Sunday Times Politics Weekly

SA's political shift to racial & ethnic tribalism 

Racial politics and the rise of ethnic pride, are on the agenda for the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, this week. Recently, a new organisation, purportedly standing for the rights of coloured people, or the 'brown people', as it put it, was announced. It was met with skepticism from many quarters…

14 Apr 2022 27 min

Ramaphosa's Catch-22 in dealing with 'ethically challenged' ANC members

President Cyril Ramaphosa has campaigned on a policy of clean governance, but when it comes to cleaning up the ANC he seems to be all bark and no bite.  This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, our panel looks at the question of ethics in political and other leadership…

8 Apr 2022 26 min

The rise of vigilantism and the decay of formalised governance

Today on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we consider the harm and the need for vigilantly groups, such as Operation Dudula, in modern SA society. Recently, we had a conversation about the challenges of managing immigration in our country, and touched on the activities of organisations such as Operation Dudula,…

31 Mar 2022 26 min

SA’s obligation to foreign allies - “Let’s solve our own problems”

This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we are looking at the controversy surrounding our country’s R50m donation to the republic of Cuba, which has been interdicted by the courts. The panel discusses what our legal and ethical obligations are to allied foreign countries. Can South Africa afford to…

25 Mar 2022 25 min

Government's failures are to blame for tensions between locals and foreigners, say commentators

This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly we talk matters immigration, more specifically the activities of the group calling itself Operation Dudula and the Dulula Movement , which have been campaigning against what they calls 'illegal foreign traders' and the employment of undocumented foreign workers. This week our host…

17 Mar 2022 28 min

ANC National Conference: Who are the frontrunners, in a leaderless ANC?

This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we thought we should catch up on the build up to arguably the major political event of the year – the ANC’s elective conference taking place in December. Among other things, we look at the state of play in the provinces, the…

10 Mar 2022 32 min

SA's foreign policy flip-flopping sends poor message to allies

SA’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has divided public opinion. Some felt our response was too tepid, while others supported Pretoria’s call for a negotiated solution. In this week’s episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we explore the government’s rationale, as well options open to it. Our…

3 Mar 2022 31 min

Is the ANC too big to fail or to broken not to?

In this week’s episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly we are talk about the state of the African National Congress – and how that impacts our national life. This off the back of the assertion by former president Thabo Mbeki that the collapse of the ANC would have dire…

25 Feb 2022 34 min

Is the State of the Nation Address just an empty ritual? Should we abolish it?

In this week's episode of Sunday Times Politics Weekly we are reflecting on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address, and asking if we need to maintain an event that seems to be nothing more than a political ritual. Our host Mike Siluma is joined by UniSA political lecturer…

17 Feb 2022 30 min

The uncertain future of prosecutions, for those implicated in the state capture reports

When the majority of a country is “captured” who is left to hold those responsible to account? This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast, we’re reflecting on the Zondo commission’s reports so far. Now that we have a clearer understanding of the effects of state capture in SA,…

3 Feb 2022 29 min

Is Lamola really too young to lead or has the ANC let down its youth leaders?

In this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we’ll be looking at the ANC’s succession race, which is under way in all but name. Apart from the obvious names, such as President Cyril Ramaphosa and tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu, another name that has come up is that of justice…

28 Jan 2022 29 min

When government doesn't do its job, you can't blame the constitution: Mohammed Valli Moosa

SA’s constitution has recently been the subject of much public debate following a critical opinion piece penned by tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu. In this episode of Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we invite one of the leaders who participated in the drafting and adoption of the constitution, struggle veteran, activist and…

20 Jan 2022 25 min

Continent unites against the West after Ramaphosa's West African tour

In this week’s episode of Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we look at President Cyril Ramaphosa's four-nation diplomatic excursion to West Africa. We discuss the significance of the visit, and whether it marks a change in SA’s relations with West Africa, as well as the rest of the continent and even…

9 Dec 2021 27 min

Coalition talks cause division & Eskom hangs SA's hopes on renewables

This week SA has experienced confusion and contention, as a result of coalition talks among our political parties. We have also been following this political tension in the dark, as Eskom has yet again imposed large bouts of loadshedding throughout the country. This week our panel of experts and journalists…

18 Nov 2021 31 min

Public coalition statements are no more than bluster

This week on the Sunday Times politics Weekly podcast, our host Mike Siluma is joined by Associate Professor at the WITS School of Governance William Gumede, politics reporter's Kgothatso Madisa and Aphiwe de Klerk to talk coalition progress, after a Watergate local government election. The panel considers the political fallout…

11 Nov 2021 27 min

Pre-election analysis: the number of loyalist voters is on the decline

This week on Sunday Times Politics Weekly, our panel delves into some pre-election analysis. Ahead of the polls, we will look at which major cities are likely to fall to coalition governments, and how those coalitions are likely to be structured. After that, we will be looking at the sea…

28 Oct 2021 31 min

Tracking campaign efforts & top ANC official fight for their political lives

Our big stories on this week's episode of Sunday Times Politics Weekly with Mike Siluma include the factors that have affected the 2021 municipal elections so far, including; mounting political killings, empty promises and the seeming eradication of Covid-19 as a health concern at most political rallies.  We also try…

21 Oct 2021 24 min

The DA sinks its own campaign & Ramaphosa loses another backer in the ANC

This week on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly with Mike Siluma, our learned panel considers the uncertain future of the DA in the wake of controversial election posters which have caused tensions within the party. Insiders suggest this may be a litmus test for party leader John Steenhuisen's future at…

14 Oct 2021 26 min

Behind the DA's poster own-goal & how strong is SA's judiciary?

In this week’s episode of Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we try to shed light on the controversy around the Democratic Alliance’s campaign posters in Phoenix, which seemed to endorse racial attacks on black people during the July riots. We try to understand the logic behind the posters themselves and unpack…

7 Oct 2021 26 min

Elections: Main party manifestos and the Digital Vibes scandal

In this week’s episode of Sunday Times Politics Weekly we discuss the main party election manifestos- who are the three main parties targeting, what are they promising and what is the likely impact on voter participation levels? Also this week, we take a closer look at the SIU's report on…

1 Oct 2021 33 min