Daily Maverick

In 2023, I reported on individuals from Bulgaria, wanted in other countries over crime issues, who may be in Cape Town, South Africa. Now it turns out that one of them, Stanislav Stamenov, wanted by Romania for alleged drug trafficking, has indeed been in the South African city – offering personal training services at a Virgin Active gym in a posh suburb. 

Reporting by: Caryn Dolley 
Edited by: Joel Seboa 
Filmed by: Joel Seboa 
Produced by: Emilie Gambade 
Sub-edited by: Ian Wolstenholme 

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Why do South Africa’s most powerful leaders refuse to act, even in the face of crisis?

In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Corruption Watch Executive Director Lebogang Ramafoko about the Madlanga Commission, political accountability, and the failure of leadership at the highest levels of the state. They unpack why commissions of inquiry rarely lead to consequences, and how party politics overrides the public interest.

From the legacy of Zondo to the cost paid by whistleblowers, this conversation asks a blunt question: when power sits at the fault line between politics and force, who is actually being protected?

This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: 
https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi

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In this episode of the Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi traces a familiar and dangerous pattern in modern leadership: paranoia as power. From Silvio Berlusconi to Jacob Zuma to Donald Trump, she unpacks how leaders who see criticism as personal attack begin to govern through grievance, blurring the line between policy and vendetta, statecraft and self-image. Tlhabi argues that when leadership becomes branding, institutions are hollowed out, credibility collapses, and ordinary people pay the price. A stark warning about what happens when ego overtakes governance and when the state is turned into a tool for settling scores.

This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: 
https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa  

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

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Listen as Redi Tlhabi speaks with political scientist and PARI executive director Sithembile Mbete about the United Nations at a
moment of deep, deep strain. They talk through why decades of debate on Security Council reform have led nowhere, how the veto entrenches global inequality, and what this paralysis means for Africa and the global South. It is a conversation about privilege, stalled change, and the kind of crisis that may be required to finally force reform.

This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann
Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Sithembile Mbete
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

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00:45 US House of Representatives Passes AGOA Bill 
01:38 South Africa's Uncertain Inclusion in AGOA
02:12 US Lawmakers Push for Stricter Reviews 
02:54 Bilateral Relations Review Act 
04:22 Political Scientist Joins the Discussion 
05:01 AGOA as a Diplomatic Initiative 
05:50 South Africa's Diplomatic Importance 
06:48 Historical Tensions in US-South Africa Relations 
09:18 Neglect in US-South Africa Relations 
13:32 The Role of the United Nations 
14:50 Expectations vs. Reality of the UN 
24:30 Reforming the United Nations

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In a searing conversation, Redi Tlhabi is joined by journalist and editor Tony Karon to interrogate what Washington calls a “limited military operation” in Venezuela and what critics have described as a kidnapping of a sovereign president in the name of oil.

From the revival of the Monroe Doctrine as a modern-day “Donroe Doctrine”, the idea that all of the Americas fall under US dominion, to the long history of regime change from Iran and Chile to Africa and the Middle East, the episode asks a stark question: is the United States openly returning to an era of imperial, extractive foreign policy?

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Tony Karon
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

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Redi Tlhabi sits down with B20 Sherpa Cas Coovadia to unpack the summit’s strong outcome, the real barriers to mobilising capital for a just transition, and what it will take to unlock investment in emerging markets. They also tackle the political fallout from the US boycott of South Africa, and what it actually signals for global cooperation.

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Cas Coovadia
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

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Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick
 

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When John Steenhuisen abruptly removed Environment Minister Dion George and replaced him with DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp in mid-November, it left many observers scratching their heads. Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis explains. 

Reporting by: Rebecca Davis 
Edited by: Joel Seboa  
Produced by: Emilie Gambade 
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn 

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As G20 leaders gather in Johannesburg, former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel joins Ferial Haffajee on Power Chat, to
unpack a bold new set of proposals aimed at refinancing Africa’s mounting debt. From tapping the IMF’s soaring gold reserves to
deploying special drawing rights, Manuel explains why the moment demands structural action rather than diplomatic
rhetoric.

Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee
Guest: Trevor Manuel
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: AMPD Production Team
Pre-production by: Emilie Gambade & Malibongwe Tyilo
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

Episode filmed on location at AMPD Studios, Johannesburg

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In this powerful episode of The Readiness Report, award-winning journalist Redi Tlhabi sits down with human rights activist
Mark Heywood for an unflinching conversation about power, inequality, and accountability — from the incredible election of
Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York to South Africa’s deepening crises of corruption and malnutrition. A candid, urgent exchange
about what it means to lead, and to care, in a fractured world.

Hosted by Redi Tlhabi
Guest Mark Heywood
Produced by Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by Bernard Kotze

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As South Africa prepares to host the G20 and its presidency to the United States, President Donald Trump announced its decision to boycott the summit. In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks with Professor John Stremlau about the power play behind the boycott, the diplomatic fallout, and what it signals about an era where disruption is strategy.

This episode is brought to you by global investment manager Ninety One: https://ninetyone.com/en/south-africa

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest Professor: John Stremlau
Produced by: Emilie Gambade, Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

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00:48 Trump's Withdrawal from G20 
01:48 Reactions and Speculations 
03:35 Logistics and Preparations 
04:39 Diplomatic Embarrassment 
05:27 South Africa's Strategic Position 
05:49 US Withdrawal from Multilateral Organizations 
07:04 Interview with Professor John Stremlau
08:29 Trump's Executive Orders and Racism 
10:21 Democratic Sweep and Optimism 
17:12 Challenges for Democrats 
18:53 Right-Wing Influence in South Africa 

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