Claim OwnershipThe Burning Platform - Level Up
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After a decade run as South Africa’s first and longest-running online current affairs show, The Burning Platform, launched alongside CliffCentral.com in 2014 with Gareth Cliff and Justice Malala, is levelling up – Level Up with Phumi Mashigo. Phumi a founder host of CliffCentral and current Burning Platform co-anchor, will continue to bring insightful perspectives and questioning with thought leaders, politicians and social commentators on the critical issues that affect our lives. Podcasts available on Podcast Party app, website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.
294 Episodes
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What does South Africa need now, according to Floyd Shivambu? And will he be the answer to our political problems? Phumi Mashigo unpacks the evolution behind the headlines with him - from the ANC Youth League to the EFF, a stint in MK, and now his role in shaping the Afrika Maibuye Movement. Is this reinvention or conviction in motion? Floyd speaks candidly about ideological consistency, political disillusionment, organisational decay, and why he believes South Africa still needs a true revolutionary movement. If you've ever wondered what motivates a strategist to abandon comfort for controversy, this conversation is essential listening. The Burning Platform
Johannesburg is falling apart - power cuts, potholes, broken pipes,
waste piling up, and corruption choking the city that once symbolised
South Africa’s promise. But one of the country’s most formidable
political figures says she can fix it. Phumi Mashigo sits down with
Helen Zille, the former Mayor of Cape Town, Western Cape Premier, and
now 2026 Johannesburg Mayoral candidate for the Democratic Alliance.
She’s one of the most polarising voices in South African politics, and
the question that everyone’s been whispering is asked: Can she really
save Johannesburg? The Burning Platform
Local government is meant to be the heartbeat of democracy. But as cities crumble, services collapse, and trust erodes, South Africans are asking: can our municipalities still be saved? In this episode of Democracy Unplugged, host Phumi Mashigo leads an honest discussion with a panel of political leaders tackling the state of local governance ahead of the 2026 municipal elections. From collapsing infrastructure to coalition chaos as well as lessons from the GNU, this episode asks what real local leadership should look like in 2026 and beyond. The Burning Platform
What does it really take to root out corruption in South Africa?
Stand-in host Xavier Bapoo speaks to former South African Police Service
(SAPS) Anti-Corruption Unit head Stefan Grobler and specialist
investigator Mike Bolhuis about the deep-seated culture of corruption
exposed by the Madlanga Commission. This conversation lays bare the
forces eroding accountability, looking at political interference, the
dismantling of anti-corruption structures to the risks faced by
investigators on the front lines, exploring what it will take to rebuild
integrity and justice in South Africa’s institutions, and more. The Burning Platform
What does South Africa’s G20 presidency mean for the country’s future?
In this episode of LevelUp, Phumi speaks with Ercilia Mata Ubisse, Regional Head for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and a member of the Startup20 Foundations & Alliances Taskforce, to unpack how small business, collaboration, and policy can reshape global development from an African lens. The Burning Platform
How does a values-based politics survive in a system built on power and pragmatism? And what drives a leader who still speaks of conviction in an age of calculation? In the noise of South Africa’s political landscape in flux, African Transformation Movement’s parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula stands out for being both familiar and unexpected: a young leader who speaks the language of faith, morality, and transformation. In this episode, he speaks to Phumi Mashigo about making his way through the dynamics of politics: the old liberation parties are grappling with legitimacy, new alliances are reshaping the centre, and voters are searching for voices that sound like conviction - not convenience. The Burning Platform
Is local government failing the people? Part two of our discussion on local government - Phumi Mashigo discusses this with Sabelo Skiti, Sunday Times Investigative Journalist, Bongekile Macupe, News24 Deputy Politics Editor, and Mayihlome Tshwete, former government spokesperson and political commentator. What do voters in Gauteng really want to see and hear going into the local government campaign season? And was that councillors roll call at FNB a good idea or not? This is a fascinating conversation on politics, power and what’s next for South Africa. The Burning Platform
South Africa is running out of time. Load shedding, unemployment, corruption, crumbling infrastructure - the challenges keep stacking up. But can business step in where government is failing and help put the country back on solid footing?
Join us for this urgent conversation with moderator Justice Malala, political economist Moeletsi Mbeki, corporate leader Bonang Mohale, founder of ActionSA Herman Mashaba and CEO of Sakeliga, Piet le Roux. The Burning Platform
How do criminals exploit borders, trade systems, and corruption to move their money? For most of us the idea of ‘fake’ cigarettes and illicit trade really came to the fore during the Covid Lockdowns when even law abiding South Africans found themselves looking in the strangest places for their fix. Since then the conversations about illicit trade, the financial Action Task Force greylisting of South Africa for among others terror funding and funny money has become an almost daily conversation.
Phumi Mashigo speaks to Rohan Pike, a commonwealth law enforcement expert on border controls, foreign bribery, trade crime, money laundering and corruption to compare how South Africa is doing in contrast with other countries faced with similar challenges. The Burning Platform
Is Helen Zille right for mayor of JHB? Has the mainstream media
left us in the lurch when thinking about our choices? And has the ANC
abandoned its post when choosing who to put forward for the positions of
mayor? Phumi Mashigo asks these of her esteemed panel: Sabelo Skiti,
Sunday Times Investigative Journalist, Mayihlome Tshwete, former
government spokesperson and political commentator, and Solly Msimanga,
DA Gauteng Leader. The Burning Platform
Is Helen Zille right for mayor of JHB? Has the mainstream media left us in the lurch when thinking about our choices? And has the ANC abandoned its post when choosing who to put forward for the positions of mayor? Phumi Mashigo asks these of her esteemed panel: Sabelo Skiti, Sunday Times Investigative Journalist; Mayihlome Tshwete, former government spokesperson and political commentator; and Solly Msimanga, DA Gauteng Leader. The Burning Platform
Who's profiting from SA’s black market? Who's paying the price? And what will it take to stop the cycle of chaos? Following from our previous Democracy Unplugged panel on crime, host Penuel the Black Pen continues the discussion with Free Market Foundation CEO David Ansara, Business Unity South Africa CEO Khulekani Mathe and Chad Thomas, IRS Forensic Investigations CEO. The Burning Platform
Have you ever thought how the gogo on the side of the road selling her
vegetables or the flower trader at the station is affected by the
decisions made in the legislature regarding trade and industry? Or even
if their voices are ever considered in those ever talked about
consultative processes? Rosheda Muller is the National President of the
National Informal Traders Alliance of South Africa (NITASA) and she
joins Phumi Mashigo to talk about her work, the organisation’s members
and the voices of the trader outside your car window at the traffic light. The Burning Platform
Is political interference endemic in South Africa’s governance failures? Dr Simo Lushaba from the Institute of Directors SA and Wayne Duvenage from OUTA joins Phumi Mashigo to unpack the tensions between boards and ministers in state-owned entities. With SA Tourism once again in the spotlight after Minister Patricia de Lille dissolved its board, we explore where the line should be drawn between legitimate shareholder oversight and ministerial overreach. The Burning Platform
What is the price of speaking out? Four years after the brutal murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran the conversation about protection and support for whistleblowers. Phumi Mashigo is joined by social justice activist Tebogo Khaas and whistleblower Martha Ngoye to talk about changing the negative term “impimpi” to a valued guard of our social fabric. The Burning Platform
Has South Africa collapsed? Embattled PRASA CEO and now Member of parliament for the MK, Lucky Montana seems to think so. He joins Phumi Mashigo for a wide-ranging conversation about changing his allegiance from ANC to MK and what he believes a collapsed nation can gain from his new party and its ideology. The Burning Platform
Is it fair to judge the National Dialogue before it’s even finished? Phumi Mashigo digs deeper into South Africa’s much-debated, two-day gathering of politicians, activists, academics, and community voices. While critics were quick to call it a failure, this episode asks: what did the headlines miss? Political analyst Matlala Setlhalogile; Project Leader of Indlulamithi SA Scenarios, Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya; and urban sociologist and author, Leslie Dikeni join the discussion. The Burning Platform
What does it mean to be a woman in today’s world, and how do we create a future where women are truly valued? Phumi Mashigo along with Ayanda Allie and Mandisa Mashego have an unfiltered conversation about womanhood, feminism, and the complex realities women face in South Africa today. In honour of Women’s Month, this discussion dives deep and makes for an honest, and necessary dialogue. The Burning Platform
Is transparency possible in South Africa's government? Phumi Mashigo dives deep into political accountability, corruption, and the role of citizens in demanding better governance for our country. Together with writer Siya Khumalo and OUTA's Wayne Duvenage, they explore whether new political approaches could be the way forward, how money is extracted from the political system, the complexities of political funding, and whether South Africa’s strong anti-corruption laws are enough to make a difference. This is an in-depth look into an urgent political issue. The Burning Platform
What’s really going on with crime in South Africa? How did we get to this point? Phumi Mashigo gets investigative journalist and AmaBhungane’s Sam Sole to unpack the alarming state of crime and policing in South Africa today. Following the theatrics of Police Commissioner Mkhwanazi and more recently, the implications of President Ramaphosa’s fifth judicial commission, together they look at what this could all mean for the country’s future. The Burning Platform
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Why are you interviewing Pollak? He edits Breitbart, Breitbart has been regularly flagged by fact checkers such as PolitiFact and Snopes, for inaccuracies or misleading content. It has published stories that later required retractions or clarifications.. It is right of Fox and Pollak is an amoral, opportunist. He was a Zille speech writer for years. How seriously can he be taken now running a full on MAGA platform which blindly defends a groping, grifter?
Joel Pollak is an editor of Breitbart. Why on earth are you interviewing him as an authoritative journalist Breitbart is right of Fox and twice as dishonest and malevolent.
By paying off Stormy a couple of weeks before the election he defrauded the American electorate. That is the crime.
When this rightwing wallah says Zille's people say Blacks can't be trusted with deeds, he finally comes out in his true colours, a MAGA style lying slanderer. That's the sort of thing my Apartheid Senator Uncle would say, Zille, or her people,not on your life. Then he goes right down the MAGA sewer making the ridiculous, bigoted statement that Liberals "don't trust Blacks" Die vent is 'n droë ou doos.
it's interesting that this pro cape secession bloke focuses on the Ukraine in support of his case, but says not a word about the disastrous consequences of Brexit. As Rassie said, " when people talk Kak about South Africa, say no man we'll fix it."
Cliff closes with a weak, negative summing up of, "people like arguing with Zille", but throughout the interview, failed to establish any faults in her case. He can't, but his rightwing bias, leaves him stranded, inarticulatedly cynical and sulky.
What I don't get is that you know that this country is doomed under the ANC. So why keep on dissing the only party that has a chance of saving it? I know it has growing pains but at least it has potential.