This Is Politics SA Podcast

Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni and the Missing Prosecutor

A prosecutor vanishes. A magistrate throws out the case. One of the most feared men in Mpumalanga walks free. This week on This Is Politics, Justice Malala and Mondli Makhanya unpack the extraordinary courtroom drama involving Joe Ferrari Sibanyoni, the missing prosecutor, and the growing questions around South Africa’s justice system. Was this incompetence? Institutional collapse? Or something even more troubling? The conversation goes far beyond one courtroom and asks a deeper question: can ordinary South Africans still trust the administration of justice?

Nobody Wants Cyril Ramaphosa To Fall

The Constitutional Court has thrown the Phalaphala matter back into Parliament and suddenly Cyril Ramaphosa’s biggest political scandal is alive again. In this explosive episode of This Is Politics SA, Justice Malala and Mondli Makhanya unpack what the judgment really means, why the ANC is rallying around Ramaphosa, and whether South Africa’s political elite are protecting the President because they fear what comes next. From Arthur Fraser’s role in exposing the scandal to the ANC’s history of shielding its leaders, the conversation asks the uncomfortable question: if Phalaphala “stinks”, why does nobody want Cyril to fall?

SA ATTACKS: IT’S NOT XENOPHOBIA, IT’S STATE FAILURE

Why are South Africans angry at immigrants and are they blaming the wrong people? In this episode of This Is Politics, Justice Malala and Mondli Makhanya ask a controversial question: what was Cyril Ramaphosa doing visiting Emmerson Mnangagwa privately at a time when Zimbabwe’s political crisis continues to drive migration into South Africa? As anti-immigrant sentiment rises ahead of the November 4 elections, the discussion expands into Operation Dudula, political opportunism, and growing public anger. But at its core, this episode challenges the narrative: if leadership failures both in South Africa and Zimbabwe created this crisis, why is the anger directed at those fleeing it?

The ANC-SACP Split Explained & Corruption in SAPS

In this episode of This Is Politics South Africa, Justice Malala and Mondli Makhanya examine the growing fracture between the ANC and the South African Communist Party, placing it in historical context and questioning whether the split has real political consequences. The discussion also turns to corruption within the police, and what it reveals about the state of governance and accountability in South Africa. With a focus on analysis rather than noise, the episode explores whether these developments signal meaningful change or simply the continuation of a deeper systemic decline.

When Impunity Meets the Law: Julius Malema Sentenced

In this episode of This Is Politics South Africa, Justice Malala and Mondli Makhanya unpack the explosive sentencing of Julius Malema, who has been handed a five-year prison term for unlawful possession of a firearm. The discussion traces his political rise from the Congress of South African Students to leading the Economic Freedom Fighters, exploring the long-standing perception of impunity that has followed him throughout his career. The hosts examine whether his legal and political strategy backfired, the risks of turning a courtroom battle into a political stage, and what this moment means for accountability, leadership, and the future of South African politics.