Adriaan Basson names SA’s dirtiest politician

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It’s a critical position in the now crumbling City of Johannesburg: a mayoral committee member for group corporate and shared services. It may sound a bit vague. But in this seat, you’re responsible for finance management, the city’s IT infrastructure, and supply chain processes. And it’s now occupied by one, Mr Sithembiso Zungu. He’s an ANC politician who has anything but quietly climbed the political ranks, as allegations of his running of a local construction cartel have followed him for years, enough to attract a Hawks investigation. Zungu may well be Mzansi’s dirtiest politician, argues News24 editor-in-chief, Adriaan Basson, who joins us in Tuesday’s edition of The Lead. Finally, show host Graeme Raubenheimer ends with a new segment: “On This Day in History”, courtesy SA History Online. You can send Graeme 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
  • 01:51 Interview with Adriaan Basson
  • 33:06 AD: Bruce Whitfield's Business Week on News24
  • 33:33 AD: Listen Up! With Tim Cohen & Mark Barnes
  • 34:27 Graeme's outro / On This Day in History
19 Aug 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

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