National dialogue: How much time does SA have before frustration boils over?
The launch of the national dialogue has reignited debate about whether the process can genuinely help fix the country’s problems or it is just another stage to advance elite interests.Political analyst and Public Affairs Research Institute executive director Dr Sithembile Mbete says dialogue has been a recurring theme in South Africa’s democratic journey.“It comes from this idea that we are so fractured as a nation across political, racial and class lines and that we somehow need to talk to each other to find a solution,” she explains.She likens the initiative to “post-conflict negotiations” but warns that dialogue without a clear end goal risks becoming hollow. “We should always ask: what is the outcome supposed to be?”Arena Holdings editor-at-large S’thembiso Msomi agrees, saying South Africans have long felt that “what we have is not enough”.“Clearly there’s general unhappiness about where South Africa is going,” he says.
Produced by: Bulelani Nonyukela.
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An eroded NEC – Malusi Gigaba speaks out
Long standing NEC member Dr Malusi Gigaga has hit out at the party arguing that it is yet to start fulfilling its ambition to renew itself
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‘All my office furniture was made by prisoners’: Groenewald pushes for hard labour, deportations
Correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald wants inmates to grow food, make clothing, bake bread and work in factories to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of rand and promote rehabilitation.
“All [prison] uniforms are produced by inmates. All the furniture in my offices — Cape Town and Pretoria — has been manufactured by inmates, so it's much cheaper,” Groenewald said.
Though the furniture predates his appointment in 2024, Groenewald believes it reflects the sort of cost-cutting, skills-development approach he wants to entrench and expand throughout the prisons system.
Produced by: Bulelani Nonyukela.
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'Sometimes rules are an obstacle': Firoz Cachalia talks Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and new job
Soon-to-be acting police minister Firoz Cachalia has questioned KwaZulu-Natal police chief Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s decision to bypass reporting lines, but says rules can sometimes be an obstacle.
In an exclusive Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast interview, Cachalia said he was “surprised and shocked” by Mkhwanazi’s bombshell remarks, which implicated police minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy national commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya — both of whom have now been placed on leave.
Produced by: Bulelani Nonyukela.
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The cost of protest in South Africa
Protesting in South Africa comes at a price, sometimes a deadly one. From Sharpeville to today’s crackdowns, the state’s response to dissent has often been force, not dialogue. As the country marks Human Rights Day, the question remains: Why does standing up for basic rights still come with heavy consequences?
In this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, we unpack with experts issues behind police brutality and state repression. Their insights paint a troubling picture of a system where law enforcement is often used to silence dissent rather than protect citizens.
The weekly political show by top journalists of the Sunday Times discussing the week's biggest stories, toughest topics in a tight and guided conversation.
An Arena Holdings Production.
Keywords: podcast, analysis, politics, social justice, news commentary, economy, opinions, accountability
South Africa