News24 The Lead

Billions for blue lights, SA’s VIP protection splurge with Jan Gerber

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R1.47bn. This is how much the government has spent on protecting its VIPs from the 2020/21 financial year to date. And it’s not even the full picture of the cost. It’s especially mind-boggling, given that around R2.3bn has been set aside just this year alone to keep VIPs safe. To make sense of the numbers for The Lead, we’re joined in our Cape Town studio by our senior parliamentary journalist, Jan Gerber. Later in the show, the DA is finalising its replacement for the deputy trade minister in the GNU. And finally, The Stormers unveil their new look! You can send show host Graeme Raubenheimer a short voice note with your questions or thoughts on this episode to our official The Lead WhatsApp line, that’s: +27 72 562 3179. Mail your comments to thelead@24.com. Editions drop on Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.
Chapters
  • 00:01 Graeme's intro
  • 01:42 Interview with Jan Gerber
  • 22:52 Trending topic: DA finalises Whitfield replacement
  • 23:53 AD: Bruce Whitfield's Business Week
  • 24:21 And finally: The Stormers' new look
  • 25:22 On this Day in History & Your Voicenotes!
13 Aug 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

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