Democracy Unplugged

A Coalition of Thieves

According to the Institute of Race Relations, Critical Race Theory and race-based policy are at odds with what most South Africans want. The report further provides a robust argument for why, even with the best intentions, BEE as a practical implementation of Critical Race Theory can never work as intended…

20 May 2021 58 min

Can Black People be Racist?

The team is joined by Ebrahim Harvey - former Cosatu trade unionist and a political writer, analyst and commentator for over two decades. Ebrahim has written an analysis on the ruling party called The Great Pretenders: Race and Class under ANC Rule. It’s a heated and passionate discussion about the…

13 May 2021 52 min

Can Black People be Racist?

The team is joined by Ebrahim Harvey - former Cosatu trade unionist and a political writer, analyst and commentator for over two decades. Ebrahim has written an analysis on the ruling party called The Great Pretenders: Race and Class under ANC Rule. It’s a heated and passionate discussion about the…

13 May 2021 52 min

The White Elephant in the Room

This week the team dives into whether or not we will see a split in the ANC, SARS holding a gun to taxpayers’ heads, the vaccine passport, Donald Trump, and much more. They're joined by Rob Hutchinson, MD of “Dear South Africa”, a civil organisation which facilitates public participation in…

6 May 2021 56 min

The White Elephant in the Room

This week the team dives into whether or not we will see a split in the ANC, SARS holding a gun to taxpayers’ heads, the vaccine passport, Donald Trump, and much more. They're joined by Rob Hutchinson, MD of “Dear South Africa”, a civil organisation which facilitates public participation in…

6 May 2021 56 min

Is Cyril Ramaphosa one of the Bad Guys?

There’s hardly an uneventful day in the South African political landscape with President Ramaphosa appearing at the State Capture inquiry, the ANC and corruption, Ace Magashule’s suspension, and lots more. The team, along with Leeto Nthoba - lecturer at Central University of Technology, debater and socio-political analyst - unpack these…

29 Apr 2021 55 min

Is Cyril Ramaphosa one of the Bad Guys?

There’s hardly an uneventful day in the South African political landscape with President Ramaphosa appearing at the State Capture inquiry, the ANC and corruption, Ace Magashule’s suspension, and lots more. The team, along with Leeto Nthoba - lecturer at Central University of Technology, debater and socio-political analyst - unpack these…

29 Apr 2021 55 min

Reality TV Check

It’s been a long time coming… Kanthan Pillay returns to The Burning Platform! Together with Gareth and Phumi, he dissects the Zondo commission, likening it to being a reality show. There’s a chat about creative ways of creating jobs, and why Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murdering George Floyd…

22 Apr 2021 1 hr 02 min

Reality TV Check

It’s been a long time coming… Kanthan Pillay returns to The Burning Platform! Together with Gareth and Phumi, he dissects the Zondo commission, likening it to being a reality show. There’s a chat about creative ways of creating jobs, and why Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murdering George Floyd…

22 Apr 2021 1 hr 02 min

We Need to Learn how to Think

The team is joined by libertarian, former member of the Capitalist Party, and host of the ManPatria podcast, Dumo Denga. They take a scorching hot look at what’s happening in the world of politics and discuss land invasion, whether a new leftist party is a possible solution, cabinet reshuffles, cancel…

15 Apr 2021 54 min

Politics VS Global Business Opportunities

Does politics get in the way of global business opportunities for South Africa? There's a lot that could make you not see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to how SA works, but maybe Yaw Peprah - a qualified chartered accountant - will change your…

8 Apr 2021 45 min

Is Socialism the Answer?

Commentator on politics, economics and global affairs Phumlani Majozi - Senior fellow at African Liberty joins Gareth and Phumi to have a candid conversation about the current political status of South Africa, if socialism is the answer, government increasing taxes and the high unemployment. Nando's · The Burning Platform

1 Apr 2021 52 min

Glad Our Government is Useless

This week’s guest commentator is Dr Nthabiseng Moleko, a senior lecturer in managerial economics at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. She believes the country needs a lot more decisive and immediate actions to propel inclusive and labour-intensive growth. The team tackles the latest political stories and all of this,…

25 Mar 2021 54 min

The Enemy is the State

With a week that was far from quiet, we had to bring in the big guns to unpack some of the hottest political stories in another edition of The Burning Platform. Joining Gareth is lecturer at Central University of Technology, debater and socio-political analyst, Leeto Nthoba... plus, analyst, CEO of…

18 Mar 2021 57 min

Grabbing Politicians By the Throat

Head of Strategic Engagement at the IRR, Sara Gon joins the team to share her opposing views with Phumi and Gareth regarding the DA. They define what they consider as mainstream media, have a candid conversation about the shrinkage of the economy, and Eskom implementing stage 2 load-shedding. Nando's ·…

11 Mar 2021 52 min

Where Does SA Stand Economically?

The team - alongside Daniel Silke, who is a political economy analyst, keynote speaker, author and futurist - discuss the recent Budget Speech and have a straightforward conversation about where South Africa stands economically. Nando's · The Burning Platform

4 Mar 2021 58 min

2021 Budget Speech in a Nutshell

With the recent 2021 fiscal spending plans of the National Budget being unveiled by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni... Gareth, Phumi, and Jamie (lawyer, award-winning debater and political analyst) have a candid conversation about the tax increases, debt to GDP, and our government’s simple-minded approach to solving our current financial issues…

25 Feb 2021 56 min

Too Many Old White Men

Racial politics are a hot topic this week as Phumi states that there are too many white men in one particular party. Playing the blame game seems to be second nature when it comes to our politicians. Do we have a toxic relationship when it comes to corporate and government?…

18 Feb 2021 50 min

Cancelled elections & a Leadership rift

Has Cyril Ramaphosa been a weak leader for the ANC and South Africa at large? What is the big difference between Cyril and Jacob Zuma when it comes to leadership? What is the role of the Zondo Commission within the South African legal landscape? Do South Africans need to worry…

11 Feb 2021 51 min

Are we Addicted to the ANC?

Are we taking too long to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine? With a declining economy, how much worse must it get before it gets better? Maybe it’s time to admit that many South Africans might be addicted to the ANC. Leading the conversation this week is Lecturer at the Central…

4 Feb 2021 53 min