Democracy Unplugged

As the South African government clamps down on high school students and their celebrations after finishing school, how should we view the admonishment of these gatherings and them being labelled Covid-19 'superspreader' events? The National Pharmaceutical Agency is being floated again - red flag or good news?

If you are building an organisation which is in public service, should you have to reveal all your funding sources? We have seen the erosion of State institutions over the past 20 years - can the poor survive without functional state apparatus? Is the relationship between unions and the ANC surreptitious? Do South Africans have a viable alternative political party to vote for?

Is the notion of 16 Days of Activism purely performative, or are South African authorities actually serious about quashing this social ill? How important is it for people to know who pays for a newspaper organisation to be in business? Is Cyril Ramaphosa losing the trust of South Africans across the board? Julius Malema has been exposed for lying about vile abuse - what is the apt punishment for this? Corruption must be high level and sophisticated, or you shouldn't do it... the ANC is being exposed for having no price point for their deals with the devil.

Is there collusion between the ANC and the corporate world, and should this concern South Africans moving forward? The IRR and SA citizens have been misled by South African banks, which is being revealed as conversations between government and the big banks spill into the public domain. Our government is out of money... what is left for them to extract from the public coffers? Is the Zondo Commission just a perception management exercise? Are there correlations between South Africa's and Venezuela's economic declines - and should we be observing them closely to avoid the same dreadful fate?

Helen Zille joins the Burning Platform this week to discuss Cyril Ramaphosa's address to South Africa coming out of the global pandemic. The by-election results for the DA were mixed... what was the reason for the strategy adopted for this election period? Is the presence of a multitude of small parties good for democratic stability? Is South Africa being racially divided by political parties for their own ends? Could the Cape secede from South Africa without civil war? Are identity politics the move of the moment, and is this political environment sustainable for South Africa to flourish?

How is it that in 2020 the US Election can still be shrouded in this much controversy when it comes to vote counting? Is the Democrat voter base reactionary and lazy? Is the USA falling apart, as they seem to be divided right down the middle as a country? Is the media to blame for so-called bad polling? Have the ANC stolen all the money, or are they coming for your retirement fund as well? The Zondo Commission has become a circus and we now need answers... is this just another time waster or is progress being made? Is South Africa finally falling over the fiscal cliff as a country?

Why did Tito go off script during his Medium Term Budget Speech? Were his comments about Tygerberg Hospital unethical, and how much power does he have in reality? Is SAA a distraction, or simply a failing SOE? It's important to keep an eye on the Zondo Commission so you are better informed for elections. How do we deal with debt and taxes? And the team takes bets on who will win the US election.

For the umpteenth time, South Africans are having to hear the term "economic restructuring" as part of the recovery plan for the country's economy from the ANC-led government. Are we to trust Cyril Ramaphosa to lead us to the promised land, or should we be sceptical as citizens? Hunter Biden has possibly derailed his father's Presidential campaign... how will this go with only two weeks remaining until the US election?

As South Africans grapple with the economic carnage of the Covid-19 lockdown, is the ANC going to actually address the Covid-19 relief corruption scandal, or are they just going to be performative political actors? What is Julius Malema's endgame? The EFF and the ANC seem to be in cahoots, should this worry SA citizens? The Pollsters tell us Biden is winning by 10 points currently, should we take this seriously? How warped is the media messaging around the US election?

The Senekal protests have brought to light the issue of farmers and farmworkers being murdered. Is the matter a racial issue, or a political tool to sow division within the South African populus? Is legal land restitution possible if administered correctly by the South African government? Is violence necessary for economic emancipation? Could the VBS case be unravelling, and will this lead to major arrests and corruption being curbed in South Africa?