The Lead

President Cyril Ramaphosa reckons he's got a fair chance of challenging an independent panel's findings that he may have broken the law in relation to the 2020 theft of a large sum of money from a couch based at his Phala Phala game lodge. But this “Section 89” report, overseen by retired chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, is not the only one Ramaphosa should be worried about. In this edition of The Lead, investigative journalist Kyle Cowan explains the critical importance of police watchdog IPID's revelations. And we rewind it all, to give you a much clearer sense of the entire Phala Phala saga up until now. Finally, later in the show, the Mayor of Welkom was tarred and feathered. On This Day in SA History is our regular segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

We kick off this news week with two more senior police figures in the dock, this time facing serious charges in connection with a peculiar unwrought gold bust at OR Tambo International Airport about five years ago. Major Generals Feroz Khan and Ebrahim Kadwa, and security company boss Tariq Downes, have all since been granted bail, reports News24's Tankiso Makhetha. Makhetha has found that Downes' alleged name-dropping of Khan during the bust and then getting off scot-free has now come back to haunt the three. In our trending topic, Cape schools shut this Tuesday in the eye of a destructive storm that has ripped roofs off homes, downed trees and blocked roads. Finally, later in the show, SA formally joined the global football world, On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

The City of Gold is bankrupt. And don't take our word for it, the finance minister says so! Enoch Godongwana has even instructed Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero to halt a R10 billion wage hike for municipal workers, a move that may come back to bite the beleaguered administration. Here, in this edition, with all the details of Godongwana's naughty letter to Morero is News24 metro journo, Alex Patrick. Later in the show, US airmen touched down in apartheid SA in 1960 for a missile test, On This Day in SA History, our regular segment. Plus, can you crack ‘Rauby's Pointless Braai Quiz’? Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

From one Limpopo company charging up to R19 000 for a teaching aid that may only cost R200, to a completely unknown publishing house based out of a Simons Town cottage that was handed 26% of the pie. Glaring problems have since emerged in the Basic Education Department's approvals, amounting to R1.6 billion, for the publication of new learning materials for grades one to three. Here, in this edition of The Lead, with all the details of these recent News24 exclusives, is our senior education journalist, Prega Govender. Later in the show, a Gqeberha woman is hanged for murder in Pretoria, On This Day in SA History, our regular show segment. Plus, can you crack ‘Rauby’s Pointless Braai Quiz’? Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

In the past two weeks, News24's eagle-eyed journos have uncovered evidence that artificial intelligence (AI) conjured up incorrect and misleading sources in two critical pieces of proposed government policy, one of which concerns the use of AI itself. The revelations have led to the suspension of top officials, and the DA, overseeing the two ministries where the policies were crafted, is enforcing stricter review measures in the government of national unity. We cross-check AI referencing in this edition with News24's Ethan van Diemen and William Brederode. Later in the show, Comic Con Cape Town has grown significantly over the past few years; organisers are eyeing an even larger venue for 2027. Finally, we mark Ruth First's birthday, with On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

Is Johannesburg's vacant, derelict civic centre the ultimate monument for the metro's perceived legacy of poor service delivery? Well, a recent inspection by DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille has re-exposed the centre's long-standing problems, like its piles of unprocessed archive files and building plans gathering mould. This didn't happen overnight, though, as News24's Alex Patrick has been demanding answers about the Metro Centre's future for years now. Later in the show, a meeting of African leaders, one black, one white, happened in a mobile home in the bushveld, with On This Day in SA History, our regular segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has set the cat among the pigeons in Mzansi’s news media world this week. The SIU red-flagged more than half a million rand from the National Lotteries Commission, which in 2018 found its way to a communications company formerly belonging to the current Sunday Times editor and South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) chair Makhudu Sefara. But as Sefara steps aside from Sanef and takes special leave from the newspaper, he insists he has the receipts to show the funds were used for their intended purpose. Yet, about three years ago, an internal Sanef alarm was raised.News24 business journo Jan Cronje tells us more in this edition. Finally, you know what they say about history? It rhymes. An early form of press freedom was achieved in the then Cape Colony in 1829, On This Day in SA History, our regular segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

A global Chinese construction giant and its staff overseeing a gargantuan wind and solar farm in the Karoo are facing mounting allegations of not only breaches of health and safety regulations, but also environmental violations, and even sexual harassment. Specialist climate journalist, Ethan van Diemen, has spent many months investigating the tsunami of claims swirling around Sinohydro's Oya Hybrid Energy Project outside Sutherland in the Northern Cape. This is not a conversation to miss. First, though, let host broadcast journalist, Graeme Raubenheimer, bring you the breaking news that president Cyril Ramaphosa has put the police's chief financial officer, Puleng Dimpane, in charge of our men and women in blue as acting national commissioner. Later, in our regular segment, On This Day in SA History, the late former AWB leader, Eugene Terreblanche, was sentenced to prison for trying to kill a black worker. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

He's been close to the notorious “Cat” before. And now he'll be even closer to alleged criminal tender don Vusimusi Matlala, as they share the same prison in Pretoria ahead of their respective trials. Facing unlawful firearm possession and obstruction of justice charges, suspended police sergeant Fannie Nkosi has now been denied bail. And our journalist, Tankiso Makhetha, explains the reasons in this edition. In our trending topic, could this be our first winter without load shedding in a long time? Touch wood! Finally, more than one and a half thousand people were detained by apartheid police following the Sharpeville Massacre, with On This Day in SA History, our usual segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

It's a multibillion-rand solar panel farm, said to be the most ambitious of its kind on African soil, all to boost our rehabilitated energy grid. Yet, in her investigations, News24 journalist Azarrah Karrim has unearthed a series of alleged red flags in the Chinese state company-led construction of the Virginia Solar Park, a two-hour drive from Bloemfontein. From alleged B-BBEE fronting to claims of serious labour violations, there's plenty to answer for in this edition of The Lead. Later, in our trending topic, prosecutors push to keep controversial police sergeant, Fannie Nkosi, behind bars. Finally, 123 people perished in a Boeing 707 plane crash in Namibia, on This Day in SA History, our regular segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

He led Mzansi's newest green party to fifth place in the 2021 municipal polls, so the question is: what will it take for Herman Mashaba's ActionSA to do it again in 2026? The founder of Black Like Me is our guest this Newsmaker Thursday on News24's The Lead. Mashaba insists that ActionSA is the only party growing its councillor base by attracting smaller parties to defect without having to win by-elections. Can he pick up where he left off as mayor of a now-broken Johannesburg? Mashaba promises to resume his project of reclaiming so-called “problem buildings” by, in part, rounding up illegal migrants in the inner-city. But what if he doesn't clinch the Jozi mayoral chain outright in the upcoming municipal polls and needs to form a coalition? Mashaba insists that even if that happens, he will refuse to work alongside his rival, DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille, again. Finally, on this day in 2004, 75 000-year-old shell beads washed up near Stilbaai, sparking global headlines. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

They met behind closed doors on the sidelines of the News24 On the Record Summit in Cape Town in March, and now we finally know the outcome. President Cyril Ramaphosa is deploying former constitutional affairs minister Roelf Meyer to Washington, D.C., to try and salvage what's left of US/SA ties. We've roped in News24's investigations editor and fellow history buff, Pieter du Toit, to help us understand the strategic nature of Pretoria's latest salvo, given Ramaphosa and Meyer's shared legacy in ensuring our transition to democracy. In our trending topic show segment, Facebook is a popular place for people to sell wildlife, but how bad is it? A new report sheds light. Finally, the newly-formed Union of SA issued its very first national weather forecast, On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

Fraudulent payments? Missing municipal funds? Bribes to wipe service providers' debt? Forty-year-old mother of one, Martha Mani Rantsofu, was no ordinary junior finance clerk in Gauteng's Emfuleni Local Municipality, because by our accounts, she was a whistleblower knocking on some dangerous doors. While the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team takes a closer look at her hit, News24 journalist, Ntwagaae Seleka, details how the Vaal region has fallen into rack and ruin, with only Emfuleni to blame for the growing mess. Finally, Desmond Tutu was elected Bishop of Cape Town, with On This Day in SA History, our regular segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

The DA led a landmark elective congress this past weekend, leaving it with an introspective question. In this new Geordin Hill-Lewis era, can the party shed its perceived stigma of being a 20% party, mostly for whites? We'll take stock with our acting political editor, Carol Paton, who's been following the DA campaign trail in Soweto this Monday. Later in our trending topic, was the motive work-related or personal? Speculation is rife following a hit on the Emfuleni Council's finance clerk. Finally, Madiba announced the end of his second marriage, On This Day in SA History, our regular segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

He thought: What have I got to lose? Let me take on the man widely tipped to lead the DA next. In this edition, The Lead host Graeme Raubenheimer picks Sibusiso Dyonase's brain on his 15-year journey in the DA, who he looks up to, and why challenging Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis for the top spot is so critical, politically speaking. And then Raubenheimer gauges who's who and running for which DA positions, with our deputy politics editor, Bongekile Macupe, ahead of the party's elective congress in Midrand this weekend. Finally, before Covid-19, there was SARS, and no, we're not talking about the taxman, in On This Day in SA History, our regular show segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

“In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift – a more human face.”Who said that? The late great Steve Biko, of course. But you may be a little disheartened to hear that Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement may be, to some extent, less of a focus in future school history studies, if the Basic Education Ministry's proposed revision of the history curriculum for grades 4 to 12 is finally approved. The 1652 Jan van Riebeeck tale may also enjoy less impetus should the revision, as gazetted, get the go-ahead, reports our education journalist, Prega Govender, in this edition. On that note, the long and winding Trans-Kalahari highway opened on this day in SA History in 1998, our daily show segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

He may not be your average police sergeant. Fannie Nkosi, who this Tuesday appeared before a Pretoria magistrate on several criminal charges, has been revealed to be a critical cog in how organised criminals communicated with the SAPS’ alleged bad apples. Then there's this intriguing tiff between EFF leader Julius Malema and deputy PA leader, Kenny Kunene, over claims Malema was too close to a late taxi boss. And what about Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala's bid to be relocated back to a Pretoria prison? Our specialist legal journo, Karyn Maughan, brings you a concise Madlanga Commission catch-up in this edition.In our trending topic, Randfontein protesters want Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to solve their crime problem. Finally, we ask in Rauby’s Pointless Braai Quiz, which iconic SA cricket stadium is undergoing a major revamp? Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

When it comes to global corruption indicators, South Africa continues to languish in the red, according to NGO Corruption Watch, as local efforts to drive out rampant graft and improve our world ranking have only stagnated in more recent years. Enter lifestyle audits for public office bearers. They're supposed to reveal any inconsistencies between what a state official earns and their actual standard of living. But, based on what members of Parliament heard this week, the general progress of these audits has been anything but smooth, our correspondent, Jan Gerber, reports in this edition. In our trending topic, the Saxonwold shebeen is back up for grabs. That's if you're into marble elephants! And finally, On This Day in SA History - specifically in 1987 - Wits University honoured a black woman with an honorary degree for the first time ever. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

If you're desperate for some good news this April, you've come to the correct place. From a 6-year-old author with three books to her name, to a fitness coach who gave a group of boys the opportunity to witness the Bafana Bafana match-up live in Cape Town. These are among a few of the inspiring stories editor Paul Herman and The Lead host Graeme Raubenheimer discuss in their yearly Good News Day episode. Finally, Mzansi got its first centralised national police force, but later had to call in the army. On This Day in SA History, our regular end-of-show segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

This Tuesday, News24 fielded numerous reports of petrol stations across Mzansi shutting shop and turning away motorists desperate to fill up ahead of the staggering fuel price increases at midnight. Despite government slashing the fuel price levy this April, you and I will still be digging deep to pay an extra more than R3 per litre for petrol, and an eye-watering more than R7 per litre for diesel. Catching up with specialist business journalist Lisa Steyn, she reminds us that among the key reasons we're experiencing a fuel crisis is that there simply aren't enough tanker trucks to ferry fuel to every station. Finally, we look at one of the founders of Islam in the Cape in our regular segment, On This Day in SA History. A special thanks to News24's video journalists for contributing various vox pops for this edition. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

It's quite evident that the attempted murder- and tender fraud-accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala relied on several allegedly crooked cops to seal a tainted R360 million police health services tender. The question now, though, is: Who, from the Medicare24 stable of companies, backed the notorious figure in his bids? In other words, our multi-award-winning journalist and author, Jeff Wicks, asks: Who exactly is Mike van Wyk? Later in our trending topic segment, a pensioner appears in court for the Bellville South house of horrors murder. Finally, the United Nations started taking stronger action against apartheid SA, with On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

Let it be known: Thursday, 26 March, marks exactly 100 days before the inaugural Nations Championship kicks off. With one successful alignment camp already behind them, 2026 will undoubtedly be one for the books for the Boks. The world champions square up against England, Scotland and Wales in the new tournament in July, not before a pre-season opener against the Barbarians in Gqeberha in June. Let esteemed News24 Sport rugby writer, Herman Mostert, guide you through the Boks' year ahead in this edition of The Lead. In our show’s trending topic, the ANC’s Eastern Cape elective conference is interdicted by the courts. Finally, we recall the early birth of the Kruger National Park, with On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

The crucial work by our News24 Investigations team, in collaboration with journalist and author Jeff Wicks, over the past more than three years has finally seen the law catch up with the notorious Cat, Vusimusi Matlala, as well as a dozen police officers. They all allegedly colluded to push through a dodgy SAPS tender worth R360 million, all to line the pockets of Matlala and those closest to him. We touch base with Wicks and bring you the latest from court. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Cape, the ANC is fighting with itself over who will lead what's shaping up to be a highly contested provincial elective conference. We cross to journalist Soyiso Maliti for more. Finally, the Nieuwe Haerlem shipwrecks off the Cape of Storms in the 1600s, On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

Every now and then, South Africans are rocked by the depravity of a heinous act of crime. This week, we learnt of a 63-year-old woman who stands accused before the courts of murdering and dismembering her beloved 79-year-old sister, a resident of Cape Town's Bellville South suburb. Allow News24's journalist, Lisa-Lee Solomons, to relay the grim aspects of this story to you in this edition. Finally, Daveyton on Gauteng's East Rand was marred by a political massacre, On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

What is the public not getting to see after the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) was ordered to keep the findings of a damning forensic investigation under lock and key? Despite evidence of major alleged graft and bribery against him, Prasa's former head of rolling stock, Molefe Mosweu, is a free man after being allowed to resign before any internal disciplinary action was taken in regard to this Webber Wentzel probe. Investigative journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha takes us through what he knows in this edition. In our trending topic, "Prime Evil", Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock denies any involvement in the Cradock Four's 1985 murders. Finally, the 1994 Goldstone Commission saw the axing of 10 apartheid security officials, with On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

On Day Two of News24’s On The Record jobs summit, we weigh the severe toll crime and corruption have taken on the state of South Africa, and hear from our new National Prosecuting Authority head, advocate Andy Mothibi, with News24’s investigations editor, Pieter du Toit. Later in the show, let Lead host Graeme Raubenheimer bring you the best bits from the panel debate on: where to for BBBEE? Hear from the hilarious Irish economist, David McWilliams. And end off, like any episode of The Lead, with some good news: this jobs summit has actually helped to create employment. All of this, On The Record, on The Lead on News24. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

We're a country of around 65 million people. Now, if you consider the expanded definition of unemployment in South Africa, which is nearly 43%, this equates to 12.4 million people of age who simply cannot find work right now. Of this figure, 3.7 million people in this country today are discouraged, meaning they simply do not want to work for a myriad of reasons. Enter: News24's On The Record jobs summit, tasked with the ultimate question: How can we add 5 million quality, formal sector jobs in the next decade? First, we check in with our specialist journalist, Carol Paton, to discuss the highlights of her panel and hear from business leaders, economists, thought leaders, and President Cyril Ramaphosa. Then, catch The Lead host, Graeme Raubenheimer, in candid interviews with SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter and former finance minister Trevor Manuel on our jobs crisis and a range of other issues. Lastly, we’ll share but a snippet of our five minutes door-stopping, as journos say, with Ramaphosa on the Johannesburg governance crisis. All of this, On The Record, on The Lead on News24. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

This Wednesday on The Lead on News24, we drill down, layer by layer, into two high-profile murder cases: the Murray murders and the killing of the Madlanga Commission's “Witness D”, Marius van der Merwe. We draw out three key suspects who have all enjoyed past ties to a central figure in the country's often highly-violent and extremely lucrative tobacco industry. Let expert investigative journalist and Mafia State author Kyle Cowan take you down this organised crime rabbit hole, in this edition, next.SA went nuclear in 1965. On This Day in SA History is our regular segment. We also throw to News24's much-anticipated On The Record jobs summit set to be held this Thursday and Friday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. How do we create five million more jobs in 10 years? Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

From Pretoria to Parliament: we hear from two Fannies in the SAPS this Tuesday. One, a sergeant, Fannie Nkosi, who claims that national deputy top cop Shadrack Sibiya did accept gifts from alleged criminal Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala. And two, national top cop, Fannie Masemola, who insists to MPs that he doesn't target people, simply gets on with his job. Let journalists Karyn Maughan and Jan Gerber bring you up to speed with the two inquiries into claims that criminals have captured the state justice system. Then, in our trending topic, a violent convict who escaped a KwaZulu-Natal prison is back in leg irons. Finally, Apartheid's draconian censorship laws are set in On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

It's meant to revolutionise the processing time it takes to crack critical criminal cases in Gauteng. But no, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, claiming that the long-delayed forensic pathology lab in Johannesburg is a “win” during your administration feels hollow, given that it was meant to open seven years ago. Just ask our News24 metro journo, Alex Patrick, who's been following this building's progress since day one. In our trending topic, Minister Gwede Mantashe reveals the government is seeking to secure more fuel amid the current global oil price surge. Finally, one of the very first known Christian missionaries to Southern Africa met his demise, as featured on On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

In 2011, he was but a DA spokesperson. Today, 15 years later, he's part of a centrist collective of opposition political parties preparing to shake up how our metros are governed. “Let's come together and work because what we need in SA are pragmatic policies,” says Build One South Africa (BOSA) member of Parliament (MP), Dr Mmusi Maimane, in a special lunchtime interview with The Lead’s broadcast journalist host, Graeme Raubenheimer. Maimane also reflects on his time as DA leader: “It was the most toxic, vile politics I’d ever lived through..." He touches on a myriad of foreign policy matters from Iran to Zimbabwe, his critical work as Chair of Parliament's Appropriations Committee overlooking the budget, and vents his disagreement with the City of Cape Town on building an N2 highway wall. Tune in, wherever you get your podcasts. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

He claims he was caught up in the web of doing business with people he eventually became afraid of disobeying. But the Madlana Commission has put it to ANC-affiliated businessman Suliman Carrim that he may have committed money laundering by moving funds between himself, the notorious Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, and supreme tender don Morgan Maumela. It has been a whirlwind week of testimony in Pretoria, reports our specialist legal journalist, Karyn Maughan. In our trending topic, Health Department Director-General Sandile Buthelezi has been suspended following Global Fund corruption claims. Finally, former apartheid-era defence minister Magnus Malan went on trial for murder, On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

With global oil prices skyrocketing, largely due to rising conflict in Southwest Asia, South African industry experts are concerned that we should be shoring up our local fuel supplies. And although the economy shows signs of a strong rebound, motorists face the prospect of petrol prices rising by more than R2 at the pumps this April. Still, there are some silver linings, reports our specialist writer, Lisa Steyn. In our trending topic, ex-Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste's Hermanus mansion has new owners. Finally, 1994 was anything but peaceful in the North West, as On This Day in SA History shows. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

We now know that City of Ekurhuleni financial auditor Mpho Mafole put his life on the line to raise red flags about the metro's R1.8 bn toilets tender. Deciphering every detail, News24 investigations journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha and company have found proof that one of the contractors appointed is intimately and politically connected – although Lebohang Ximba, the wife of former Ekurhuleni political advisor Nkosana “Killer” Ximba, likes to deny it. In our trending topic segment, former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s asbestos scam tender trial is failing to launch proceedings this 2026. Finally, Robert McBride emerged as a key political figure in diplomatic SA, as featured in On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

He’s the preferred candidate whose name is on the lips of many senior DA party members. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis sits down to lunch with The Lead’s Graeme Raubenheimer this Thursday.From student politics, his allegiance to Helen Zille, the George v Steenhuisen saga, and ambitions for the Union Buildings, the man vying to be DA leader bares all. We include the usual show segments, such as On This Day in SA History and Rauby’s Pointless Braai Quiz. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

The conflict situation in the Middle East is fluid. South Africans in Dubai and Bahrain tell of the terror of Iran’s retaliatory strikes after Israel and the US took out Iran’s supreme leader. The traveller’s airspace is chaotic. And Pretoria’s allegiance to Tehran will be tested further. We cross to global news correspondent and columnist, Phillip de Wet, to navigate this massive moment, marked both abroad and locally. In our trending topic, a Somerset West sting operation nabbed a brazen contractor attempting to bribe a City of Cape Town manager with a bag full of cash. Finally, the Cape has a long history of water scarcity and provision problems, with On This Day in SA History, our regular show segment. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24's editors.

Senior health department officials are facing the music for allegedly siphoning off around R1 million from the Global Fund, which is 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, Azarrah Karrim, fill in the blanks for you in this edition.In our trending topic, the so-called Facebook Rapist, Thabo Bester, will stay put in a supermax prison in KwaZulu-Natal. Finally, the apartheid SABC unbanned The Beatles, as part of On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

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 next edition. In our trending topic, the Hawks circle three senior officials in the health ministry. Finally, Ladysmith Black Mambazo claimed SA’s first Grammy, with On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by News24’s editors.

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 shadowy dealings with top criminal justice authority figures that it's becoming nigh impossible to believe who's telling the truth. Just ask our senior parliamentary reporter, Jan Gerber, our guest, next. Later in the show, we recall the deadly 1862 Birkenhead ship collision, with On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

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 annual growth projection stands at 1.6%. Specialist journalist Carol Paton gives the finance minister and his team three thumbs up out of five. Then, in our trending topic, you can now apply for an e-Visa to travel to the UK, but that’s about the only change to this expensive process. Finally, Madiba cooled some KZN tensions in On This Day in SA History, heard later in the show. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Monday through Thursday at 19:00. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

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 trending topic: a fire at Cape Town International Airport delays global flights. Finally, a journalist of colour was sentenced to prison time for conspiring to break the apartheid Immorality Act, with On This Day in SA History, which is among our regular segments before Rauby’s Pointless Braai Quiz. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

Multi-millions of our hard-earned taxes have gone towards a mass Metrorail train refurbishment project but allegations of bribery between the contractors and the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) dog this deal, all while the trains gather rust, and are yet to leave any station. We mind the gap with investigative journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha, who faces legal threats for reporting on the matter. In other rail news, Prasa says the critical Kapteinsklip corridor in Cape Town is open again for Mitchells Plain Metrorail commuters. Finally, two well-known South Africans share their birthday, while progressive MP Helen Suzman made her mark, with On This Day in SA History, which is among our regular segments like Rauby's Pointless Braai Quiz. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

The opening of Parliament, albeit from Cape Town City Hall, is anything but a quiet affair. Let The Lead host, Graeme Raubenheimer, take you inside the spectacle that was the State of the Nation Address 2026. From politicians’ demands on the red carpet and a student protest to the president’s podium, Raubenheimer holds out his mic to gauge the moment. And, besides the perpetual water crisis, crime and corruption, Raubenheimer discovers across party political lines an undercurrent of concern over illegal immigration. This is The Lead, and this is the South African story. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

This is The Lead, and this is the South African story. Joining host Graeme Raubenheimer for a special roundtable discussion, asking whether or not President Cyril Ramaphosa has kept his 2025 State of the Nation Address promises, are News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson, political analyst and media commentator Mpumelelo Mkhabela, and esteemed academic of the highest order, affiliated in various professor roles in UCT and Wits University, Richard Calland. Stay tuned to News24 for on-the-ball, expert coverage of the 2026 State of the Nation Address. We critique the president’s promises to help you better understand the direction in which our beautiful country is heading. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

KwaZulu-Natal has emerged as the epicentre of the current devastating outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among cattle, with farmers, desperate for the new locally made vaccine, resorting to the worst to protect their livelihoods. We get a sense of the situation on farms with our roaming KZN reporter, Sakhiseni Nxumalo, who tells us farmers are shooting their infected livestock. Meanwhile, former DA leader Tony Leon offers John Steenhuisen’s eventual successor some strong pointers, and any guesses who his money is on? Finally, we tune in for our regular segments; On This Day in SA History and the ever-challenging Rauby’s Pointless Braai Quiz. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

We begin this late Tuesday edition of The Lead with breaking news: Johannesburg Water says an unprotected strike by some of its staff has been called off, following discussions with municipal union SAMWU. Note, please, that the rest of this show was compiled before this development. Meanwhile, the blame for the worsening water crisis in the City of Gold is being laid at politicians’ feet, reports News24 metro journalist Alex Patrick, who takes us deeper into the real reasons why Rand Water is slowing supply flow. Later, in our trending topic, Knysna and the Mother City are also grappling with their own water woes. Finally, the US conceded it needed to change tact with apartheid SA, with On This Day in SA History, heard later. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented, and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

They scored big contracts with the Gauteng government. And, according to News24 investigations, the Public Protector’s about to clear the province’s Infrastructure Development Department of any alleged wrongdoing in awarding these tenders to companies linked to the sons of Deputy President Paul Mashatile.But journalist Kyle Cowan fears that this Chapter Nine institution has failed to consider the glaring red flags that sprang up during the companies’ tender bid process. Later, in our trending topic, no, that does not appear to be the late Nathi Mthethwa in an alleged Epstein video. Finally, almost a century before Madiba was sent to Robben Island, there was Hlubi Chief Langalibalele, as heard later in On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

The Trump administration has now signed off on a new AGOA deal, allowing South Africa duty-free access to the US market. But do not celebrate too quickly, warns our seasoned business journo, Jan Cronje. Those pesky 30% Liberation Day tariffs remain, and our trade delegation’s yet to strike any new overriding deal. Finally…We remember Dr Neil Agett, with On This Day in SA History. Finally, can you crack Rauby’s pointless braai quiz? Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

In an about-turn, John Steenhuisen has decided to bow out as DA leader. It’s left the party’s upcoming elective congress all the more intriguing. We take stock of Steenhuisen’s tenure with News24 investigations editor Pieter du Toit, and assess Steenhuisen’s potential successors with journalist Velani Ludidi, in this special roundtable. Top political analyst Daniel Silke keeps the conversation flowing, arguing that the next DA leader should stick to being just that and avoid taking on a public office-bearer role. Finally, a bold attempt to fly from London to Cape Town began in 1920, as featured on On This Day in SA History. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.

They are one of the most critical witnesses yet…In the Madlanga Commission’s view, the implicated police officer known as Witness F was the “go-between” for Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala and General Shadrack Sibiya. The commission, as legal journalist Karyn Maughan reports, is leading Witness F’s sensitive WhatsApp messages that also reveal talk of some sort of arms deal with the apparent nephew of the late former deputy president, David Mabuza. Later, in our trending topic, are these John Steenhuisen’s final days as DA leader? Some sources suggest so ahead of the party’s April elective congress. Finally, the historic ‘Wind of Change’ speech was delivered in Parliament, and On This Day in SA History, it was heard later. Comment below and send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note: 072 562 3179. To advertise: [email protected]. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The show is fully produced, presented and edited by Raubenheimer and quality-checked by Simon Sonnekus.