Radio New Frame: Recent Episodes
Radio New Frame
Radio New Frame gives you a weekly progressive take on politics, culture and sport with interviews, features and music.
In an exclusive interview, singer and activist Billy Bragg talks about making music with meaning, Marx, refusing to give in to Boris Johnson – and passion on an Italian volcano.
Chapters:
02:04 - Billy Bragg 1
29:45 - Billy Bragg 2
With more than 7 000 languages globally, we look at mother tongues. Can Kiswahili be Africa’s lingua franca? And we explore two people’s complex relationships with their languages: Setswana and Arabic.
Chapters
02:20 - Kiswahili
19:27 - Setswana
29:42 - Arabic
To mark June 16, we unearth Afrikaans’ Black roots and focus on contemporary Black Afrikaans. Also, a new book on how Nelson Mandela led Umkhonto weSizwe to war against Africa’s strongest army.
Chapters:
02:34: Hein Willemse
29:24: Emile YX
41:05: Paul Landau
Shamed by 2020 exposés of forced sterilisations at public hospitals, the health department vowed to act – but victims still await justice. Also, is the Saxonwold Shebeen open for a drink?
Chapters:
03:13 - Bongekile Msibi
16:09 - Baragwanath
21:21 - Women’s Legal Centre
31:55 - Guptas
Banyana are not treated well, despite being one of the favourites to win the Women’s Afcon in July. Could their American counterparts’ equal-pay victory help our national women’s football side?
Chapters:
2:47 - US Women's Soccer
8:24 - Amanda Dlamini
22:22 - Joseph Mkhonza
32:12 - Busisiwe Mokwena
The murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh sent shockwaves around the world. But will it change US-Israel relations? And the full story of legendary scribe Can Themba finally gets told. Chapters: 02:58 - Shireen Abu Akleh
11:12 - Can Themba
31:41 - Joe Thloloe
Abortion has been legal since 1997 in South Africa. Despite this, more and more women are risking their lives by going to unlicensed abortionists. We ask why. Chapters:
02:33 - Abortions down town
08:39 - Catherine Burns
28:17 - Emihle Ntuli
33:51 - Matthew Kavanagh
Unemployment in South Africa is soaring and many are forced to take any job they can get. Our 100th episode focuses on casual workers, who have the most precarious jobs. Chapters
01:58 - Annah Moreki
10:51 - Who are casual workers?
18:55 - Casual workers protest
22:39 - Rights and numbers
25:56 - What about the working class?
Amazon workers finally get a union with ripple effects in US politics expected. And liberation theology helped end apartheid. What role does it have in politics, inequality and exploitation today? Chapters:
01:45 - Amazon scene setter
12:25 - John Logan
32:54 - Liberation Theology scene setter
38:02 - Mzwandile Molo
In this bumper edition, find out why politicians spoil the religious vote and so many Jews fought apartheid. Also, meet SA’s chief satanist and hear the music that makes Muslims dance. Chapters:
04:04 - Mbhazima Shilowa
18:24 - Jonathan Ancer
30:46 - Lael Bethlehem
42:09 - Satanic Church
59:43 - Sufism
Indian activist-doctor Yogesh Jain believes inequality in public healthcare is a global crisis. And, we look at religion’s role in instilling outdated attitudes towards sexuality. Chapters:
1:48 - Dr Yogesh Jain
7:49 - Gender and religion
20:38 - Gay and Muslim
More than 100 000 South Africans have died officially from Covid-19, some anonymously and buried in paupers' graves. Hospital and mortuary workers tell the stories of the unclaimed.
Chapters:
02:15 - Covid’s nameless graves
18:16 - Mojak Lehoko
27:56 - Song
Sexual assault in South African jails is widespread but grossly under-reported. We lift the veil on this scourge. And, we pay tribute to murdered land activist Ayanda Ngila. Chapters
01:31 - Tebogo Mokobori
18:25 - Doreen Gaora
30:12 - Rebecca Gore
39:12 - Ayanda Ngila
The struggle continues for Cape West Coast small-scale fishers after their court victory against seismic blasting. And, why is Yemen’s bloody seven-year-long war largely forgotten?
Chapters:
01:49 - Seismic Survey
17:07 - Wilmien Wicomb
26:06 - Aisha Jumaan
Host: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Martin Blake, Solene Smith, Wilmien Wicomb, Aisha Jumaan
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Progressive Russians say no to war. Is Covid-19 petering out? And though essential, did the world miss out during the cultural boycott against apartheid South Africa?
Chapters:
02:22 - Russian anti-war
21:58 - Francois Venter
31:41 - Pacific Express
A new book celebrates Frantz Fanon’s seminal work as a shack dwellers’ movement applies his ideas 60 years on. Also, a Kenyan woman’s challenge to experimental music.
01:56 - eKhenana
16:52 - Nigel Gibson
33:05 - Nyokabi Kariũki
Amnesty International explains why Israel is an apartheid state. An iconic Soweto cinema makes way for a mall. And we revisit the jazz haven, Club Pelican, a place of love and Black consciousness. Chapters:
02:28 - Saleh Hijaz,
18:53 - Eyethu Cinema
28:01 - Mphethi Morojele
36:27 - Boitumelo Mofokeng
Xenophobia is raising its ugly head again in South Africa under the guise of protecting jobs, and it’s threatening to turn violent. We speak to those at the centre of it: migrants.
Chapters:
01:25 - Xenophobia scenesetter
09:08 - Patrick Ilunga
13:59 - Edith Chikwana
17:10 - Sylvestre Kabasidi
23:52 - Janet Munakamwe
43:05 - Song
The Afcon tournament in Cameroon was full of the politics, passion and pain of African football. We talk about the cup’s pan-Africanism, ask who’s to blame for the deadly stampede and get a Bafana star to weigh in on our team’s future chances.
Chapters:
02:06 - Sean Jacobs
23:18 - Maher Mezahi
38:34 - Matthew Booth
54:49 - Song
We look at solutions as students tell us about their struggle to afford university as the academic year begins. And, we visit the first nightclub opened in Soweto with veteran jazzman Khaya Mahlangu.
Chapters:
02:24 - Higher education
18:24 - Salim Vally
37:38 - Club Pelican
Could party veteran Mavuso Msimang’s surprising solution halt the demise of the ANC? And, a legendary Black surfer relives the violence and victory on apartheid beaches. Chapters: 02:05 - January 8 Statement
07:45 - Liliesleaf
12:30 - Mavuso Msimang
40:02 - Black surfer
We visit Gatvol, where Christmas is set to be bleak. As in many places, politicians’ promises to shack dwellers have come to nothing. Also, our best and our bloopers of 2021. Chapters:
02:38 - Gatvol
16:20 - Divine Fuh
27:17 - Best of 2021
48:17 - Bloopers
South Africa has much unfinished business. A security cop’s book lifts the lid on unpunished apartheid crimes and we rediscover the role Prophets of Da City played in the cultural revolution.
Two out of every three fathers in South Africa do not play an active role in their children’s lives. We examine the reasons for this and hear how it can be reversed.
Chapters:
01:24 Single mothers
03:52 My story
05:07 Thando’s Dad
10:42 Kopano Ratele
29:33 Barbados
Despite the promises made in the Constitution, South Africa’s farm workers still cannot gain any ground. That is why land matters, lawyer and author Tembeka Ngcukaitobi explains.
What does the future hold for the ANC after the hiding it got at the polls? Swapo’s experience in Namibia gives some answers. And, a party of the proper Left is what the ANC should fear.
Even with enough food, South Africa still has a high level of food insecurity. We talk to people who are fixing the problem. Also, historian Tom Lodge assesses the SACP’s influence.
Chapters:
02:13 - Soup kitchen
09:01 - Agriculture
20:33 - Food/Ayanda
28:44 - SACP
Inside the secretive world of the SACP with author Tom Lodge. And, a party of a different kind: Fat Freddy’s Drop are the ultimate party band and Covid-19 won’t stop that.
01:44 - Tom Lodge
24:07 - Fat Freddy's Drop
What election? We visit a North West town to see what happens when a municipality fails. Also, political researcher Nomboniso Gasa explains why democracy is about more than voting.
Chapters
01:48 - Lichtenburg
16:14 - Nomboniso Gasa
We look at Iceland’s effective four-day workweek, hear from dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson about what he’d do with more time and find out from sociologist Eddie Webster if it could work in South Africa.
Only 20% of people in South Africa are vaccinated. We visit a mine that achieved 80%. Also, Imraan Coovadia on poison as a political weapon and why the farmer protests in India still matter.
Chapters:
01:44 - Mine
27:18 - Imraan Coovadia
41:58 - Vijay Prashad
Prison abolitionist Ruth Wilson Gilmore talks about the one resource prisoners can never get back. Author Fred de Vries explains what makes the blues so alluring to white middle-class ears.
They do essential work, yet most governments, cities and residents ignore them and their rights. We speak to reclaimers and the people who organise them globally.
An activist paid the ultimate price for resisting a mine digging for profit on her doorstep, but her neighbours fight on. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Left is getting the climate emergency wrong.
Chapters:
00:00 - Teaser
01:22 - Environmental justice
25:15 - Steven Friedman
40:20 - Sign-off
Global thinker Mahmood Mamdani helps make sense of two decades of the so-called War on Terror. And Kyle Shepherd explains why his response to the Covid-19 pandemic is a solo piano album.
Chapters:
00:00 - Teasers
02:15 - Mahmood Mamdani
22:26 - Kyle Shepherd
Can podcasts be a force for progressive change? We look at global examples and then hone in on African podcasts, plus a popular South African broadcaster who has crossed over.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Eusebius McKaiser, Samira Sawlani and Nick Nyamusa
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
02:05 - Political podcasts
09:48 - Eusebius McKaiser
26:07 - Samira Sawlani
36:21 - Nick Titan
The Marikana massacre and the Life Esidimeni scandal keep reminding us that justice is an easy word to use, but difficult to get. We talk to a few South Africans who won’t give up.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Suzen Phoshoko, Father Michael Lapsley and Nadira Omarjee
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
02:51 - Esidimeni
21:15 - Lapsley
37:26 - Omarjee
As an African living in Australia but with deep roots in South Africa, writer Sisonke Msimang is an insider-outsider. She tells us how she felt from afar as South Africa was burning.
Guests: Sisonke Msimang
Song: Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokotho – Nothembi Mkhwebane
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
A feminist perspective on how South Africa got here, and a Lebanese musician with a new album that’s a wail for her country and its people.
Chapters:
00:00 - Teasers
01:39 - Feminists vs Zuma - Shireen Hassim
27:02 - Beirut revisited - Liliane Chlela
Esteemed South African poet and novelist Mandla Langa discusses his work, what’s wrong with the ANC and what looting we should be looking at. Also, why Latin America is swinging Left.
Chapters:
00:00 - Teasers
01:34 - Mandla Langa
26:02 - Geo Maher
What do you do when you’ve retired as a unionist and a cabinet minister? You try and save the Earth. Jay Naidoo tells us why this is his mission now.
Warning: Strong language.
Chapters:
00:00 - Teasers
01:22 - Jay Naidoo
30:35 - Sarathy Korwar
Security forces in eSwatini detained, assaulted and tortured two New Frame journalists covering the pro-democracy uprising in that country. We bring you their harrowing tale.
In an exclusive interview, retired Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron considers how our progressive Constitution has failed many South Africans, especially those on the margins.
Chapters
00:00 - Teasers
01:22 - Scene setter
06:32 - Edwin Cameron
19:07 - Trans sex worker
Nearly two-thirds of South Africans between 15 and 24 are jobless: how basic income grants can save young lives. Also, a powerful documentary takes us back to the 1976 Soweto uprising.
Chapters:
01:14 - Wanga
16:22 - June 16
Despite South Africa’s progressive Constitution guaranteeing the rights of all, no matter sexual orientation, LGBTQIA+ people still experience the horrors of homophobia and bigotry.
Chapters:
00:00 Teasers
01:41 Nathaniel Mbele
08:51 Sheila Barsel
22:52 Azania Sengwayo
Stories of subversion: Flag burning, white anti-apartheid activists, a long-haired marathon champion; and how one of Cairo’s few female hip-hop artists is sticking it to the man.
Chapters:
1:59 - Republic Day (Andrew Borraine)
13:54 - Bruce Fordyce
36:22 - Felukah
In this special focus on Palestine: how dock workers showed solidarity, non-violent resistance in the face of extreme Israeli violence and why Israel is an apartheid state.
Chapters:
00:00 - Teasers
01:43 - Dock Workers
19:03 - Palestinian Resistance
31:00 - John Dugard
A young Palestinian shares what South Africa has taught him about resisting Israeli occupation and we look into the medical malpractice particularly affecting impoverished Black women.
We start the new season with an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with foremost political thinker, prolific writer and original street fighting man Tariq Ali.
To celebrate Workers’ Day, we go back in time. In Durban in 1973, South African workers were raising their voices for better conditions and their fists against the system of apartheid.
Everyone can be a social media influencer in a hyper-capitalist society. What comes next in advertising? Also, we look at the sinister side of the internet economy.
Chapters:
0:00- Teasers
1:04- Marketing and influencers
24:47- Adam Haupt
42:45- Song: Miriam Makeba - Toyota Fantasie
SA Rugby’s head explains the controversial way the Springboks will approach Black Lives Matter during the British & Irish Lions’ tour. Also, we explore the movement against racism in Poland’s football.
Chapters:
0:00 - Teasers
1:23 - Rugby
16:45 - Covid Rugby
24:37 - Mark Alexander
37:48 - Poland Football
South African scientists have played a crucial role in global Covid-19 research. We go behind the scenes with one of them. Also, residents of Cape Town’s historic Kalk Bay feel the creep of gentrification.
0:00 - Teasers
1:17 - Penny Moore
24:22 - Kalk Bay
We visit the Cissie Gool House. Is this occupation a model for affordable housing? Why the Paris Commune matters 150 years on. And, the story of a song with its roots in the Commune.
00:00 - Teasers
01:12 - Cissy Gool
11:37 - Paris Commune
25:35 - The Internationale
A year on, Covid-19 has affected us in so many profound ways. Yet, parts of normal life have continued. Some people still fall in and out of love. We tell their stories.
Chapters:
0:42 - Love
7:25 - Ryan
14:28 - Sean
23:38 - Melody
29:38 - Song
We tell the story of an 80-year-old Joburger who shows us how water shaped the city into what it is today. Also, who are the Africans leading the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights?
0:00 - Teasers
1:11 - Water
25:09 - LGBTQIA+ in Africa
The gig economy is a striking example of how work has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. We investigate how this on-demand work has eroded workers’ rights but may lead to new types of unions.
00:00 - Teasers
01:28 - GigEconomy
12:01 - Eddie Webster
23:53 - This Train by Bunny Wailer
In a world divided by vaccine apartheid, can the Covid-19 pandemic be beaten? From Soweto Soul to militant Afro-rock: The two 70s albums that changed South Africa’s musical landscape.
The Modi regime detains an Indian comedian for a joke he didn’t tell as it clamps down on ‘dissent’. Why people share fake news. And the story of Miriam Makeba and the 1980s hit song Just the Two of Us.
Organising workers has always been a daunting job and Covid-19 has made it even more so. What can unions do? Also, with so many deaths during the pandemic, we look at how a nation mourns.
A convicted apartheid assassin is released on parole and subsidised by the ANC’s State Security Agency. A victim’s son speaks out. And, what the protests by Indian farmers mean.
South Africa is the most unequal country in the world economically. Here’s a way to fix that. Also, in the second of an exclusive two-part interview, thinker Noam Chomsky tells us how to achieve peace in the Middle East.
Noam Chomsky gives us an exclusive, wide-ranging interview. We pay tribute to black consciousness leader Aubrey Mokoape. And when Cape Town’s working-class carnival got canned.
Covid-19 hoaxes have been rife since the start of the pandemic, putting lives at risk by promoting bogus cures and creating doubt about vaccines. But where do these conspiracies originate? And why is it so easy to dupe so many?
In this final episode for the year, Radio New Frame reflects on 2020. For the first time since lockdown, the whole team, masked and at a distance, got together and picked some of our favourite interviews.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Lewis Gordon, Angela Davis, Achille Mbembe, Senzo Mbatha, Lee Randall, Damon Locks, Lehlohonolo Majake-Mogoba, Barry Christianson
Song: World of Love by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Feminist thinker Pumla Gqola tries to make sense of 2020, an anxious migrant truck driver takes us on the long road and what the Constitutional Court ruling means for South Africa’s domestic workers.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Pumla Gqola, Dayson Mukwewa, Freeman Bhengu, Eunice Dhladhla, Bongi Mahlangu, Pinky Mashiane, Kelebogile Khunou and Thulani Nkosi.
Song: Ndakuvara by Oliver Mtukudzi
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
South Africa’s economic hub, Johannesburg, is also its most stressed city. Some Joburgers tell us why they’re so anxious. Also, South Africa’s first openly gay male footballer is kicking bigotry out of the sport.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi
Guests: Nicky Falkof, Sipho Khoza, Bokani Dyer, Benjamin Haile, Henriette Geldenhuys, Phuti Lekoloane
Songs: Midnight by 340ml, Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) by Crystal Waters, Leaves by Sylvestre Kabassidi and Kalakuta by Bokani Dyer
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Watching Ethiopia from afar, a Johannesburg community leader speaks about his fears. Jeremy Corbyn’s “antisemitism” is nonsense, says a Jewish ally.
Also, a happy ending for a South African jazz classic.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Tadesse Yemane, Chris Changwe Nshimbi, Andrew Feinstein, Ibrahim Khalil Shihab
Songs: Inglan is a Bitch by Linton Kwesi Johnson and Spring and Ibrahim Khalil Shihab Quintet
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
South Africa’s mineral wealth has been built on the backs of Black people. Damaging mining practises still take its toll on people’s health. Also, is it now payback time to the Left for Joe Biden?
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Charles van der Merwe, Rosalind Plaatjies, Vernon Melton, Siya Genu, David van Wyk and Claudia de la Cruz
Songs: Stimela by Hugh Masekela, Heavy as Lead by Leyla McCalla and Power to the People Curtis Mayfield
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
In a country still dominated by the defeated Donald Trump, four progressives tell us about their America. And, how a South African became the performance analyst for Africa’s top football club.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi
Guests: Anita Rohira, Kenichi Serino, Raj Patel, Belén Marco, Musi Matlaba
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Did South Africa give up justice for reconciliation? We look at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s unfinished business. Good news for the Left: the socialists won in Bolivia. But can they keep the right wing at bay?
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Elizabeth Floyd, Moleko Phakedi, Moray Hathorn and Benjamin Dangl
Poem: In Detention – Chris van Wyk
Song: Asimbonanga – Johnny Clegg & Savuka
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
We visit a municipality where corruption threatens even the basics such as drinking water. Also, how Black Lives Matter will affect African Americans’ votes in the United States elections.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Tinane Ragetla, Mamoya Moletsali, Johannes Mokoena, Johann Tempelhoff, De’Vonna Pittman, Toussaint Losier
Song: A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Nigerian protests have turned bloody as soldiers open fire on demonstrators. We discuss what brought the country to this point. We also look at what the United States election will mean for “shithole” countries, and what the pulling of a jewellery advert tells us about Indian politics.
Hosted By: Njabulo Ngidi
Guests: Tolu Olasoji, Bob Wekesa and Alf Gunvald Nilsen
Production: The Good People at Between Production
Editor: Charles Leonard
Why South Africa’s Covid-19 special grant needs to become a permanent grant. Also, United States President Donald Trump has bolstered fascists in America. But if lessons from South Africa’s right wing are anything to go by, it may end in tears.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Elizabeth Mokoena, Fana Twala, Yusuf Abba and Amanda Rinquest, plus Chris McGreal
Music: Wildfires by SAULT
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
We explore why Che Guevara still matters today. Also, when journalists go rogue – a new book investigates the deepest lows of South African journalism.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Kambale Musavuli, Vashna Jagarnath and Anton Harber
Music: Gallo Rojo by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Get Up, Stand Up by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Since the lockdown, four Somalis have been killed in South Africa, showing how xenophobia and police brutality collide. The story of a brave football team that won the league in war-torn Cameroon.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi
Guests: Amir Sheikh; Jan Bornman; Afeseh Apong
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard Song: Impeach the president by The Honey Drippers
A woman tells of her horror at being sterilised without her permission. And Beirut is burning, but the Lebanese government seems unwilling to put out the fires.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Bongekile Msibi, Catherine Burns, Ashraf Mtaweh
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Two of George Bizos’ colleagues pay tribute to the South African human rights lawyer. The high court has forced Cape Town to address apartheid inequality. What are the implications?
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Miriam Wheeldon, Tladi Marumo and Mandisa Shandu
Production: The Good People at Between Productions
Editor: Charles Leonard
Cosatu has rediscovered its soul, but how is this likely to affect South Africa’s political landscape? And an Afrikaans dominee urges white rugby players to “take the knee” and support Black Lives Matter.
Hosted by: Njabulo NgidiGuests: Imraan Buccus, André Bartlett and Sinenhlanhla ZondoSong: Turntables by Janelle MonáeProduction: The Good People at Between ProductionsEditor: Charles Leonard
Women’s Month is just a PR tool for politicians but activists struggle on. Will Joe Biden make the US less imperialistic? And, a coach describes watching football without a crowd.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla Guests: Fikile Mtsweni, Vijay Prashad, Simone Conley Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard
Song: Washington Bullets by The Clash
Gauteng is in the eye of a storm. As part of a series of intimate portraits, we capture a day in the life of an Alexandra spaza shop at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Reporter: Dennis Webster Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard
Song: Tom Hark by Elias and His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes, Zulu Piano Medley No.1 by Thomas Mabiletsa and Mbaqanga by Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens
In SA, how to deal with cricket’s dirty racist secret. Then, Italian lessons on life when Covid-19 subsides. And, a Zambian musician on the music that’s landed him in jail three times.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guests: Geoffrey Toyana, Lungani Zama, Alex Alija Čizmić, Pilato Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard
Song: Dreadlock Holiday – 10cc; Ni Yembiko – Pilato
Apartheid’s terrorist album was a “wanted” list of insurgents, and it could get you killed. Also, when you cannot lip read – how deaf people cope under Covid-19.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Jacob Dlamini, Ntombikayise Sukuza, Thandiwe Nxumalo
Production: The Good People
Editor: Charles LeonardSong: Lockdown – Anderson .Paak
How United States President Donald Trump’s vindictive administration went after a veteran Palestinian leader. Also, we pay tribute to one of Africa’s greatest intellectuals.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Jacob Dlamini, Ntombikayise Sukuza, Thandiwe Nxumalo
Production: The Good People
Editor: Charles LeonardSong: Salute by Buhlebendalo
Only 30% of rape cases reported in South Africa are prosecuted. What can be done? Also, why Linton Kwesi Johnson is a poet for these times, and how Tanzania finished its football season in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guests: Dee Smythe, David Austin, Senzo Mbatha Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard
A doctor opens up about coping with the fears of being a healthcare worker during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, South Africa’s top judge has defiantly sided with Israel. A Jewish academic explains why this is bad for the judiciary.
Lockdown job losses are soaring. A union organiser tells us about their battles. Also, the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted fundamental questions, such as whether a basic income grant could work for everyone.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Vuyolwethu Toli, Shireen Hassim
Production: The Good People
Editor: Charles Leonard
Song: Frantz Fanon 1952 by Jacques Coursil
Angela Davis speaks to us about hope, racial capitalism, police violence, American imperialism, Palestine and jazz. Also, a plan for Eskom to change its coal-tainted colours to green.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi
Guests: Angela Davis, Alex Lenferna
Production: The Good People
Editor: Charles LeonardSongs: Trapped in the American Dream by Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science
In Durban, a unique programme to help destitute drug users may yield positive results beyond the government’s Covid-19 lockdown. Also, what happens when a left-wing football obsessive is deprived of his sport.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla
Guests: Monique Marks, Grant Farred
Production: The Good People
Editor: Charles Leonard
Songs: Fearless by Pink Floyd
During the Covid-19 lockdown, police officers and soldiers have been using disproportionate force against the public. Why do they believe they have free rein? Also, we celebrate Busi Mhlongo, the woman who wrestled maskandi from the macho men.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe
Guests: Thato Masiangoako, Kwanele Sosibo
Production: The Good People
Editor: Charles Leonard
Songs: Yaphel’imali Yami and We Baba Omncane by Busi Mhlongo
The United States is burning with anger over the police murder of George Floyd. It has exposed a futureless future for President Donald Trump’s country. And in South Africa, moving to level three of the government’s Covid-19 lockdown means that most workers could go back to work this week. But will they have jobs to return to?
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guests: David Theo Goldberg, David Francis, Hailu Mergia Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard
Song: A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke
After an initial promising response to the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa now runs the risk of a hidden epidemic, warns an expert. Also, we investigate how zero hours contracts have encroached on South African factories.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla Guest: Alex van den Heever Reporter: Dennis Webster Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard Song: "Inhlangano Yethu" by DTMB
Achille Mbembe warns that the global Covid-19 pandemic shouldn’t be used as a laboratory to experiment with ideas that will diminish our freedoms. Also, Raymond Suttner pays a moving tribute to his fallen comrade, Denis Goldberg.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe Guests: Achille Mbembe, Raymond Suttner Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard Song: "Jabulani" by Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela
There are almost a billion hungry people in the world. We look at how the Covid-19 pandemic is going to make this situation far worse. Also, Brazil is a scary case study of what happens when a president doesn’t take the coronavirus seriously.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guests: Raj Patel, Ana Chã Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard Song: "Stimela" by Hugh Masekela
Will the government’s financial relief plan be enough for South Africa’s impoverished
citizens? Also, the desperation of living in a shack settlement with Covid-19 in the air and
how comedy has changed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla Guests: Imraan Valodia, Nomsa Sizani, Conrad Koch Production: The Good People Editor:Charles Leonard
In responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa can draw on how it tackled HIV and Aids. Also, a Chicago musician pays tribute to the doctors and nurses of his city with a beautiful song.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe Guests: Nadira Omarjee, Damon Locks Reporter: Jan Bornman Production: The Good People Editor: Charles Leonard Song: “Stay Beautiful” by Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble
Will it be business as usual for the global economic order after the coronavirus pandemic? And, how poet and writer Mandla Langa has responded to a Covid-19 reality that’s far stranger than fiction.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guests: Vijay Prashad, Mandla Langa Reporter: Dennis Webster Editor: Charles Leonard Production: The Good People Song: “Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye” by Roberta Flack
Domestic workers are left exposed by Covid-19 at their workplaces – will they be covered by the law?
Travelling under the threat of infection.
And, we take a philosophical look at school. What it is and what it should be.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla Guests: Musawenkosi Cabe, Lewis Gordon Reporter: Dennis Webster Editor: Charles Leonard Production: The Good People Song: "Soul Makossa" by Manu Dibango
The spy who cried… Former South African spy boss, Moe Shaik, has just published an amazingly frank account of his life. Also, anti-colonial thinker Frantz Fanon not only loved football, he was a fine player too.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe Guests: Moe Shaik and Nigel Gibson Editor: Charles Leonard Production: The Good People Song: "Not Yet Uhuru" by Letta Mbulu
The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the globe, with the number of infections and resulting deaths exploding. We speak to an Italian journalist who gives us a taste of a day in the life of a country in lockdown.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guest: Alex Čizmić Editor: Charles Leonard Production: The Good People Song: "Serious Times" by Gyptian
Women have been working underground alongside male mineworkers in South Africa’s mines since 2004. We go down a mine to find out if the repressive macho culture has changed.
Also on our menu today, the food that working-class people around the world eat has a lot in common. We find out what’s for lunch.
Hosted by: Tebadi Mmotla Guests: Asanda Benya, Vashna Jagarnath Editor: Charles Leonard Production by: The Good People Song: "Stimela" by Hugh Masikela
South African rugby is redressing its racist past with support from unexpected quarters, and we question if the revolution in Lebanon five months ago can still effect change.
Hosted by: Njabulo Ngidi Guests: Simnikiwe Xabanisa and Ashraf Mtaweh Editor: Charles Leonard Production by: The Good People Song: "Ensay" by Saad Lamjarred
Many see South African minibus taxi drivers as untouchable, but they are some of the most exploited workers in the country.Left-wing street theatre is huge in India – we hear how a performance on New Year’s Day 1989 ended in tragedy.
Hosted by: Musawenkosi Cabe Guests: Lee Randall, Sudhanva Deshpande Editor: Charles Leonard Production by: The Good People Song: "Kuke Kwagijim’Iveni" by Mfaz’Omnyama