead, we cross to Bloemfontein where specialist legal journalist Karyn Maughan was in the Free State High Court, where former premier Ace Magashule pleaded not guilty to allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering charges in the asbestos tender scam trial. The former ANC Secretary-General and 17 others, including businessman Edwin Sodi are in the dock in connection with the...

In this edition, we scrutinise whether sending former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas as South Africa's special envoy to America is the right choice. This comes as a video from 2020, wherein he calls US President Trump a "racist", "homophobe", and "narcissistic right-winger", spreads across social media. Andisiwe Makinana, News24 political editor, and Graeme...

For tonight's episode of The Lead, we wade into the sewage-ridden waters of Mogale City with Sikonathi Mantshantsha, News24 specialist investigative journalist who on Friday took home the prestigious Taco Kuiper Award for investigative journalism for the series, Wasteland. He uncovered the true source of the region's unbearable smell: the Percy Stewart Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was...

The Legal Practice Council, a national body meant to hold the legal profession to account, is launching a full-scale disciplinary inquiry into the conduct of Dali Mpofu. Among the slew of misconduct charges the advocate faces relate to comments he made while handling legal matters, including the parliamentary inquiry into former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office. "You've...

The South African economy faces potentially volatile times with the Trump Administration's tariffs on one side of the scale and a 1 May VAT hike on the other. "Everyone is feeling the pinch; even the US markets are feeling the pinch," says News24 writer-at-large Carol Paton. The rand has been edging closely to the R 20 per US dollar mark as the sweeping tariffs take effect globally t...

The ANC believes it's time to hit the reset button on the government of national unity (GNU) following the DA's "double-dealing" regarding the contentious budget vote in parliament. For now, though, the DA is not leaving the GNU, nor has it been kicked out. "No one wants to pull the plug. Neither the DA nor the ANC wants to walk out of this relationship. I think both those p...

An ANC-linked businesswoman who bagged a R2.5 million t-shirt tender with the Gauteng health department has denied having any relationship with its MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. Yet, News24's specialist investigative journalist Jeff Wicks has uncovered evidence to the contrary: that businesswoman Nhlake Priscilla Mothobuka knows the MEC well enough to be pictured partying with her. "This i...

Quo Vadis, GNU? With the ANC searching for support outside of the GNU and the DA approaching the courts to interdict the national Budget's proposed 0.5% VAT hike, it seems as if the days of the GNU are numbered. We ask News24 political editor Andisiwe Makinana for her take on the matter. Then we discuss the newly announced Trump tariffs and what those mean for South Africa's economy. How d...

Today, the government of national unity is facing its most formidable challenge. The future of the tumultuous union rests on the outcomes of the joint sitting of Parliament, where a vote will be taken on the delayed budget tabled by finance minister Enoch Godongwana last month. We know the DA has rejected the budget and that the ANC has looked to other parties to fill the void. Is this the end of...

On 1 April, here at News24, we ditch the pranks to focus on the feel-good factor for what we have dubbed Good News Day. Instead of making you wonder what is fact and what is fiction, we have decided to flood our website with 21 good news offerings. Not even this show is spared. Today on The Lead, Good News Editor Paul Herman joins to chat about a couple from Hartbeespoort saving thousands of wild...

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane is in hot water, again. On Monday, News24's investigations team revealed that the minister bagged a cool R700 000 from an Eskom contractor for an invoice she signed off on in 2011. Vitrovian, an ANC-linked company, scored more than R300 million from Eskom over seven years using inflated invoices." The entire contract... the entire Vitrovian situa...

Three thousand five hundred jobs hang in the balance if ArcelorMittal were to close its two long steel plants in Vereeniging and Newcastle. Towns will be decimated and local economies crushed. Will the government's plan of hiking steel import tariffs protect local steelmakers' future? This could be critical to saving the country's manufacturing sector and economy, which is already stru...

It's an extraordinary time for Pretoria and Washington. Both cities' embassies await new diplomats after SA / US relations took a turn for the worse. If the Trump Administration gets its way, senior conservative media man Brent Bozell III, whose son was recently pardoned for storming Capitol Hill, will become the US Ambassador to SA. While here at home, a few big names are doing the rounds to repl...

The quality of depth in our Springbok men's squad is undoubtedly the envy of every rugby nation. Thanks, in large part, to Rassie Erasmus. But for our more seasoned players, possibly lifting the World Cup for a third time is not a foregone conclusion come the 2027 tournament in Australia. “Erasmus has been the most impossible coach to predict over the last six or seven years. It’s just been su...

South Africa's skies are primarily unprotected, which should be of concern. On Monday, News24 revealed that only six of the 330 SA Air Force aircraft were in working order. That's two fighter jets, a helicopter, and three fighter jet trainers; the rest are gathering rust. In his exclusive report, News24's investigative journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha details how the SAAF has all but...

We all deserve to stop, breathe, meditate and smile about the good things happening in our lives and South Africa today. Sometimes, we just need that nudge to remind us about the beauty hiding in plain sight. To mark International Day of Happiness and Human Rights Day, this edition of  The Lead  is devoted solely to good news. And who better to speak to show host Graeme Raubenheimer than News24 Go...

Are South African women safe in Ubers? This question comes after the e-hailing service stated that they have finalised their finding around the harrowing Uber ride of media personality, Anele Mdoda in February where an Uber driver in Cape Town allegedly threatened with rape. In a briefing where they highlighted how they have bolstered their safety features; they were unable to provide News24 legal...

"City Power is taking disciplinary action against 15 of our staff members following a full-scale investigation,” confirmed Johannesburg City Power Spokesperson, Isaac Mangena on Tuesday, a day after News24’s investigations team revealed the extent of the municipal electricity utility’s persistent fraud problems. From trolley mops to pens, City Power’s been doling out exorbitant figures for in...

"They're (South Africa) taking away land, they're confiscating land. And actually, they're doing things that are perhaps far worse than that," US President Donald Trump told reporters in February. Trump's comments kicked off an unprecedented episode of diplomatic drama with the South African government, which now appears to be reaching a fever pitch. Washington, this past weekend, gave Pretoria's...

  "I think it's not a bad budget in the context of the absolute terrible mess we're in," says Carol Paton, News24's Writer-at-Large. On Thursday, she spoke to The Lead host, Graeme Raubenheimer, about the politics of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's proposed VAT increase, his gripe with the DA's rejection of the budget, and SARS’ renewed bid to boost the tax books. Later, we hear about how the...

It's been a tale of two budgets. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana proposed a one-percentage-point value-added tax (VAT) increase over the next two years. The minister promised not to increase personal income tax; however, the tax bracket has not been adjusted for inflation. For News24's business editor, Helena Wasserman, the tax bracket "creep" is a far more concerning trend. "I thi...

Welcome to the second episode of The Lead. In the studio with host Graeme Raubenheimer we have News24's Khaya Koko and Sipho Masondo. They talk us through what News24 understands to be dodgy deals at Johannesburg's City Power utility and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). Koko found that City Power had been dishing out millions for contractor work not completed by a set deadline. M...