2026-05-15 06:27:06 — The Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) will be held from Friday, 15 May, to Sunday, 17 May.
Many distinguished local and international authors will be at the festival, and there’s a new event: a family day on Saturday 16 May, featuring storytelling, drawing, and adventure sessions for younger readers.
News24 presents its very popular breakfasts with leading commentators addressing key issues facing South Africa now.
Big international authors who will be at the festival are Peter Frankopan, Charlie Mackesy, Tan Twan Eng, Alka Joshi and Rémy Ngamije.
Local headliners include Deon Meyer, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, Thebe Ikalafeng, Sally Andrew, and Justice Malala.
2026-05-15 06:30:09 — Healing and wellness, more generally, form a major theme at this year’s festival.
The programme features Rachel Kolisi, whose bestseller Falling Forward tops the charts, discussing vulnerability, reinvention and adversity. She also joins a panel with Nozipho Tshabalala and Eve Simmons on storytelling and healing through truth.
Other sessions explore family bonds and love (Lebo Mazibuko, Rémy Ngamije, Karen Lane), relationships and knowing when to leave (Joy Watson, Koketso Sachane), finding daily joy (Bridget McNulty), and reclaiming identity within faith (Anwar McKay, Sara-Jayne Makwala King).
2026-05-15 06:31:41 — The workshops and masterclasses, which are a very popular feature of the festival, return this year, and there are more of them than ever.
Popular author Melinda Ferguson returns with two memoir-writing sessions.
Thriller writer Mike Nicol tackles crime fiction fundamentals, and Sarah Bullen explores romance and “romantasy.” Workshops on experimental fiction (Karen Jennings, Rémy Ngamije, Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane), AI’s impact on writing (Arthur Goldstuck), fantasy world-building (Nerine Dorman), creative non-fiction (Hedley Twidle), short story craft, and getting published round out the program.
2026-05-15 06:38:56 — SEE | Franschhoek Literary Festival opens with Town Hall ceremony
The annual Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) returns to the wine town this weekend, promising a celebration of local and international literature.
The event’s opening ceremony took place on Thursday evening at the Town Hall, with remarks from the festival’s organisers and partners.
The FLF, which marks its 19th year, runs from 15 to 17 May 2026, featuring participants such as Francis Fukuyama, Anwar McKay, Deon Meyer, Embeth Davidtz, Jan Hendrik Van Der Westhuizen, and many more.
In her opening remarks, festival director Candice Kerchhoff described the festival as “a meeting place of ideas, imagination, and human connection”.
2026-05-15 06:44:53 — It's day one of the festival, and first up this morning is the News24 breakfast at Reuben's Restaurant. Pieter du Toit probes the future of GNU with Mandy Wiener, Tara Roos and Qaanitah Hunter.
2026-05-15 06:49:37 — Attendees at the sold-out News24 breakfast.
(Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
2026-05-15 06:57:43 —
(Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
2026-05-15 07:02:21 — Good morning from a chilly Franschhoek, where the first session of this year's Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) is about to get underway.
It's the News24 breakfast on the state and future of the GNU! Pieter du Toit, News24's assistant editor for investigations, is facilitating the panel, with panellists Mandy Wiener, Qaanitah Hunter and Tara Roos.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:04:28 — "South African politics has never been as dynamic as now," says Du Toit, citing the court ruling on Thursday that Jacob Zuma should face corruption charges, and the firing of social development minister Sisisi Tolashe.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:06:31 — Wiener: "I usually write about crime and the underworld, but these days politicians... (laughter)". She says the GNU was a "pivotal, seminal moment in time" in the history of South Africa.
-Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:08:28 — In her book "The Deal", Wiener interviewed most of the GNU negotiators who were in the room. She conducted 100 hours of interviews and perused documents, notes, and diaries. "I wanted to take people into the Enthoven's house on Westcliff Ridge and into hotel basements where these negotiations were taking place."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:12:16 — Tara Roos says 2024 was the first election she voted in. It was "very unusual" for South Africa to continue as normal the day after the ANC lost its 50% majority. "No civil war, no coup as we see so often on the African continent".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:16:23 — Panellists Mandy Wiener, Pieter du Toit, Qaanitah Hunter and Tara Roos.
(Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
2026-05-15 07:19:52 — Weiner waited over three hours for ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane to arrive for their interview.
"Tony Leon was brilliant, he gave me lots of time. Helen Zille gave me hours. Febe Potgieter (from the ANC) also gave me hours of her time. Mokonyane told me about her therapy session and gave me hours."
The hardest person to convince was President Cyril Ramaphosa. When the book was done, Wiener got a message from Ramaphosa's spokesperson, offering her 90 minutes. She rushed to his foundation and interviewed him while he drank rooibos tea.
-Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:20:22 — Du Toit: "Why is the president so reluctant to speak to journalists?" Wiener: "I don't know, because he is great when he is talking. I think he is distrustful of the media; it's one of the biggest blights on his presidency that he doesn't do press conferences."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:23:02 — Qaanitah Hunter says Ramaphosa fashions himself as a "visionary, Mandelaesque figurehead". The sense she gets from Ramaphosa is that he is "above interviews".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:25:13 — Hunter: "In his first term, the man (Ramaphosa) was walking on eggs. He has been stubborn about his leadership style as a consensus builder. Eight years in, he feels he is vindicated and can do what many believed he couldn't do, which is leading a government of ten political parties."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:27:39 — Ramaphosa "sits with the satisfaction that Mandela would be pleased with me". Du Toit criticises Ramaphosa's reluctance to give frequent interviews, saying it undermines his presidency.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:29:15 — Du Toit asks Hunter about why she decided to write a work of fiction after the GNU was formed. "I was tired. I have been running and chasing politicians since I was 17 years old. I buggered off, I ran away from this country and decided to write a romance book. I plugged out of the media ecosystem for six months; it was absolutely refreshing".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:33:03 — Hunter says she has studied the politics of Generation Z around the world and on the continent. The difference with South Africa is that they see politicians "as all the same... the GNU has entrenched that view". Hunter praises the stability and resilience of South Africa. "I don't think we always appreciate that resilience."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:35:34 — Hunter argues that the GNU catapults smaller parties. The Patriotic Alliance is now much bigger and more popular than before.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:38:24 — Du Toit asks pointedly: "How do we determine or measure the success of the GNU?" Wiener: The DA says by looking at growth and unemployment. Unemployment is still bad. We did get off the grey list; our sovereign credit rating improved; and Operation Vulindlela took off, improving rails and ports. "I would describe it as an unhappy marriage where the parents stay together for the kids".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:39:29 — Wiener says the GNU will stay intact because "the alternative is too horrific to contemplate". She argues that the ANC and DA realise what the alternative is and what the impact on the economy will be. "Ask Geordin Hill-Lewis about the calls he's received over the weekend, about not impeaching Ramaphosa".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:43:40 — Roos says GNU governance has been "okay". The one metric they fall short on is the economy. Unemployment rates released this week show no improvement. The future of BEE is an "ideological red line the DA and ANC cannot agree on".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:47:50 — Hunter: You need a reimagination of policy to take the country forward. She argues that the GNU has not started rethinking legislative reform. Who is going to take responsibility for this? "They stole R2bn in Ekurhuleni under an EFF MMC, and we didn't know about it."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:50:30 — Hunter: "Nobody asks the question who will reimagine this shit?" Referring to local government malaise, the water crisis, and the debate about Starlink. "Too much treading of water".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:54:08 — Hunter calls Trade Minister Parks Tau's punted Transformation Fund a "badly worded PowerPoint presentation"... can we just get the basics right? she asks. "Don't steal the textbooks' money, focus on local government".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 07:58:55 — Wiener cites "shocking" HSRC research about how few South Africans believe democracy should be the country's future. In KwaZulu-Natal, the number is 7%, and in Gauteng, 28%. "The majority of people feel politicians aren't leading, and that's why they are disillusioned."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:07:17 —
(Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
2026-05-15 08:08:29 — Wiener says she thinks the DA ministers are busy with "clean-up campaigns" in their departments, citing the textbook scandal in Basic Education and the AI policy debacle in Communications and Technology. Gayton McKenzie told me, "he couldn't believe how much work ministers must do".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:11:05 — Du Toit asks the panellists how the DA has performed in the GNU and whether they have changed economic policy. Wiener: Ashor Sarupen (deputy minister of finance) is a bit unsung; I see a slow progression of change. There is a strong showing from DA ministers on international trade. Steenhuisen is signing new fruit export deals.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:12:09 — Roos: The DA entered the GNU on the back foot. Proportionally, they should have held 10 to 12 cabinet positions. Ramaphosa used his Codesa negotiations strategy. Leon Schreiber (home affairs) is the best-performing DA minister, followed by John Steenhuisen, with all the agriculture trade deals he's made.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:13:46 — Hunter says the DA has shown the country that you can have effective governance, like going to Home Affairs and getting your ID or passport swiftly. The DA should make it about "making the wheels turn". You see factionalism for the first time in the DA, because "real power is on the table now".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:15:38 — Wiener says there wasn't "magic" between Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen. "He (Ramaphosa) couldn't take Steenhuisen flyfishing or whatever they do these days". So the ANC and DA had to open back channels between Nat Kekana (ANC) and Ryan Coetzee (DA).
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:17:23 — Geordin Hill-Lewis is not as combative as Steenhuisen, Wiener says, and this may help with Ramaphosa. The DA is "united" under Hill-Lewis, and this could be the beginning of a "strong era" of the DA.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:18:36 — Why is Hill-Lewis staying out of Cabinet, asks Du Toit. Roos explains the complexity of the two roles - he was campaigning in Gauteng this week while Cape Town was mopping up after one of the biggest storms in years. "The DA has nobody else" to succeed Hill-Lewis as Cape Town mayor, and a major threat from the PA to the DA's electorate.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:22:23 — Hunter: The DA's new generation of leaders are young (as opposed to the ANC's elderly leadership), coherent, and "not playing something they are not". It's not about counting white or black heads. "The DA has given us their leadership and the electorate will decide... I like this way our politics is going."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:23:31 — Hunter asks why the DA is clinging to "liberal politics" when it is "distasteful" to so many people. "Why make BEE the hill to die on when it can be about services? Look at Johannesburg, it is all about services and governance."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:26:37 — Wiener: "The only way the DA survives is by growing. I thought his inaugural address at conference Hill-Lewis portrayed himself more as a man of the people and service delivery (and crime), than policy like BEE." Wiener says she has spoken to many black, middle-class Jo'burg residents who say they don't like Helen Zille, but will vote for her in November because "they want service delivery and the city to be fixed".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:27:20 — Hunter agrees. "What I like about Zille's campaign is her message, 'you don't have to like me, just vote for me'."
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:30:11 — Du Toit asks all panellists who will be the next Jo'burg mayor. Tara Roos: "Herman Mashaba (ActionSA)". Qaanitah Hunter: "Helen Zille (DA), if she can get partners on board". Mandy Wiener: "Loyiso Masuku (ANC)".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:34:40 — Tara Roos expects the ANC, EFF and ActionSA to work together after the Local Government Elections, on a national level. "I see them deciding to vote for each other in different metros. The ANC won't survive another mayor in Jo'burg, that's why I think Herman Mashaba will be elected Jo'burg mayor".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:39:36 — A question is asked to the panel about Patrice Motsepe's chances of becoming ANC president.
Hunter says Motsepe says he doesn't want the position, but that is exactly the right strategy to get it. Hunter is sceptical of the way Motsepe's campaigners have gone about their campaign. "They don't understand the process of manipulation in the ANC".
But Hunter also doesn't see Paul Mashatile of Fikile Mbalula becoming ANC president. She is interested in the ambitions of Thoko Didiza and Ronald Lamola. But Mbalula, as secretary-general, is very influential in deciding the ultimate candidate.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:47:50 — Asked whether Ramaphosa could resign because of Phala Phala, Wiener says "no". The ANC's power is slipping away, and they will "fight like a wounded buffalo".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:54:30 — Question from the audience about where the Phala Phala money "really came from". Wiener says we don't talk about the "alternative explanation" enough, which is that the dollars were for ANC campaigning, brought in secretly from a foreign country to South Africa and stashed away at Phala Phala to be out of sight. Hunter agrees that the money was likely for the ANC and that the Impeachment Committee should get to the bottom of this. She heard the ANC's election campaign cost R1bn and "dodgy cash is the lifeblood of ANC politics".
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 08:55:58 — The first News24 breakfast event comes to a close.
- Adriaan Basson
2026-05-15 09:07:02 — The results of the 29 May 2024 elections caused a seismic shift in South Africa's political landscape.
For the first time in three decades of democracy, the ruling ANC did not win a majority, and had to form a Government of National Unity (GNU) in coalition with other parties. With a constitutional deadline of just 14 days to elect a president, the nation held its breath. Would the ANC forge a so-called doomsday coalition with the EFF and Patriotic Alliance, or a centrist partnership with its nemesis, the DA? What role would smaller parties play, and how would Jacob Zuma's disruptive MK party affect the negotiations?
Veteran journalist and author Mandy Wiener’s book, The Deal, takes you behind the scenes of the negotiations that redefined the possibilities of governance in SA, providing exclusive interviews with party leaders, unique insights and stories, thoughtful analysis and vital context. Wiener’s books include the mega-bestselling Killing Kebble, Ministry of Crime and The Whistleblowers.
In this extract from The Deal, she asks President Cyril Ramaphosa and DA leader John Steenhuisen about the development of their relationship during the talks to form a GNU.
2026-05-15 09:08:16 — Here are a few panels we will be covering the rest of the day:
INSIDE PRESIDENTIAL POWER:Leading political journalists Pieter du Toit (The Dark Prince), Anthony Butler (Presidential Power), Mandy Wiener (The Deal) and Qaanitah Hunter unpack power, personality and the stakes for accountability and public trust.
DESTINATION JAIPUR:Alka Joshi’s beloved Jaipur Trilogy follows three unforgettable lives across generations. In conversation with Pippa Hudson, Joshi reveals how her richly imagined world blossomed into a global phenomenon.
SCHOOL FOR CRIME:Are prisons driving reform or breeding the next generation of criminals? Kyle Cowan (Mafia Land), Rebecca Gore (Behind Prison Walls) and Jeff Wicks (The Shadow State) discuss ongoing issues of abuse of power, corruption enabled organised crime, and the violent deeds that go unchecked.
WHY BABITA DEOKARAN HAD TO DIE:Babita Deokaran exposed irregular Covid procurement deals and was murdered soon after. Investigative journalist Jeff Wicks (The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran had to Die) and Judge Dennis Davis examine the risks faced by whistleblowers, and what her case says about power, accountability and justice.
FALLING FORWARD:Public life often looks polished from the outside. In this special one-on-one conversation, Danielle Weakley sits down with Rachel Kolisi to reflect on vulnerability, reinvention and the lessons learned through adversity.
2026-05-15 09:28:17 — UP NEXT:The first panel at the NG Church in the centre of town: Inside Presidential Power. Pieter Du Toit, Anthony Butler, Mandy Wiener and Qaanitah Hunter engage in a discussion about what forces are shaping SA's next head of state.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:33:43 — Hunter opens the discussion on Inside Presidential Power. "We are in for a fascinating discussion this morning."
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:37:33 — Butler talks about the power of the president, which differs from other countries' politics. "He is a powerful figure," he says regarding the president.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:39:48 — Hunter suggests rating the SA presidents on a scale of 1-10, starting with Ramaphosa.
Butler says what presidents have accomplished in office is a metric, but that can be difficult to measure, as one must take into account the impact of predecessors. "Ramaphosa came into power during a desperate situation," Butler says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:40:45 — Du Toit says the ANC is at its weakest with regard to several metrics and that Ramaphosa entered during a precarious situation.
"Politically inside the ANC, Ramaphosa still stands very strong," he says, despite the Phala Phala scandal. He adds that in the electoral system, he is vulnerable.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:44:21 — Could anyone else expect Ramaphosa to negotiate a form of government like the GNU, Hunter asks Wiener. She says no. "He was very much the master mind of the ANC's strategy," Wiener says.
She criticises Ramaphosa for taking so long to get things done and says it's remarkable he fired Sisisi Tolashe.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:46:23 — Inside Presidential Power panel at the NG Church with Pieter du Toit, Anthony Butler, Mandy Wiener, led by Qaanitah Hunter.
(Chelsea Ogilvie/ News24)
2026-05-15 09:47:24 — Wiener says Ramaphosa sees himself as a "consensus builder" who tries to embody the spirit of national unity.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:49:53 — Hunter asks Butler to reflect on Ramaphosa's modus operandi as president. Butler dives into Ramaphosa's past work as an activist and businessman and how it connects to his current governing style.
Ramaphosa can truly analyse someone's character, including their strengths and weaknesses, and find ways to exploit them. Just because he appears amiable doesn't mean he's missing a ruthless streak.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:52:10 — Du Toit says Ramaphosa was faced with an existential crisis in the ANC due to its decreasing share of votes. "If you would look at how Ramaphosa considers the state of the GNU, he has come away with a big win," Du Toit says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:55:30 — Hunter asks about the extent of Ramaphosa's impact on the GNU. She says it closely matches his vision.
Wiener says Gayton McKenzie was convinced he would be deputy president when she interviewed him for her book. "The ANC was clever in leveraging the parties against each other," she says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 09:59:23 — "I'm still unsure how Ramaphosa became president, because in part the ANC is a coalition," Butler says.
"One of the fundamentals of being president is protecting the system itself," Butler says, and he believes Ramaphosa has done this.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:01:50 — Butler says there were signs that the EFF anticipated a significant role in the GNU but was unwilling to enter into a coalition with the DA.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:03:17 — "There isn't a real outsider when it comes to the GNU," Hunter says, adding that there is a lack of an accountability body within the coalition due to the number of participants.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:06:21 — "The role of the opposition in the National Assembly has been diluted in the last few years," Du Toit says while talking about the DA. He talks about the potential for Geordin Hill-Lewis to play a role in changing this.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:07:54 — Hunter asks Wiener what the metric of success is for the GNU. "The metric of success, as determined by DA, is growth and unemployment," Wiener says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:10:25 — "I think the GNU has been successful in creating competition among the ministers," Wiener adds. While Ramaphosa holds great power as president, the ANC's impact has still waned, according to Wiener.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:11:44 — Butler talks about Ramaphosa's relationship to "legacy". "One kind of legacy is rebuilding institutions or building new ones. That is one thing Ramaphosa has done during his career," Butler adds.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:15:41 — Du Toit is asked, "Who comes next in the ANC?" "In a couple of years, we are going to ask, 'Does it matter?'" he replies, referring to the party's declining popularity.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:17:40 — Du Toit says Paul Mashatile and Patrice Motsepe are some possible candidates for who's next in the ANC.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:19:19 — Du Toit says he does not see a sense of public duty among the possible ANC candidates.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:21:42 — Du Toit comments on the corruption in Gauteng municipalities with 'mafias' extracting resources. He says there is a "horror show" at local municipal level.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:24:31 — Wiener believes that Hill-Lewis will likely not be president in the next election, but that he has potential.
"I'm not convinced we'll see a white president in 2029, but we might see a woman president," Wiener says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:27:36 — Butler agrees with Wiener that it is unlikely Hill-Lewis will be president.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:28:51 — Du Toit believes the GNU will survive till the next election, even if the municipal elections cause tension.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:31:21 — Wiener says what gives her hope about the GNU is its stability. She adds that the ANC will take knocks in the metros with the next municipal election.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:35:09 — The Inside Presidential Power talk concludes with final remarks. Du Toit says we need to fix the criminal justice system and replace its leadership. Wiener says we need to defend our democratic institutions.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 10:50:53 — Having survived scandal, controversy and the Zuma years, Paul Mashatile has risen through the ranks to the doorstep of the presidency. Over a 30-year political career, he has successfully navigated the corruption and factionalism that the ANC is known for. Now he wants to take charge of the party – and the Union Buildings.
The question is: Should he? Is Paul Mashatile suitable for the highest office? This meticulously researched account by News24 assistant editor and bestselling author Pieter du Toit answers these vital questions and reveals the dark truth about the ANC’s crown prince.
READ AN EXTRACT FROM THE DARK PRINCE HERE
2026-05-15 11:04:16 — The next session at the NG Church:Kyle Cowan, Jeff Wicks and Rebecca Gore discuss the abuse of power, corruption, organised crime and more.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:05:37 — Cowan wrote the bookMafia Land. Wicks asks him if there are signs of the hold of cartels yielding. Cowan says the opposite is happening.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:06:20 — Cowan's book focuses on organised crime, and he believes the issue is worsening in SA, despite legal measures such as the Madlanga Commission.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:08:30 — Wicks asks if there is a morality problem with regard to the extraction of important resources in service delivery. Here, he refers to a water mafia, focusing on tankers. Cowan believes these examples of corruption speak to opportunism rather than "evil".
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:09:07 — "SARS is also after the small man," Wicks says, instead of large-scale criminals. This is met with audible agreement from the audience.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:13:42 — "Prisons played a key role in colonial and apartheid systems," Gore says. Gore highlights a fear of crime in SA in the late 90s, contrasting a perception of an actual rise in crime. Instead of tackling root causes, the focus went to punishment. "It's not making us safer, and it's not making our institutions better," she says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:17:01 — Gore talks about her first prison visit, which was to Correctional Services Johannesburg (Sun City Prison). There was an incident where a prisoner died by suicide. The man in question had committed a "petty crime".
"It really humanised the experience... And that it's not 'us' and 'them'," she says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:20:29 — Gore says that the idea that if we incarcerate more people, the safer we will be is erroneous. There is also a severe overcrowding problem in prisons.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:21:13 — Gore says what stops crime isn't the length of sentences, but rather knowing that they will be caught and face consequences. But she says there is now a culture of impunity.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:24:05 — Wicks comments on the ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system, where most perpetrators are not arrested.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:28:31 — Cowan says, "prisons are universities for crime". Criminals often have to climb a ladder to take on more responsibility. For criminals, there is a greater risk of being targeted by competing criminals instead of the justice system.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:29:52 — Cowan says that bribery and corruption can play a role in individuals avoiding arrest. He also talks about the volume of cases officers must deal with, which can delay justice.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:30:41 — Gore talks about Thabo Bester and how his story is indicative of our broken criminal justice system.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:35:23 — School for Crime panel with Kyle Cowan (Mafia Land), Rebecca Gore (Behind Prison Walls) and led by Jeff Wicks.
(Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
2026-05-15 11:36:12 — Cowan says there are two big problems in the criminal justice system: a lack of resources and incompetence. "The police do not have the ability to tackle organised crime in their own ranks," Cowan says. Despite the Madlanga commission, it only addresses a fraction of the corruption.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:36:56 — Wicks asks if the Madlanga Commission gives us hope for reform. Cowan says the commission will eventually end with recommendations.
"If the commission does its job properly... We need to burn the police service to the ground and rebuild it," Cowan says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:39:31 — Gore says in 2011, when Zuma purged the criminal justice system, murders shot up. This is an example of immediate cause and effect.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:42:36 — Gore says that despite the overcrowding and horrible conditions in prisons she sees during visits, she still leaves with hope.
"I feel hope for reform because of the work you two [Wicks and Cowan] have done, your investigative journalism," she says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:48:11 — Wicks homes in on the root causes of crime: inequality, a weak economy, etc. "Most of the criminality we see is about a lack of resources," Cowan says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:49:39 — "We need to give people better opportunities for human flourishing," Gore says, addressing crime and reform. There also needs to be accountability for wrongdoing, in an efficient and humane way.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 11:51:32 — Answering a question from the audience, Gore saya 40% of SA's prison population is awaiting trial. Many prisoners also cannot afford bail, even if it is as low as R200 to R500. These people are called "prisoners of poverty".
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:00:59 — Cowan asks a question about the motivation of people joining SAPS. "I think a lot of people join with the best of intentions," he says. But once they are in the system, things may look different.
He also says SAPS still uses a paper system, which adds to the challenges. He has been unable to find answers as to why a transition to a digital system has not taken place.
The session concludes on that note.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:17:07 — Behind South Africa’s facade lies a brutal shadow world ruled by mafias, cartels and crime syndicates locked in a ruthless war over South Africa’s riches. There’s the tobacco mafia. The water tanker mafia. The taxi mafia. The hospital mafia. The construction mafia. The kidnapping mafia. And many more.
Each feeds off a vast web of patronage and extraction that stretches from the streets to the highest echelons of government. Their tentacles reach deep into municipalities, state-owned enterprises, political parties, the police, and even the National Prosecuting Authority. Those who resist them are silenced in cold blood.
In Mafia Land, multi-award-winning investigative journalist Kyle Cowan sets out to answer these and other questions, revealing the dark underbelly of a country where the thin blue line has all but disappeared. In this extract from the prologue to the book, he outlines the scary situation.
2026-05-15 12:20:04 — With 240 prisons scattered across the country, holding the largest prison population in Africa, the conditions in SA’s jails remain largely out of view and out of mind.
This eye-opening book by three legal minds involved with the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) offers an unflinching look behind the walls of our prisons.
Justice Edwin Cameron is a former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and was appointed Inspecting Judge of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) in 2020 after 25 years of service as a judge. Rebecca Gore was the legal researcher for Cameron, and Sohela Surajpal is a legal researcher at JICS.
In this extract, they ask: What are our constitutional democracy’s prisons like?
2026-05-15 12:32:11 — At the New School Hall, a session with Jeff Wicks and Dennis Davis kicks off about Babita Deokaran.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:35:01 — Wicks says it is unlikely that justice will prevail regarding her killing.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:42:25 — Davis asks where is the outrage about Deokaran's murder. "It's representative of where we are," Wicks says.
He adds that the public is used to seeing stories of violent crime and criminality. "If she were viewed in a vacuum, we would see the outrage ... But we see too much of this every day," Wicks says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:43:04 — Wicks provides insight into his book The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran had to Die, diving into the nature of the other killings around her murder.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:44:49 — Wicks talks about Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala's connections to corruption at Thembisa Hospital. Corruption has led to the hospital lacking resources and being in disrepair.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:45:37 — The issues at Thembisa Hospital highlight corruption in the broader Gauteng health care system, says Davis.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:49:05 — Wicks discusses the corruption of Morgan Maumela and his proximity to those in high places. Despite the funds he has stolen, he remains unprosecuted.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:52:17 — Wicks describes Matlala as Maumela's "strong man".
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:52:57 — Wicks says "procurement is broken" across health care and the police.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:54:19 — "Thembisa and the extraction of that hospital is not an isolated incident," Wicks says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 12:57:10 — Jeff Wicks in conversation with Judge Dennis Davis on his book, The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran had to Die.
(Chelsea Ogilvie/News24)
2026-05-15 13:00:13 — Wicks says if we truly want to fix corruption, we need a fearless police service and a strong, independent prosecution body.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:02:46 — Wicks says police officers have come to them for help. He also comments on the lack of resources police officers have.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:03:21 — Wicks says Deokaran knew her life was in danger, as shown in text messages days before her murder.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:05:39 — Davis asks whether there is hope of fighting this type of corruption, and Wicks says he does.
"The good people in the system still give me hope."
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:07:55 — Wicks believes top management in the police force is broken.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:09:40 — The reason the police force has "sunk to this level" is due to poor leadership.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:14:36 — Wicks says reforming the police should be a top priority for the government.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:17:56 — Wicks often feels that his life is in danger because of the work he does. They do not usually receive direct threats, but that does not necessarily mean there is no danger.
"People think we can relax, we can't. They don't give you a heads up before it happens," Wicks says.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:30:44 — "Investigative journalism is alive and well in South Africa," Wicks says, despite financial challenges. He commends the work of Ground Up, Daily Maverick, News24 and other publications.
The session with Wicks and Davis concludes after audience questions.
- Joel Ontong
2026-05-15 13:42:26 — On 23 August 2021, Babita Deokaran – a hardworking single mother and chief accountant at the Gauteng Department of Health – was shot down outside her home. The izinkabi paid to kill her were caught, but the question remained: Who ordered her murder, and why?
Top News24 investigative journalist Jeff Wicks set out to find the answer. This quest would profoundly change – even endanger – his life, as he bravely followed the leads Deokaran had left behind.
Leads that the Hawks, who were officially investigating her assassination, had failed to act on. In The Shadow State, Wicks uncovers an audacious web of crooked officials, ANC politicians, and extraction syndicates – including that of the notorious Vusi ‘Cat’ Matlala – siphoning away billions meant for patients in Gauteng’s public hospitals.
