Democracy Unplugged

Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa has had an eventful couple of weeks since taking up office in Tshwane recently. To get down to how he's been finding his new role, Gareth and Phumi chat to him about his plans for the city, and the much-publicised Glad Africa contract, before taking a look at the week's biggest political headlines.

Yesterday's Budget Speech has the team, including a special analysis from Anthea Gardner, fired up on this edition of The Burning Platform. Kanthan's more surprised that Minister Faith Muthambi has friends, as opposed to her reportedly appointing 27 of them into positions. He also shares his reasoning as to why he is a fan of e-tolls. The segment is wrapped up with a reflection on President Trump's State of the Union address, which leads to the million dollar question: Why do people hate him so much?

It's been another hot week in the South African political landscape, so naturally this means the team has much to discuss. From Eskom and the ANC's latest musings, to the Thabang Makwetla debacle and AfriForum's latest comments. Where is the line between lived experience vs objectivity? Kanthan chimes in on that one. Do we have the ability to protect our own sovereignty? Is it even a priority? Gareth poses these questions to the panel, in conclusion.

Brace yourself, things are about to get heated as the country prepares itself for the upcoming State of the Nation. Gareth, Phumi and Kanthan discuss their thoughts around it. The SA Business Confidence Index has fallen in January, but what does this mean for the country? More change is coming as now, the ANC also believes members implicated in state capture should be dealt with swiftly. This leads to the team also looking at the PIC board saga, the EFF Manifesto launch and the return of Supra Mahumapelo, amongst other things. And on a bit of a tangent, has anyone seen Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma recently?

With talks around a tax revolt, possibly nationalising the South African Reserve Bank, SA backing President Maduro, and keeping up with the BOSASA drama, this week's Burning Platform will leave you questioning the political landscape like never before. Gareth, Phumi and Kanthan interrogate who is truly behind some of the big changes we're currently experience. The conversation concludes with an analysis of Jacob Zuma's Twitter account and the aftermath of the Zimbabwe shutdown.

The EFF brought quite a lot of heat this week, hot off their press conference. Their Commander in Chief, Julius Malema, didn't shy away from topics like Zimbabwe and Bosasa. Gareth and Phumi discuss that, along with other burning issues, like President Ramaphosa saying investments into South Africa have increased by more than 400%. Plus, Karyn Maughan comments on Duduzane Zuma's cases.

Gareth and Kanthan Pillay get stuck into some of the week's hottest political stories including the High Court dismissing axed commissioner Tom Moyane's bid to have his dismissal overturned, Malema's latest case, the ANC stating members should trust the party to deal with the Pule Mabe matter, and the BLF planning to meet with the IEC over 2019 elections. Plus the pièce de résistance of the morning being Eskom's Jabu Mabuza claiming, "All South Africans are responsible for power cuts”.

If you're looking for a unique, spicy take on this week's biggest current affairs stories, then this is for you. Comedians John Vlismas and Simmi Areff join Gareth in recapping what has gone down in the world of politics recently. They cover heated topics like the SABC retrenchments, the State Capture commission, De Lille's new party and how unjustified giving people people a platform sometimes is.

This is a bumper edition of The Burning Platform as Kanthan Pillay heats things up by breaking down the week’s biggest current affairs topics joined by Phumi Mashigo. Discussing Parliament’s Public Enterprises committee, Zuma saying he resigned to save the ANC, and EFF's charges against Pravin Gordhan opens to healthy debate and sharing of varied viewpoints... including citing Brexit, the effects of not participating in elections and on a humorous note, Mmusi Maimane's inconsistent accent. Brought to you by Nando's.

This past week has had so much heat that the team just had to chat to journalist Katharine Child to break down some of the biggest news stories. She summarises Pravin Gordhan's time in the State Capture inquiry witness stand, the EFF striking outside the Tiso BlackStar offices, and how Momentum handled the media saga around the Ganas pay-out.