x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Lead

Seasoned broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer brings you The Lead, News24’s definitive podcast for in-depth reporting. Join us every Monday to Thursday at 19:00 SAST for candid conversations with our top journalists, and discover what they saw, heard, and uncovered in their relentless pursuit of the big story. Episodes drop on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube like clockwork. WhatsApp: 072 562 3179 or mail: thelead@24.com. This is The Lead, and this is the South African story.

news

All Episodes

23:14

Tabling Budget 3.0 with Carol Paton

The Lead ·

2025/04/30

A whole new Budget 3.0 aims to include everyone's proper buy-in and you won't be taxed more on most goods you buy. But the DA and EFF's recent court case scrapping Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's proposed VAT increase of 0.5% percentage points means that it's also back to the drawing board for Treasury to craft a whole new fiscal framework to be tabled before parliamentarians on 21 May. This was revealed during a rare Treasury media briefing attended by News24 writer-at-large Carol Paton: "All

en

37:05

Exposing X-Boer, the ex-farmer in Elon Musk’s ear

The Lead ·

2025/04/29

On 'X', he goes by the name ‘Twatterbaas’, and his messages have attracted the attention of Elon Musk and, thus, the Trump Administration. Regularly, the anonymous account posts racist tropes and promotes selective views that have reinforced misinformation about South Africa. But now we know who is behind the account: Sebastiaan Jooste, a 46-year-old former farmer living in Gordon's Bay, near Cape Town. "These posts without nuance, with these racist undertones and overtones, are what makes this a

en

35:04

The Mashatile ‘hit’ that wasn’t, with Kyle Cowan

The Lead ·

2025/04/24

Was South Africa's deputy president, Paul Mashatile, the recent target of an attempted assassination? If sources close to a SAPS ballistics report are anything to go by, the answer to that question may be a resounding no. In tonight’s episode, we discuss with News24 journalist Kyle Cowan what our team of investigative reporters have uncovered about the apparent shooting incident involving Mashatile's convoy on a Gauteng highway on the night of 30 March. "The overarching takeaway from it is that this

en

30:02

Debunking Malema and Trump with Andrew Thompson

The Lead ·

2025/04/23

EFF leader Julius Malema alleges it's a lie that there are farm killings in South Africa. Among other claims, Malema suggests that white people are not murdered in South Africa. The politician's April statements in Parliament in response to the Trump Administration’s US aid pullout were shared on social media without verification. That's until News24's Disinformation Desk got wind of them. The desk's investigative journalist, Andrew Thompson, has fact-checked Malema's assertions, as well as

en

17:33

The police chief, the Cat and corruption with Jeff Wicks

The Lead ·

2025/04/22

South African Police Service (SAPS) top brass dragged their feet in cancelling a tender awarded to a businessman known as "The Cat". News24 specialist investigative journalist Jeff Wicks combed through an internal audit report. In it, he found that tender tycoon Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala should've never scored a R360 million health services contract with the SAPS, a deal now subject to criminal proceedings. "Vusimusi Matlala's company (Medicare 24 Tshwane District) should never have proceeded past

en

22:24

Why did Nada-Jane have to die? With Bernadette Wicks

The Lead ·

2025/04/17

In 2023, 4-year-old Nada-Jane Challita was discovered dead in the bathtub of her Johannesburg home, with only one suspect to point the finger at: her father's now ex-partner, Amber Lee Hughes, who was also the little girl's former pre-school teacher. Hughes' trial – in which she is facing a count of murder and two of rape – got under way in the South Gauteng High Court this week, with the father, Elie Challita, taking the stand to testify against her. News24 legal journalist Bernadette Wicks has

en

18:23

An Ace in the hole, with Karyn Maughan

The Lead ·

2025/04/16

Today on The Lead, we cross to Bloemfontein where specialist legal journalist Karyn Maughan was in the Free State High Court, where former premier Ace Magashule pleaded not guilty to allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering charges in the asbestos tender scam trial. The former ANC Secretary-General and 17 others, including businessman Edwin Sodi are in the dock in connection with the R255-million scheme to audit and remove asbestos from Free State homes. State prosecutors have dubbed

en

20:50

Meet SA’s new envoy to America who called Trump a racist

The Lead ·

2025/04/15

In this edition, we scrutinise whether sending former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas as South Africa's special envoy to America is the right choice. This comes as a video from 2020, wherein he calls US President Trump a "racist", "homophobe", and "narcissistic right-winger", spreads across social media. Andisiwe Makinana, News24 political editor, and Graeme Raubenheimer, host of The Lead, discuss whether Jonas will even get to Washington, seeing as his predecessor, Ebrahim Rasool, was branded

en

31:55

The journalist uncovering SA's water crisis, one...

The Lead ·

2025/04/14

For tonight's episode of The Lead, we wade into the sewage-ridden waters of Mogale City with Sikonathi Mantshantsha, News24 specialist investigative journalist who on Friday took home the prestigious Taco Kuiper Award for investigative journalism for the series, Wasteland. He uncovered the true source of the region's unbearable smell: the Percy Stewart Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was illegally dumping untreated, heavily polluted water into the Blougatspruit River that eventually feeds into the

en

27:42

The case against Dali Mpofu SC, with Karyn Maughan

The Lead ·

2025/04/10

The Legal Practice Council, a national body meant to hold the legal profession to account, is launching a full-scale disciplinary inquiry into the conduct of Dali Mpofu. Among the slew of misconduct charges the advocate faces relate to comments he made while handling legal matters, including the parliamentary inquiry into former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office. "You've got charges that relate to a former Public Protector, a former SARS official, and five senior judges

en

22:44

Navigating the GNU, VAT, ZAR and Trump's tariffs with...

The Lead ·

2025/04/09

The South African economy faces potentially volatile times with the Trump Administration's tariffs on one side of the scale and a 1 May VAT hike on the other. "Everyone is feeling the pinch; even the US markets are feeling the pinch," says News24 writer-at-large Carol Paton. The rand has been edging closely to the R 20 per US dollar mark as the sweeping tariffs take effect globally this week. "At this point, we are in a very bad place," adds Paton. SA's among sixty nations being slapped with hefty

en

26:34

The Mashatile factor in the battle for the GNU with...

The Lead ·

2025/04/08

The ANC believes it's time to hit the reset button on the government of national unity (GNU) following the DA's "double-dealing" regarding the contentious budget vote in parliament. For now, though, the DA is not leaving the GNU, nor has it been kicked out. "No one wants to pull the plug. Neither the DA nor the ANC wants to walk out of this relationship. I think both those parties realise that it's incredibly important for the GNU to remain enacted for the future of South Africa," says News24

en

22:32

Exposing the close-knit ANC t-shirt tender with Jeff...

The Lead ·

2025/04/07

An ANC-linked businesswoman who bagged a R2.5 million t-shirt tender with the Gauteng health department has denied having any relationship with its MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. Yet, News24's specialist investigative journalist Jeff Wicks has uncovered evidence to the contrary: that businesswoman Nhlake Priscilla Mothobuka knows the MEC well enough to be pictured partying with her. "This is our continued drive to keep the Gauteng health department accountable," says Wicks about his latest exposé. "We

en

26:33

The DA and GNU - will they stay, or will they go?

The Lead ·

2025/04/03

Quo Vadis, GNU?With the ANC searching for support outside of the GNU and the DA approaching the courts to interdict the national Budget's proposed 0.5% VAT hike, it seems as if the days of the GNU are numbered. We ask News24 political editor Andisiwe Makinana for her take on the matter. Then we discuss the newly announced Trump tariffs and what those mean for South Africa's economy. How does the 31% export tariff affect our pockets? Last, we take a look at Moonchild Sanelly who has been featured

en

16:37

Will the Budget break the GNU? Carol Paton explains

The Lead ·

2025/04/02

Today, the government of national unity is facing its most formidable challenge. The future of the tumultuous union rests on the outcomes of the joint sitting of Parliament, where a vote will be taken on the delayed budget tabled by finance minister Enoch Godongwana last month. We know the DA has rejected the budget and that the ANC has looked to other parties to fill the void. Is this the end of the road for the GNU? Or will the unlikely alliance partners find each other at the 11th hour? What can

en

19:59

Celebrating SA's heroes on Good News Day

The Lead ·

2025/04/01

On 1 April, here at News24, we ditch the pranks to focus on the feel-good factor for what we have dubbed Good News Day. Instead of making you wonder what is fact and what is fiction, we have decided to flood our website with 21 good news offerings. Not even this show is spared. Today on The Lead, Good News Editor Paul Herman joins to chat about a couple from Hartbeespoort saving thousands of wild animals, a cricketing oasis in Khayelitsha and a story of an aunt who scraped together every rand she

en

31:36

Minister Simelane, Vitrovian and the Kusile cash grab

The Lead ·

2025/03/31

Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane is in hot water, again. On Monday, News24's investigations team revealed that the minister bagged a cool R700 000 from an Eskom contractor for an invoice she signed off on in 2011. Vitrovian, an ANC-linked company, scored more than R300 million from Eskom over seven years using inflated invoices." The entire contract... the entire Vitrovian situation should have never happened in the first place. It shouldn't have existed," says News24’s senior

en

17:53

SA steels itself against plant closures

The Lead ·

2025/03/27

Three thousand five hundred jobs hang in the balance if ArcelorMittal were to close its two long steel plants in Vereeniging and Newcastle. Towns will be decimated and local economies crushed. Will the government's plan of hiking steel import tariffs protect local steelmakers' future? This could be critical to saving the country's manufacturing sector and economy, which is already struggling to realise hopes of 2% annual growth. Specialist journalist Lisa Steyn explains the intricacies. Later, we

en

24:05

Diplomatic Dilemma: Trump nominates new SA ambassador

The Lead ·

2025/03/26

It's an extraordinary time for Pretoria and Washington. Both cities' embassies await new diplomats after SA / US relations took a turn for the worse. If the Trump Administration gets its way, senior conservative media man Brent Bozell III, whose son was recently pardoned for storming Capitol Hill, will become the US Ambassador to SA. While here at home, a few big names are doing the rounds to replace our ousted representative, Ebrahim Rasool, including DA stalwart Tony Leon and ANC deputy minister

en

24:52

Will Rassie cull some older Springboks before RWC 2027?

The Lead ·

2025/03/25

The quality of depth in our Springbok men's squad is undoubtedly the envy of every rugby nation. Thanks, in large part, to Rassie Erasmus. But for our more seasoned players, possibly lifting the World Cup for a third time is not a foregone conclusion come the 2027 tournament in Australia. “Erasmus has been the most impossible coach to predict over the last six or seven years. It’s just been surprise, after surprise in everything he’s done,” says News24's Sport Editor, Lloyd Burnard. In this episode

en

129 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS NewsHour

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci