Sharp Sharp

Rob Rose from the Financial Mail and Zukile Majova from Scrolla.Africa are joined in the studio by Patrick Smith from Africa Confidential for episode 31 of Sharp Sharp, as South Africa and the United States go to the polls a day apart.They ask what the local government elections mean for the Government of National Unity, why the DA's maths in Joburg is so hard even at 40%, and whether Herman Mashaba and the ANC could cut a deal that keeps Helen Zille out of the mayor's chair. They also look at why professionals feel pushed out of the ANC and how the youth vote has been pulled towards the EFF and MK.Then they turn to the world: the US midterms, corruption and the cost of living, Brazil, Israel's election, and whether South Africa slips down Donald Trump's list of targets.Sharp Sharp is the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.Subscribe for new episodes. You can also watch on YouTube.

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova cannot agree on the Constitutional Court's ruling that lets the ANC register the candidates it failed to submit.

Rob says rules are rules, and the ANC missed its own deadline by not pressing submit. Zuks says punishing the party means punishing voters, especially in the Eastern Cape, where people could lose the party they have backed for 30 years. They also ask whether the ruling has saved Fikile Mbalula's career, and who takes the blame if the ANC does badly in November.

In the first half of the show, they speak to Dr Elsa Thirion Venter from MarkData about the new poll with eNCA. It puts the DA on 35% and the ANC on 21.8% in Joburg. Dr Elsa explains how the poll was done, why so many voters are still undecided, and what people really want from their next mayor.

Sharp Sharp is the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

Subscribe for new episodes. You can also watch on YouTube.

Jacob Zuma has shaped South African politics for nearly two decades. Now uncertainty over his health raises a major question: can the MK Party survive without the man holding it together?
Rob Rose, Zukile Majova and Patrick Smith examine Zuma’s political power, his complicated legacy and the struggle that could follow him inside MK.
They also discuss the ANC’s Constitutional Court battle over 181 excluded election candidates, Rwanda beating South Africa to Formula One and Donald Trump’s reaction to Navi Pillay winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba joins Rob Rose and Zukile Majova in studio for episode 28 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.
Mashaba makes his position clear: he will not work with Helen Zille. Rob and Zuks question him on his fallout with the DA, his conditions for coalitions and what that means for the fight to govern Johannesburg.
The conversation also covers immigration, his record as mayor and his plans to fix the city. The hosts challenge his claims about undocumented migrants and press him on how he would turn his promises into action.
From building Black Like Me to taking on Joburg’s political battles, Mashaba explains what drives him and why he believes he can win voters back.

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova are joined by Gareth van Onselen, CEO of Victory Research, for episode 27 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.
Can we trust the polls? Gareth explains how election polling works, what separates good research from bad numbers, and why a poll is a snapshot rather than a prediction. They examine sample sizes, margins of error, political bias and the questions journalists should ask before reporting a headline figure.
The conversation turns to South Africa’s local elections. Gareth unpacks the ANC’s turnout problem, the DA’s prospects in Johannesburg and Tshwane, and the forces behind the rise of MK and the Patriotic Alliance.
They also explore why voters staying home can matter as much as voters changing parties, what the ANC’s candidate-list failures mean for affected municipalities, and how wishful thinking shapes the way we read polls.