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Democracy Unplugged brings together thought leaders, activists and influencers to untangle the threads of democratic principles, dissect current challenges, and envision what our future could look like. Join the conversation as our panels delve into current affairs, political dynamics and social issues.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Democracy Unplugged tests South African political arguments against service delivery, institutional responsibility and the practical demands of democratic accountability.
Democracy Unplugged turns public questions into moderated panel discussions, with political representatives, business voices and technology specialists asked to defend their positions before an audience.
A borehole becomes an argument about accountability; you get the awkward follow-up questions.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A Joburg mayoral debate that becomes a sharper argument about local leadership and party renewal.
Democracy Unplugged treats the Joburg mayoral race as a test of local democracy: who gets chosen, who gets recycled, and how well the media helps voters make sense of the field.
A sharp Joburg election discussion that keeps dragging politics back to delivery and accountability.
The discussion makes local government feel immediate: who gets to run Joburg, why parties keep recycling familiar names, and whether voters are being asked to choose from a narrowed field.
A year-end political conversation that still feels unsettled.
Mike Sham closes 2025 on an unsettled note, and that feels like the point. He and his guest work through the GNU, the sense that the country is talking to itself again, and the worry that not everyone has adjusted to the new reality.
A grounded look at South Africa's G20 moment, with attention to entrepreneurs, implementation and local economic realities.
This conversation treats South Africa's G20 moment less as pageantry and more as a test of purpose. It stays with Asilia Mata-Ubise and Startup20, and with the link between solidarity, equality and sustainability on the one hand, and the practical work of helping entrepreneurs,…
A grounded student discussion of South African politics, shaped by safety, funding, voting fatigue, and missing priorities.
This student-led discussion of South African politics stays focused on the pressures young people are naming for themselves: safety, funding, voting fatigue, and whether manifestos match lived experience.
A plainspoken budget debate that keeps the human cost of policy in view.
The episode treats the budget as a blunt test of whether South Africa is moving toward the high road or the low road to hardship. After the finance minister's speech, it keeps coming back to a simple question: does this spending plan make life better, or does it only look…
A serious look at South Africa's illicit economy and the costs it imposes.
Democracy Unplugged looks at South Africa's illicit economy and the strain it puts on public life. It moves through illegal mining, counterfeit goods, cigarette smuggling, and state capture networks, then widens to inequality, undocumented movement, broken infrastructure, and a…
A sober look at accountability as old political certainties start to crack.
Democracy Unplugged treats South Africa's political moment as a test of voter discipline, not party branding. With the ANC no longer holding a majority and power now shared in a government of national unity, it asks what accountability looks like when old habits still run deep.
Combative civics for an unstable political moment.
Homespun conservative reactions to public disorder.
Antiwar interviews without institutional politeness.
Georgia politics, climbing fast.
Practical tech, local questions, plain answers.
Campaign mechanics, without the polish.
Democracy Unplugged gathers Timothy Maurice with AI integrations manager George Nickers, AI and tech thought leader Callan Abrams, and futurist Mushambe Mutuma to ask how businesses, workers, and South Africa should respond to AI.
This segment discusses the debate in parliament over amendments to the tobacco bill, focusing on balancing public health objectives with personal freedoms and the role of minority parties in advocating for practical, common-sense legislation.
Democracy Unplugged opens with a global frame: Trump’s MAGA movement in the U.S., European nationalism, Southern Africa’s liberation parties losing ground, and the ANC losing its majority in South Africa.
Xavier B.
South Africa is hosting the G20 for the first time on the African continent, and Asilia Mata-Ubise says the country is using Startup20 to widen the agenda beyond tech startups to MSMEs, township businesses, and rural enterprises.
Sabelo Sekete, Solim Simang, and Mai Lhomet Jwete use Johannesburg's 2026 mayoral race to argue about service delivery, voter behavior, and party strategy.
Democracy Unplugged’s "Municipal Meltdown: Part 2" centers on local government as the place where "dignity lives or dies," with water, potholes, safety, and service delivery used as the concrete test.
Floyd Shivambu frames Afrika Mayibuya as a movement built around land redress, black economic solidarity, and “economic freedom in our lifetime,” while describing South Africa as still shaped by colonial dispossession and deep inequality.
Mati Diso Lengwasa of Section 27 says the real test of SONA 2025 health promises is not the rhetoric around NHI, hospital infrastructure, and PEPFAR, but whether money was actually spent.
What do Gauteng voters want?
Why Johannesburg, and why now?
Democracy Unplugged speaks with ATM leader Vuyo Zungula about parliament, coalition politics, and why he believes South Africa needs a “new type of political leadership.” He says he entered parliament in 2019 after his party formed in 2018, expected an ideas-based chamber, and instead found party loyalty and heckling shaping how politics works.
The year will not tie itself up.
Panel discussion exploring South Africa's education crisis following matric results.
Democracy Unplugged frames South Africa’s illegal mining crisis as a question of crime versus economic desperation, with Hotato Ndengetwa and Sabelo Mguni unpacking the difference between artisanal mining and syndicate-run operations.
South Africa's budget gets a rough public hearing.
This episode examines South Africa's declining defense capacity and its impact on foreign policy, featuring guests Frank Ntwali and Ricardo Teixeira.
Justice Malala frames Democracy Unplugged around a Business for South Africa press conference, Cyril Ramaphosa’s 'bomb squad,' and the question of why business is trying to help fix Johannesburg while government and the mayor already have that job.
Democracy Unplugged centers on an urgent conversation about South Africa’s illicit economy.
Three guests join a studio conversation about the 2026 local government election and the fight for Johannesburg.
Commonwealth law enforcement expert Rohan Paik discusses illicit tobacco as organized crime funding mechanism.
This episode analyzes a viral video of ANC members distributing bread with campaign slogans, sparking debate on poverty politics and dignity.
South African political debate featuring four party leaders (Patriotic Alliance, African Transformation Movement, Democratic Alliance, Build One South Africa) discussing local government elections.
Level Up podcast explores how laws get made in South Africa.
Dr.
Three student leaders sit down to talk about youth politics.
A panel discussion with political candidates and a voter about the state of democracy and local issues in Gauteng, South Africa.
A discussion on the state of whistleblower protections in South Africa four years after the murder of Babita Diokoran.
An interview with Laki Mondana about his shift from ANC to MK party and his views on South Africa's political future.
A panel of experts discusses the outcomes and effectiveness of South Africa's first national convention on democracy.
A panel discussion on the state of women's rights in South Africa 30 years after the Beijing Declaration, exploring whether conditions have improved for women.
A live podcast discussing recent news events, including an attempted assassination and the Russia-Ukraine war, with a focus on political and social issues.
A political talk show host interviews a controversial commentator about current events and social issues.
A live news and politics show discussing current events in South Africa and the world, featuring an interview with journalist Mandy Wiener.
The host and guest troubleshoot audio distortion and robot voice issues at the start of a podcast recording.
A pre-election special featuring election analysts discussing the upcoming vote and political landscape.