OUTA Podcasts

In this frank discussion, OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage weighs in on the new government/big business initiative to tackle the economic crisis, loadshedding, crime and corruption, NHI, the education crisis, brain drain and other problems facing SA What should be done to turn the country around? OUTA website

The world this week celebrated World Oceans Day as well as World Environment Day, which focused on plastic pollution. In this podcast long distance swimmer and environmental activist Sarah Ferguson speaks about her passion to highlight and curb plastic pollution. Yamkela Ntola, a legal expert, reflects on the legal aspects of plastic pollution. How bad is it, who is to blame and how can we change this? Is government and industry doing enough? OUTA website

Political parties are currently not obliged to disclose all private donations they receive, with some donations being highly questionable. This is exactly why My Vote Counts decided to challenge the Political Party Funding Act in court. But why should the donors matter to all of us? OUTA's Rachel Fischer in discussion with Nicki Van 't Riet (Corruption Watch) & Robyn Pasensie (My Vote Counts). OUTA website

While 22 people in Hammanskraal have already died from cholera and politicians are engaged in blaming each other, OUTA and WaterCAN warn that this could be just the first of many such outbreaks, since government on all levels are either unable or unwilling to sort out water infrastructure problems. Dr Ferrial Adam (WaterCAN) and Julius Kleynhans (OUTA) explains how citizens can assist to bring about much needed changes to protect our water security. OUTA website

The 1220MW of electricity that the three Karpowerships are supposed to generate once they pass all the legal hurdles, will not end the energy crisis in South Africa. Yet politicians are now openly advocating for a 20 year contract for this "emergency" power, despite the price tag of at least R220 billion ( a conservative estimate from a year ago). In this podcast Brazilian activist Nicole Figueiredo de Oliveira from the NGO Arayara tells about their fight against the Turkish powership company. Brazil is but one of many countries where the company operates, seemingly with impunity. Will SA learn from them? And what can we, the citizens, learn? Also with adv Stefanie Fick and Brendan Slade.

Government is failing South Africans when it comes to road safety, and AARTO won't help. Neither does corruption and the often broken drivers licence card machine. This week, OUTA published an advocacy brief. Andrea van Heerden explains OUTA's proposals and gives feedback on the constitutionality of AARTO and our efforts to get government to extend the validity of drivers licence cards to 10 years. OUTA website

Despite a public healthcare budget of R60 billion, the Gauteng health system is in critical condition. Reports of scandals with money meant to treat the poorest of the poor, have become almost normal. From Life Esidimeni, who claimed the lives of 144 people, to the Rahima Moosa crisis, the assassination of Babita Deokaran, who exposed R1 billion corruption at Tembisa Hospital, to massive PPE fraud. What does this say about Gauteng Health, and can the proposed NHI cure this situation? Prof Alex van den Heever of Wits shares his views on this very important topic. OUTA website

Babita Deokaran was the chief director of financial accounting in the Gauteng Dept of Health. On the 23d of August 2021 she died in a hail of bullets in front of her home – assassinated for exposing corruption of more than R1 billion at Tembisa Hospital. Corruption that people higher up in Gauteng provincial health was apparently well aware of. Ilse Salzwedel speaks to Jeff Wicks, senior reporter at the News 24 investigative reporting team, about what he and the News24 team uncovered, and why we should never forget whistleblowers like Babita. OUTA website

It was a week of high drama after the "dead" Facebook rapist, Thabo Bester, was arrested in Tanzania along with his celebrity doctor girlfriend Dr Nandipha Magudumana. This left officials of the Departments of Justice and Correctional Services, as well as the SAPS and G4S private prison executives with red faces and a lot of questions to answer, since they have all apparently been aware of Bester's daring escape for months. While most South Africans are stunned by many of the revelations, very little of this is a surprise to investigative journalist Ruth Hopkins, author of The Misery Merchants: Life and Death in a Private South African Prison, that exposes multinational company G4S' corruption at the Mangaung prison. She speaks to Ilse Salzwedel. OUTA website

In October 2009, Aurora Empowerment Systems – a black-owned, politically connected business – made a bid to rescue the liquidated Pamodzi Gold mines. Former President Jacob Zuma's nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, his lawyer Michael Hulley and former president Nelson Mandela’s grandson Zondwa Mandela, were listed as directors of Aurora. Over the next few years, Aurora-managed mines were stripped of assets, as illicit payments went to the families of the “connected”, while workers starved. We speak to Dianne Hawker, author of 'How to steal a gold mine: The Aurora story' and OUTA's Julius Kleynhans (OUTA pushed for prosecution i.t.o. environmental laws) why little has been done to bring the perpetrators to book, despite a lot of evidence. OUTA website