Sunday Times Politics Weekly

ANC heavyweight Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has expressed her disapproval of the government of national unity (GNU), saying that if it had been up to her, the ANC would not have formed a government with the DA.

ormer president Jacob Zuma has laid out details of an audacious plan to “take back my ANC', by uniting “black” parties under his MK party banner and recapturing the leadership of the party, which he said had “deviated from our ancestors”. He spoke to Sunday Times politics editor Sibongakonke Shoba about various topics, including the formation of the MK Party and his decision not to relinquish his ANC membership.

Former Botswana leader Ian Khama has called on the country’s new president, Duma Boko, to launch an investigation into the ousted Mokgweetsi Masisi’s use of government finances during his period in power. Khama says he feels responsible for the 'dictatorship' that ensued after Masisi took power. The former president was in conversation with Sunday Times politics reporter, Kgothatso Madisa.

Prof Susan Booysen says the government of national unity (GNU) is a coalition with the DA but the ANC invited other parties to avoid political trouble. The Wits emeritus professor and independent research consultant explored the survival prospects of the GNU and the changed terrain in which all political parties are having to find their way. She joined Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast.

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela believes white racists should be helped to heal so they don’t wound others. She joined Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma in conversation after she set the cat among the pigeons with a post on her X account suggesting race supremacists need to be helped to heal from their post-transformation trauma. Madonsela said supremacists need to accept they are not superior to others. “It's not always just about race though, it's [also] about gender. Anybody who was raised in that just because they look a particular way they deserve more than others in a society based on human rights, social justice and acceptance of equality of all human beings, to them it feels like a loss of a right as opposed to loss of an unmerited privilege.” White people should not teach black people to deal with their trauma as they would make wrong assumptions. “White people should help other white people to understand that the ‘loss’ is not really a loss as such but changed expectations.” The topic harms white and black people, said Madonsela. “For everyone’s sake, in the same way that when it comes to gender we say we need to do ‘man work’, we have to do white work and white people have to do white work."

Just a week after President Cyril Ramaphosa reassured the country he intended to serve a full term in office, ANC Limpopo provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe has come out in support of his continued presidency.

The ANC Youth League secretary-general has warned South Africa is on the brink of a revolution that will see young people rise up against white South Africans if the economy continues to be in the red.Mntuwoxolo Ngudle spoke to TimesLIVE Premium on the state of the economy, accusing the private sector of “treason” for failing to transform the economy.

At the age of just 32 and with a possibly illustrious political career ahead of him, acting ANC national spokesperson Zuko Godlimpi admits that the prospect of inheriting a dying party keeps him up at night.

A few months ago Eskom was the black sheep of public opinion, but last month we reported that the utility recorded its highest energy generation levels in six years. It’s not out of the woods yet — chairperson Mteto Nyati says they will execute remaining aspects of Eskom’s recovery plan. Nyati shares the formula they used to rescue Eskom from the brink of collapse. Two years ago the president roped him in to help save the power utility. Nyati speaks about the plans they implemented to get to where there is no load-shedding for at least 160 consecutive days, the longest period in a while. He, however, is reluctant to say load-shedding has ended. Load-shedding reached its peak in 2022 and last year to beginning of this year. The utility regularly receives financial bailouts from government. Nyati says that will soon end because Eskom will stand on its own feet. “We are saving from last year. Already in this financial year which start[ed] on 1st of April we have saved R10bn on last year.” He talks to our digital politics editor, Lizeka Tandwa, in this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly about the criticality of the leadership change in the company, which included appointing Dan Marokane as CEO and the importance of the executives’ relationship with him.

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi outlines promising economic plans that will “break the backbone of unemployment” like expanding the Gautrain for residents and plans the government of provincial unity has to make Gauteng a world-class province. Lesufi warns that the ANC is a “sinking ship” and speaks on the government of national unity.  He exclusively speaks to Sunday Times political journalist Kgothatso Madisa a day after he delivered his state of the province address. Lesufi says “we can’t have everyone coming here [Gauteng]”.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has launched a disciplinary process against three senior party leaders implicated in the Zondo state capture report: Malusi Gigaba, David Mahlobo and Cedric Frolick.

After the formation of the government of national unity, the DA has emerged as an important player in the alliance. The party's federal chairperson Helen Zille opens up on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast about the considerations of the architecture of the GNU and her relationship with some of the ANC's top executives. She also speaks about issues such as racism, service delivery, the economy and crime. Zille, 73, a former journalist at the Rand Daily Mail who exposed the apartheid police cover-up of Chris Hani’s assassination, also opens up about how she transitioned from journalism to politics. Besides being a wife, she is a mother and a grandmother. She talks about how politics has affected her life. Production by: Bulelani Nonyukela.

In this episode TimesLIVE digital politics editor Lizeka Tandwa talks to COSATU president Zingiswa Losi about the formation and the SACP stance on the government of national unity, the ANC’s path of renewal, and the party’s drop in the election results.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe tells Sunday Times politics editor Sibongakonke Shoba that DA federal chair Helen Zille will collapse the government of unity. “We are not going to have a parallel government run by Helen Zille. There’s one president here and that president is President Cyril Ramaphosa. Production by: Bulelani Nonyukela.

Political analyst Dr Sithembile Mbete and Lizeka Tandwa from the Sunday Times politics team define and scrutinise the ANC’s options for governing models, such as government of national unity [which the party announced as its choice on Thursday evening], a grand coalition and a minority government. They also look at the party's conflicting ideologies and policies, the options for coalition partners and what it would mean for South Africa.

South Africa allowed Zimbabwe to be run into the ground, says Mmusi Maimane on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly, blaming the government for the influx of Zimbabweans into SA. “If it wasn’t for the ANC’s policy on the government of national unity when [late former president of Zimbabwe Robert] Mugabe had lost elections we wouldn’t have this influx of Zimbabweans,” says Maimane as he is quizzed by Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma. Zimbabwean citizens fled to SA because of economic turmoil and political violence, among other reasons, in 2007. SA had been a mediator in that country’s political conflict.  According to census figures there were just more than a million Zimbabweans in SA in 2022. The topic of undocumented migrants is dominating the political agenda in the run-up to the May 29 elections. Maimane proposes borders be secured and foreigners be legalised. He believes he can document foreigners in two years. Maimane has criteria for foreigners wanting to become citizens: learn SA's laws, speak South African languages and don’t set up your own community in SA. That’s just the tip of the wide-ranging conversation with Maimane in this instalment of the podcast. Maimane talks about a grand coalition of opposition parties; parties he can work with; solutions to crime, saying localised policing, metro police and private police should be merged; and the controversial National Health Insurance which he says is populist and timed for the election. Don't take our word for it — listen, and share your views. Production by: Bulelani Nonyukela.

The DA should have burnt the ANC flag instead of the national flag, says ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says in a wide-ranging interview on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast. The party stirred controversy earlier this week when it launched its election campaign advertisement showing the national flag in flames. The DA has defended the advert, with federal chair Helen Zille saying the alternative to being rescued is dying. The party’s election slogan is “Unite to rescue South Africa”. Asked about his ambitions, Mashaba said: “Being president of the country or being a premier are the last jobs I want, but I am committed to finding a solution to our country’s problems.” He said he blames former president Thabo Mbeki for many of the country’s problems, saying his advice proved to be “disastrous” and “he’s got the experience of destroying”. Mashaba told podcast host Mike Siluma that ActionSA has proposed renaming eThekwini after the late Mangosuthu Buthelezi. He also discussed his party’s plans for economic recovery and immigration. Listen and share your views.

Anele Mda, an independent candidate vying for a seat in parliament, says political parties will be chasing after independents but she won’t work with any party. She is our guest on the Sunday Times Politics Weekly podcast with Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma.  We kick-start the conversation by asking her why it was important to publicly rebuke the IEC for not displaying her photo during the signing of the Electoral Code of Conduct. Eastern Cape-born Mda tells us how she was bitten by the politics bug as a child and about her journey in politics.  She is a former ANC member and founding member of COPE. In a significant milestone in our democracy independent candidates have a seat at the table with established political parties for the first time in the country’s history to contest elections.  “We are the ones who will set the agenda. Political parties will be the ones running after us, not the other way around,” she says. Mda says she is not planning not to become entangled with any political party. She also took swipe at some parties. “Imagine having to sit in the ANC in this day and age and lie and say there’s a good story to tell? What good story to tell? Imagine being in the DA and sit there and lie and say there’s a whole intentional embrace of Africans in the DA … Imagine me going to an EFF where I am going to be led by a demagogue that does not respect any woman leader … Imagine me going to Rise Mzansi, sitting there and acting as though ’no we’re an honest new political party that is not aligned’. Who funds you?” she said. More is covered in detail in the conversation. Listen, subscribe for free and share with your circle.

One of the big election stories has been the Jacob Zuma factor and his uMkhonto weSizwe Party. According to polls and by-election results, the party has outshone parties such as the EFF and the IFP. In this episode of the Sunday Times Politics Weekly we explain and hopefully demystify the Zuma/MKP phenomenon in our politics, and how it might impact our body politic after May 29. Our guests this time are Sanusha Naidu, senior research associate with the Institute for Global Dialogue, and Susan Booysen, visiting Wits professor. We hear on the podcast that Zuma feels wronged by corruption allegations against him and is out for revenge against his successor President Cyril Ramaphosa. Booysen tells us the MKP is a revenge party that will wreak havoc on the ANC, and it could damage it much more than it has so far. Booysen explains which parties the MKP is taking votes from, and if polls and by-elections are good predictors of the May 29 election results. Naidu says Zuma’s purpose is about vindicating himself because he did not finish his second term. On the party’s court battles with the IEC, Naidu says, “I get the sense we’ll have to deal with security now more than ever before in this election”. There are a lot more interesting perspectives from our panellists who are hosted by Sunday Times deputy editor Mike Siluma. Listen and share your views.

Mike Siluma sits down with Election expert Ebrahim Fakir to discuss the upcoming South African elections and what you need to know from how they work, to how they are calculated and what you need to do!