Coversations With Gabriel

Two years after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, Chief Rabbi of South Africa Dr Warren Goldstein sits down with Gabriel Makin. He describes what that day meant for South Africa's Jewish community, why he calls it a genocide averted, and what 3,800 years of Jewish history teach about enemies who say they want you dead. He explains why he stood up to the ANC government after, in his words, it declared solidarity with Hamas and then took Israel to the International Court of Justice, why he believes the government's anti-Israel stance betrays the Constitution and the values of ordinary South Africans, what that stand cost him personally, and why South Africa still has among the lowest rates of antisemitism in the world.

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Chapters:
0:00 What 7 October 2023 meant for South Africa's Jews
3:39 1,200 murdered, 250 hostages and a genocide averted
7:13 A rabbi's response: grief, prayer and the Perez family
10:31 Pogroms, the Holocaust and taking enemies at their word
16:30 Why Israel must be strong: 3,800 years of resilience
23:58 Standing up to the ANC government over the ICJ case
30:04 The personal cost, and why appeasement brings danger
32:00 So far and no further: Jewish leaders in the West
34:11 Why South Africa remains one of the safest countries for Jews

A collaboration between The Common Sense and the African Renaissance Podcast (Thabo Mbeki Foundation).

Former EFF MP Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, now a senior fellow at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, sits down with Gabriel Makin to unpack his 11 Theses on the Call for a Batho Pele Convention. He argues that South Africans traded their agency for the ballot ("we vote, and then we wait"), that local government is sliding into a mafiocracy run by extortion cartels, and that communities must organise to fix their own streets, schools and safety, from monthly contributions and community chapters to an alumni league that maintains public schools in the holidays and a legal unit that sues over abandoned projects. The two then argue it out: liberals and Pan-Africanists, the lean state versus the developmental state, China and Deng Xiaoping, Black Consciousness and the Institute of Race Relations, racism and the 1994 settlement, and whether Bantu education or SADTU is to blame for South Africa's schools.

Read the 11 Theses: https://www.bathopeleconvention.org/

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Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScOGx3kgd3UqtCrR5ecAK
The Common Sense: https://www.thecommonsense.co.za

Chapters:
0:00 Leaving party politics: Ndlozi's new vantage point
4:15 The 11 Theses, Batho Pele and the vote-and-wait trap
19:01 The death of the careerist and the end of the big man
22:28 Community funds, safety and the church roof test
26:23 An alumni league to fix South Africa's 22,000 public schools
30:14 Suing over unfinished projects and a parallel service machine
35:42 Siyazenzela: spaza shops and organising for a cause
39:40 Revolution is the morning after the march
44:28 Black Consciousness, liberals and the lean state
51:16 The Bantu education generation
54:17 Liberals, the left and the spark of the divine
57:15 China, profit for profit's sake and the state's role
1:01:43 Mandela, Luthuli and tea with the Institute of Race Relations
1:07:59 Subsidiarity and the missing alliance in South African politics
1:11:22 Racism, enclaves and the bravery of 1994
1:16:07 Who failed South Africa's schools: SADTU or Bantu education?
1:20:31 Maths literacy and a societal problem in education
1:25:16 Communities, history and a conversation to continue

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Washington has run out of patience with Pretoria. Joshua Meservey, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and one of the voices behind the new US visa restrictions, tells Gabriel Makin why the Trump administration moved to "the stick", what the five asks actually are, and why he believes the South African government has been trying to run out the clock. He traces the rift back to the Biden years: ambivalence on Ukraine, the Lady R, the ICJ case against Israel, and a UN voting record that backs every anti-Israel resolution while going soft on Iran, North Korea and Assad's Syria. They discuss BEE as a burden on American firms, the farm-murder crisis, AGOA and PEPFAR, and what comes next if nothing changes: in Meservey's view, targeted financial sanctions.

US announces sanctions against South Africa: https://www.thecommonsense.co.za/Politics/us-announces-sanctions-against-south-africa-over-racial
The US concerns are correct and valid: https://www.thecommonsense.co.za/Columns/us-concerns-are-correct-valid
The deal South Africa should put before Washington: https://www.thecommonsense.co.za/Columns/deal-south-africa-should-put-before-washington
Become a member for all the facts and analysis (R99/month): https://www.thecommonsense.co.za/subscribe
Watch or listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScOGx3kgd3UqtCrR5ecAK

Chapters:
0:00 Why the US imposed visa restrictions on South Africa: patience ran out
8:32 Has it worked? Why Washington expects more steps unless Pretoria moves
12:11 What comes next: targeted sanctions, Lamola, and why BEE riles Washington
20:07 Farm murders and the ANC's long free pass from the West
23:59 Good advice, and 'we are a sovereign nation': the ANC's response
29:20 The power imbalance, AGOA and PEPFAR
32:53 Reality doesn't go away: the ANC's fading power and the next punch

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"South Africa belongs to all who live in it." Princy Mthombeni wants that line out of the Constitution. She chairs South Africans for Constitutional Reform, the movement that grew out of her viral review of the whole Constitution. She tells Gabriel Makin that the Constitution must change in other ways too. She wants the president elected directly by the people rather than by Parliament, citizen referendums, the informal economy reserved for South Africans, tighter borders, an end to illegal immigration, and a new BEE policy, because she says BEE lost its way when "Black" became "broad-based Black".

The interview starts with her other cause: why Koeberg is still Africa's only commercial nuclear power station, why she calls President Ramaphosa a "Just Energy Transition lobbyist", and why 600 million Africans still have no electricity.

The views expressed are the guest's own.

Follow Princy Mthombeni:
X: https://x.com/Princymthombeni
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/princy.mthombeni
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/princess-mthombeni-50aa592a/

South Africans for Constitutional Reform (SACR): https://sacr.org.za
SACR on X: https://x.com/sacr_official1

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Chapters:
0:00 Who does South Africa belong to?
0:37 Who is Princy Mthombeni?
3:53 The case for nuclear in South Africa
7:13 Why Koeberg is still our only nuclear plant
10:21 Is there such a thing as bad nuclear?
11:40 The NGOs against energy abundance
16:50 Ramaphosa, the 'JET lobbyist'
17:42 Rewriting the Constitution
23:09 Foreign nationals and illegal immigration
33:33 BEE: "Black is black"
37:10 Nuclear jobs and skills
38:08 Is South Africa moving to something better?
39:44 Edmund Burke and putting your own first

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In this episode of Conversations with Gabriel, Gabriel Makin speaks to Rob Katzen about how a group of old boys helped turn Johannesburg’s Jeppe High School for Boys from a declining public school into one of South Africa’s strongest education success stories.

Rob explains how Jeppe had fallen into serious decline by the mid-2000s, with falling applications, deteriorating infrastructure, lower fee collection, weak boarding numbers, and collapsing academic performance. He then sets out how alumni, school leaders, parents, and partners helped rebuild the school through better financial management, stronger leadership, campus renewal, restored school spirit, and a clear belief that public education can be fixed.

The conversation then turns to EduSafe, a new initiative built from the lessons learned at Jeppe. Rob explains how EduSafe is now working with schools in Johannesburg such as Sandown High School, Sandringham High School, and potentially Northview High School to improve safety, restore campuses, strengthen school management, support principals, and rebuild trust between schools and their communities.

Gabriel and Rob also discuss why South Africa cannot abandon public education, why school leadership requires business and management skills as well as educational expertise, how basic infrastructure such as water, security, classrooms, desks, Wi-Fi, and functioning bells can change a school’s culture, and why successful public schools are essential to producing South Africa’s future leaders.

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Conversations with Gabriel - Bonsai Shongwe

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In this episode Gabriel Makin is joined again by producer, pastor and youtuber, Bonsai Shongwe. The conversation starts on the question of the African National Congress' influence in South African churches. Bonsai explained that while the ANC used to hold huge sway over the politics of South Africa's churches, that influence has waned dramatically. Following this, the conversation turns to Gabriel and Bosnai's frustrations surrounding the superficiality of modern South African political discussion. They lament that the country would be far better served people were better informed about the history of South Africa's Christian values. The conversation then broaches a more controversial topic as Gabriel and Bosnai discuss the relationship between South Africa's colonial past and its Christian tradition. They agree that one of the more destructive influences of the anti-colonial/de-colonial debate has been to rob black South Africans from recognizing that they are a part of the moral tradition that ended slavery, birthed parliamentary democracy and the idea of human rights. Gabriel even boldly suggests that the greatest legacy of South Africa's British colonial history is the spread of Christianity across the country. The conversation ends on the relationship between music and worship particularly in African Christian tradition. Bonsai explains how music is central to African Christian worship as African culture dramatizes truth and music therefore serves as the perfect medium for the transmission of truth.

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Conversations with Gabriel - Bonsai Shongwe

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In this episode Gabriel Makin is joined by the Head of Policy for the Democratic Alliance (DA), Mat Cuthbert. The conversation begins with Mat's background and then transitions to his role in proposing the fundamentally important "Economic inclusion for all" bill, which seeks to restructure the way that the South African state does empowerment policy. Mat explains that the changes he is proposing would include replacing race with poverty as a proxy for disadvantage, rewarding businesses for broad-based empowerment schemes as opposed to narrow equity requirements and moving away from taxing capital on arrival in South Africa. Mat explains that the policy has been very well-received across the political, business and journalist worlds and has now opened the door for the DA to press the issue until the African National Congress (ANC) is willing to compromise. From there the conversation broadens its scope as Mat and Gabriel look at what the other priority policy areas are for the DA. Mat explains that the DA is making a more concerted effort to push reforms on crime, as the ANC are clinically weak on that issue. The DA are proposing recapacitating the South African Police Service, devolving investigative powers to functional regional or municipal governments and actively pursuing corrupt officials. After this the conversation turns more general as Mat and Gabriel explore the DA's realistic path to reform.

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Conversations with Gabriel - Mat Cuthbert

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Mathew Cuthbert and His Journey
01:43 The DA's New Empowerment Policy
14:33 Shifting the Empowerment Framework in South Africa
15:43 DA's Broader Policy Priorities
21:25 Addressing Crime in South Africa
30:11 The DA's Approach to Reform
48:02 Conclusion and Future Outlook

In this episode Gabriel Makin is joined by the DA's eThekwini (Durban) mayoral candidate, Haniff Hoosen. The conversation begins with Haniff's background, highlighting his over 30 years in South African politics and his decision to come out of retirement to run for mayor. After that the conversation turns to the problems that currently beset Durban: failing infrastructure, rampant crime and corruption and general mismanagement. As a counterbalance to this Haniff proposes the four steps that he sees as neccessary in order to reverse the decay of the city. Haniff then provides an assessment of what he thinks the chance of success is for the DA to win the eThekwini metro. The conversation ends with Haniff explaining why he decided to dedicate his life to opposition politics in South Africa.
Chapters00:00 Introduction to Haniff Hoosen01:32 Political Journey and DA's Growth08:05 Durban's Political History and Current Challenges11:43 Factors Contributing to Durban's Decline16:51 Public Sentiment and Political Shifts25:43 Engaging the Indian Community in Politics27:49 Motivation for Political Involvement

In this episode Gabriel is joined by Wandile Sihlobo, who is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber and the Presidential Envoy on Agiculture and Land. The discussion begins with a brief introduction to Wandile and the overall state of South African agriculture, where Wandile highlights how the agricultural industry in South Africa is flourishing. From there the conversation turns to land reform as Gabriel pitches a policy proposal from The Common Sense that is intended to help with the financing of agricultural ventures for black farmers that want to enter the industry. Wandile is enthusiastic about the proposal and insists on a follow up coffee to discuss it in more detail. From there the conversation turns to the government's position on expropriation without compensation, where Wandile insists that the government position remains that land reform will happen on a willing-buyer, willing-seller basis and that the market principle still applies. Related to this, the conversation ventures onto the racial land ownership patterns. The conversation ends on the topic of rural safety where both Wandile and Gabriel agree that the awful violence that rural communities are subjected to must come to an end.

Chapters00:00 Introduction to Wandile Sihlobo02:55 Wandile's Role in Government and Agriculture05:40 Current State of South African Agriculture08:47 The Impact of Expropriation Without Compensation11:48 Political Economy of South African Agriculture14:58 Supporting Black Farmers and Land Reform17:38 Innovative Financing for Black Farmers20:45 Expropriation Without Compensation Explained27:12 Understanding Land Reform and Expropriation Concerns28:49 The Landscape of Agricultural Land Ownership36:58 Investment in South African Agriculture41:11 Rural Safety and Crime in Agriculture51:18 Balancing Justice and Economic Growth in Land Reform

In this episode ofConversations with Gabriel, Gabriel Makin and Dr James Myburgh give a definitve historical analysis on the uniquely South African problem of farm murders. The conversation traces the ideological history and how the propaganda and underground campaign of MK in the mid-80s laid the groundwork for the later explosion of violent crime in South Africa. The conversation goes through the transcripts of the ANC's propaganda broadcasts to highlight how the leadership of MK directly sought to incite violent insurrection. James lays out the historical statistics demonstrating that prior to 1990 violence was common but contained, but after the unbanning of the liberation movements it took off massively. James then explains how in South Africa's post-democratic dispensation the ANC immediately sought to dismantle South Africa's effective policing capabilities, which meant that violent crime soared even further. The conversation ends with James and Gabriel lamenting how the issue of violence has become so normalised in South African society and the tragic implications of this.
00:00 Understanding Farm Attacks and Murders11:00 The Role of ANC Propaganda and Radio Freedom21:52 The Shift in Violence Post-199032:25 The Kill the Boer Controversy and Its Implications42:07 The Surge of Violence in the 90s43:20 Post-Apartheid Violence: A Disturbing Continuation46:53 The Government's Response to Farm Attacks50:50 The Shift in Narrative: From Political to Ordinary Crime55:21 Understanding the Nature of Farm Attacks58:54 Jackie Selebi and the Deterioration of Policing01:02:38 Trends in Farm Murders: A Statistical Overview01:03:45 The Aberrant Nature of Farm Attacks01:08:50 The Political Re-emergence of Farm Attacks01:16:39 The Normalization of Violence in South Africa