Podcast Party Democracy Unplugged

Bloomberg embarrasses Bernie

Loading player...
Mhlanganisi Madlongolwana joins us for a sizzling episode of The Burning Platform, and he unpacks the highlights and lowlights of Cyril’s 2020 SONA. Is the field of politics in South Africa too emotive to allow for constructive intellectual engagement? As SA finds itself leaving 'Ramaphoria' and that honeymoon period of hope, what lessons if any can be drawn from Deng Xiaoping’s early reforms in China? Is coalition in government progressive, or does it put a stranglehold on bureaucratic processes which need to serve citizens? Did Elizabeth Warren put the final nail in her own coffin in the public debate with Michael Bloomberg? Is the Democratic Party falling apart, or is it just business as usual? Nando's · The Burning Platform
20 Feb 2020 English South Africa Politics · News

Other recent episodes

Inside SA's budget choices

Is South Africa’s national budget really working for our households? Phumi Mashigo examines what a truly community-centred national budget would look like, from food affordability and social grants to VAT increases, austerity, and fiscal anchors. This conversation is joined by Mervyn Abrahams, Programme coordinator at the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and…
19 Feb 44 min

SA’s Water Emergency, with Phumi Mashigo and WaterCAN's Dr Ferrial Adam

What has changed since last year’s State of the Nation (SONA) promises? At last year’s SONA, water infrastructure was particularly framed as a national priority yet in parts of Johannesburg, the heart of South Africa’s economy, and in municipalities across the country, taps still run dry. Treatment plants fail. Maintenance…
12 Feb 14 min

What has changed since SONA 2025?

What has been delivered since the last State of the Nation (SONA), and what does that mean for ordinary South Africans? In his address last year, the President signalled a renewed focus on healthcare - from advancing the National Health Insurance (NHI) roll-out, to infrastructure upgrades for hospitals and clinics,…
12 Feb 30 min

The state of SA’s defence force, with Frank Ntwali & Ricardo Teixeira

Can South Africa defend human rights without the power to enforce them? South Africa speaks confidently about justice, peace, and human rights on the world stage. But holding that position requires real capacity, and that’s where things get complicated. Phumi Mashigo explores the consequences of a country that still wants…
5 Feb 41 min

If democracy is changing, are we changing with it?

This edition of Democracy Unplugged is a forward-looking conversation on where South Africa, and the world, is headed politically. Phumi Mashigo picks the brains of Ismael Steenkamp, ward 29 councillor from the Patriotic Alliance; Solly Msimanga, leader of the opposition in the Gauteng Legislature from the Democratic Alliance; and Lerato…
29 Jan 1 hr 08 min
All episodes