Daily Maverick

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, recorded as votes from the 4 November local government elections were being counted, Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makhanya discuss early projections and the US midterm results. Makhanya reports from the national results centre, where projections indicate the DA is positioned to govern the three Gauteng metros in coalition and ActionSA has gained ground. They examine provisional turnout of about 54%, the narrowing national gap between the ANC and the DA, the ANC’s projected losses in its Eastern Cape strongholds, and who may govern Johannesburg.Hosts: Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makhanya Edited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard KotzeThis episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism.  You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, Peter Fabricius speaks to Judge Navi Pillay from her hometown of Durban. On 9 October 2026, Pillay was announced as the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. She is a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and is now an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice. Join the conversation in the comments below!Hosted by: Peter FabriciusGuest: Nobel laureate Judge Navi PillayEdited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard KotzeThis episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism.  You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, part of a series marking 30 years of the Constitution, Ferial Haffajee speaks to Kallie Kriel of AfriForum about the preamble’s vision that South Africa belongs to all who live in it. They discuss the organisation’s lobbying in the United States, the Expropriation Act, the “Kill the Boer” court case, the risk of South Africa's exclusion from Agoa, and whether Afrikaans institutions such as Sol-Tech are open to all.Hosted by: Ferial HaffajeeGuest: Kallie KrielEdited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard KotzeThis episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism.   You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, recorded a week before the 4 November local elections, Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makhanya discuss the ANC’s campaign and its declining support in the metros. Haffajee reports from an ANC Johannesburg fundraiser that served as a soft launch for Reverend Frank Chikane’s mayoral campaign. They look at News24’s report on DA internal polls indicating the party may become the largest in six metros, whether the ANC is retreating to rural support bases, service delivery in Bronkhorstspruit, and the ANC’s argument about the risks of its decline.Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee and Mondli MakhanyaEdited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard KotzeThis episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism.   You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the first episode of Daily Maverick’s Beyond the Lead, Tamsin Metelerkamp and Lerato Mutsila speak to parliamentary journalist Marianne Merten about the Constitutional Court’s 15 October ruling in the ANC’s dispute with the IEC. The ruling returns 181 ANC candidates in six municipalities to the ballot for the 4 November local government elections, after the party did not complete the final submission step before the deadline. Candidates from 32 other parties are also included. The discussion covers the IEC’s reprinting of ballot papers, Fikile Mbalula’s remarks on the GNU, and the precedent the case may set while the court’s reasons remain unpublished. Listen now and join the conversation in the comments section below! This episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism.  Hosted by: Lerato Mutsila and Tamsin Metelerkamp Guest: Marianne Merten Edited by: Joel Seboa Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa00:00 – The ANC’s Candidate Crisis 01:45 – The ‘Submit Button’ Argument 02:45 – ConCourt Reasons Still Pending 04:00 – The Six Affected Municipalities 04:45 – Voter Sentiment in Sundays River Valley 05:50 – Marianne Merten Joins 06:45 – The 2006 ACDP Precedent 07:45 – A Broader ANC Malaise 08:50 – Will the Ruling Shift ANC Prospects? 12:20 – Reprinting 33 Million Ballots 15:15 – Mbalula, the DA and the GNU 19:00 – Section 19 and Political Rights 22:30 – The Submit Button’s Wider Implications 24:50 – Closing   You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makhanya assess four opinion polls ahead of the 4 November local government elections. All four point to a continued decline in ANC support, with the DA polling between 25% and 27% and the MK Party between 12% and 15%. They discuss President Cyril Ramaphosa’s focus on national reforms, the DA’s Johannesburg campaign under mayoral candidate Helen Zille, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba’s anti-migrant platform, and Jacob Zuma’s apparent move to position his son Duduzane as successor.Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee and Mondli MakhanyaEdited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard KotzeThis episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism. 00:00 – Introduction00:20 – The ANC’s Continued Decline03:55 – Ramaphosa’s Reform Message05:50 – Local Government Failures08:30 – Zille’s Johannesburg Campaign10:20 – The DA’s Polling Ceiling12:50 – Gauteng Metros and Ekurhuleni15:30 – Mashaba and ActionSA17:55 – MKP and Jacob Zuma20:00 – MKP Funding and Campaign Posters21:20 – Duduzane Zuma and Succession   You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, Ferial Haffajee presses Ernst Roets of the think tank Lex Libertas about his group’s recent campaign in the United States. She asks why its Washington vigil of 3,000 crosses focused on farm-attack victims, why the group took its case abroad rather than to South African institutions, and whether it bears any responsibility if South Africa loses AGOA, as President Cyril Ramaphosa warns of possible exclusion. Roets sets out his positions on each, along with his case for decentralisation.Hosted by: Ferial HaffajeeGuest: Ernst Roets Edited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze  You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In July 2026, South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled that asylum seekers cannot be turned away on procedural grounds before their claims are heard. When Home Affairs began implementing the ruling in October, posts about it on X rose from about 4,000 to 60,000 a day, many carrying false claims about citizenship, grants and voting. Drawing on Murmur Intelligence data and reporting, this video explores who amplified those claims, how the online conversation moved to street mobilisation in Durban, and why it matters ahead of the 4 November local elections.Reporting by Kyle Findlay and Aldu CornelissenVoice over by: Anda TolibadiEdited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade Creative input by: Malibongwe TyiloSub-edited by: Kevin FlynnSupport journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick  You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Daily Maverick Power Chat, Ferial Haffajee and Mondli Makhanya discuss March and March, the anti-migrant movement led by Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, after last week’s mobilisation in KwaZulu-Natal and Johannesburg. Both journalists covered the “third force” of the early 1990s, and Makhanya argues the movement’s scale points to significant funding and organised backing. They examine News24’s report that Ngobese-Zuma and her husband won about R12 million in state tenders, how social media spread misinformation about a court ruling on asylum, lessons from the July 2021 unrest, and the government’s response ahead of local elections.Hosted by: Ferial Haffajee and Mondli MakhanyaEdited by: Joel SeboaProduced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel SeboaOriginal Theme Music & Design by: Bernard KotzeThis episode of Power Chat is brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, an organisation dedicated to strengthening democracy and human rights across the world, and creating new momentum for liberalism.   You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At least 12 women have been reported murdered in Ekurhuleni since July 2026, prompting speculation that a serial killer may be operating in Gauteng. Police have set up a task team to investigate possible links between several cases but have not confirmed whether any are connected. Daily Maverick journalist Reitumetse Pilane sets out what is known: the similarities between the cases, the arrests and evidence that suggest some are unrelated, and what forensic experts say about how investigators approach a possible series. Reporting by: Reitumetse Pilane  Filmed by: Malibingwe Tyilo Edited by: Anda Tolibadi Produced by: Emilie Gambade  Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo Sub-edited by: Ian WolstenholmeChapters 00:00 Introduction 00:28 The Latest Case: Boitumelo Nhlanzi 01:14 What Points to a Connection 02:05 What Doesn't Fit the Pattern 03:01 What the Experts Say 03:45 What Remains Unknown    You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including YouTube, Apple Podcast and Spotify!Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverickSubscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyMaverickSA/videos Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/ Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.