Wide Awake Podcast

In this episode of The Wide Awake Podcast, I interview Zephany Nurse, also known as Miché Solomon, whose extraordinary story will leave you speechless. Zephany was abducted from Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town when she was just two days old in 1997. For roughly 17 years, she was raised by a woman named Lavona Solomon, who kidnapped her, while her real parents searched tirelessly for her. As Ze...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I spoke with Riaan Swiegelaar and Adri Norton, former leaders of the South African Satanic Church. They shared their journeys from Satanism to Christianity, highlighting profound encounters with Jesus that transformed their lives. Adri opened up about her struggle with identity and acceptance within Christianity, which led her to the Satanic Church and ul...

In this episode of the Wide Awake podcast, I sat down with Duduzane Zuma, the son of former South African president Jacob Zuma. We had a deep and wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from his childhood in Mozambique and what it was like growing up with a father like Zuma in a family with six wives and 24 siblings, to his encounters with Vladimir Putin and Robert Mugabe. We also touche...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I spoke with Mmusi Maimane, the former leader of the Democratic Alliance and the current leader of Build One South Africa. We talked about the reasons behind Mmusi's departure from the DA, his predictions for the outcome of the 2024 elections in South Africa, and discussed major issues like Load Shedding, Crime & Corruption, Cyril Ramaphosa, the National...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had a conversation with Riaan Swiegelaar, the former leader of the South African Satanic Church. We explored his journey from being a Satanist to embracing Christianity after a profound encounter with Jesus during a satanic ritual. Riaan also shared the immense challenges he faced while leaving the church, including a lawsuit filed against him by other...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I spoke to Gayton McKenzie, who is the leader of one of South Africa’s largest political parties, the Patriotic Alliance. We discussed former President Jacob Zuma and his new political party called MK. Additionally, we delved into his visit to Orania and his efforts to combat illegal immigration. However, the main topic we discussed, and the reason I invi...

In this episode, I sat down with the most well-rounded sprinter of all time, Wayde Van Niekerk. We talked about his road to recovery after suffering from an injury. His unbelievable comeback and reclaiming the number 1 rank in the world. We explored his historic world record breaking run at the Rio Olympics, growing up alongside his cousin Cheslin Kolbe, the Springboks victory at the Rugby World C...

In this episode, I sat down with the Mayor of Cape Town and Ex-Gangster Thando. We talked about some of the most significant issues facing South Africa, including the unfortunate reality of people living in Cape Town's most forgotten and dangerous areas, the rising crime rate, the South African military, the housing crisis in South Africa, corruption, education, gangsterism, the impact of load she...

In this weeks episode I spoke to the host of the True Crime South Africa podcast, Nicole Engelbrecht about the Krugersdorp cult killers. During this episode we delve deep into the disturbing and twisted world of these Killers and the shocking events that transpired. The Krugersdorp Cult Killers, also known as the "Electus Per Deus" cult, shocked the world with their gruesome crimes and their warpe...

In this episode, I had the opportunity to interview Gayton McKenzie, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance. Our conversation delved into a wide range of topics, starting with his early involvement in criminal activities that ultimately led to a 17-year prison sentence. We explored his experiences within the prison system, where he notably received special treatment and was regarded as a king behind...

In this weeks episode I speak to Ellen Pakkies. She was known as a loving mother, a religious woman and an upstanding member of her community in Lavender Hill. But on a September morning in 2007, she killed her own son Abie by strangling him with a rope. In this episode we discuss Ellen's early years and the horrific abuse she went through, how addiction destroyed her family, the days leading up t...

In this week's episode of the Wide Awake Podcast I had a conversation with the leader of the DA, John Steenhuisen. During our chat we discussed John's epic clashes with Cyril Ramaphosa in Parliament, the questionable release of Jacob Zuma from prison, the riots that erupted in Durban and Cape Town, Cyril Ramaphosa's $4 Million Couch Scandal, John's thoughts on becoming the president of South Afric...

In this week’s episode of the Wide Awake Podcast I had a chat with the leaders of the Bad Boys gang and Pastor Andie. During this episode we talk about what it was like growing up in one of South Africa’s most dangerous areas, how they joined and eventually became the leaders of the Bad Boys gang, life inside South Africa’s most notorious prison, how they make money for the gangs, corruption in So...

In this week’s episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had a chat with Penuel Lungelo Mlotshwa, self-proclaimed "God Penuel". During this episode we talked about Penuel’s journey of self discovery, his pursuit of knowledge and identity, how he made and lost millions of his own and other people’s money, being reborn as a God and starting his own “religion” which he calls a Cult. We also had a heated d...

From Social media to one of South Africa’s fastest rising musical talents. This week I speak to Will Linley. This chat was one of the most insightful discussions I’ve had about the music industry and what it takes to become successful at such a young age. During this episode we discussed what Spotify actually pays artists, the story behind the song that put Will on the map, advice for other artist...

In this week's episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with Jonathan Shapiro, South Africa's most acclaimed and controversial political cartoonist, better known as Zapiro. Despite facing lawsuits, death threats, and enduring a stint in South Africa's notorious Pollsmoor prison, he remains unwavering in expressing his opinions and fearlessly confronting influential figure...

In this weeks episode of the Wide Awake Podcast I spoke to social media influencer and medical doctor, Dr Siya. We spoke about how Siya gained over 3 million followers on social media, the reality inside South Africa's township hospitals, how Siya survived a brutal attack by Skinheads in Russia, sex education and medical misconceptions, the strangest injuries he has treated and much more. Hosted b...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had a heartfelt conversation with my dad. We delve into his upbringing, the challenges he faced, and how he emerged as the amazing person he is today. We also talked about my recent trip to America and shared stories about some of our favourite guests from previous episodes. During this episode we also discussed my journey as a recovering addict, the ch...

In this weeks episode of the Wide Awake Podcast I speak to former gang member, Thando. His journey is unique because instead of joining a street gang he chose to stand alone in Africa’s most dangerous city, Cape Town. During this episode we discussed his childhood and how he transformed from an innocent kid to a ruthless gangster. Thando also shared his experiences inside Pollsmoor, South Africa's...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dariusz Dziewanski. Dariusz is an experienced researcher, journalist, and author who has dedicated the last fifteen years to international development and humanitarian work. He specialises in research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, with his main focus on gangs. His extensive academic research has resulted in the...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jack Parow, a South African rapper, actor, and record producer who has deep Afrikaans roots. Our conversation covered a range of interesting topics, including how Jack first discovered his passion for rap music, his personal journey from an ordinary kid to one of the most well-known artists in South Africa, his experien...

In this weeks episode of the Wide Awake Podcast I speak to former arms dealer, David Packouz. David was an arms dealer during the War in Afghanistan. As a partner of AEY Inc, a prominent weapons contractor for the U.S. Department of Defence, he and his friend Efraim Diveroli landed a $300 million government contract in 2007 to provide ammunition and weapons to the Afghan Army. At this time David w...

In this weeks episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Russ Cook, an extreme athlete widely known as Britain's Hardest Geezer. During our conversation, Russ shared how running helped him overcome a difficult period in his life. In recent years, he has transformed into a superhuman athlete and achieved remarkable feats. For instance, he made history by completing a 71-...

In this episode of the Wide Awake Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Larry Mazza, a former Mafia hitman who worked closely with Greg Scarpa, the notorious captain of the Colombo crime family, also known as the Grim Reaper. Larry has publicly confessed to taking the lives of four individuals and is rumoured to have been involved in approximately 25 additional homicides. During our conversa...

In this weeks episode of the Wide Awake Podcast I speak to Michael Dowd. He is considered the most Corrupt Cop In New York’s history. During his career Dowd stole money and dealt drugs while patrolling the streets of Brooklyn. He was also a criminal associate of the Diaz organisation. When he was eventually caught he was facing life in prison and upon his release a True Crime documentary called Th...