News24 The Lead

Why is trans inmate taking state to court? PLUS: ‘Sweatshop’ sentencing

Loading player...
Welcome to this bumper Wednesday edition of The Lead on News24. Our first topic deals with the case of a transgender inmate in Johannesburg Central Prison who is fighting for their right to access the use of women’s clothes and gender-affirming healthcare. Later in the show, a group of Chinese nationals are sentenced for running a human-trafficking sweatshop in the Johannesburg CBD. Both updates come courtesy of our expert courts journalist, Bernadette Wicks. Then, local retail analysts warn US icon Walmart will be tested on its South African market staying power. Finally, we end off with “On This Day in SA History”. You can send host Graeme Raubenheimer a voice note with your questions or thoughts on this episode to: +27 72 562 3179. Mail your comments to: thelead@24.com. Editions drop Monday through Thursday, at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.  
Chapters
  • 00:01 Graeme's intro
  • 02:12 Bernadette Wicks on transgender inmate
  • 16:53 Wicks on Jozi's Chinese 'sweatshop' sentencing
  • 20:58 AD: News 24's The Weekender
  • 21:26 And finally: Walmart comes to Mzansi
  • 22:51 On This Day in SA History
10 Sep 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

Arrests as HIV funds wasted on probing health ministry whistleblower

Senior Health Ministry officials face the music for allegedly siphoning off around a million rand from the Global Fund, which is actually meant to assist in fighting HIV, TB and malaria, all to pay a so-called independent investigator to try and discipline an internal corruption whistleblower. Let our investigative journalist,…
3 Mar 22 min

Jetting off to London and then a fuel tender? Jeff Wicks investigates

Oh, no, it wasn't a gift… That's the insistence from former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi, who in 2022 hopped on a R3.5-million, privately chartered jet for a shopping spree in central London. And who did she share the luxurious flight with? Investigative journalist Jeff Wicks explains why this matters in the…
2 Mar 20 min

Two sides of a coin? Examining O’Sullivan and Mogotsi

Are they two sides of a similar coin? Parliamentarians have spent the past few weeks grilling the rather cryptic backgrounds of both investigator Paul O’Sullivan and information peddler Brown Mogotsi. The pair, in their own peculiar ways, have found themselves so embroiled in, or alleged in proximity to, all sorts of…
26 Feb 28 min

Tax breaks galore, reforms and economic growth forecast in Budget 2026

Don’t worry, folks, it appears 2026 is a good news Budget. In a nutshell, Treasury has spared us the pain of universal tax increases, while also introducing increases on tax-free thresholds for several investments. The economy, as many continue to celebrate, is turning the corner, so much so that the…
25 Feb 25 min

The Joburg water crisis is not over

Coronationville, Westbury and Melville are among the Johannesburg suburbs still suffering from a perpetual water crisis. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has promised residents that long-term solutions are on the way. But metro journalist Alex Patrick tells us that, in the meantime, many infuriated locals are struggling to survive. In our…
24 Feb 20 min
All episodes