Shows / Democracy Unplugged
Democracy Unplugged
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.
Episodes
- Democracy Unplugged
Power behind closed doors - TJ Masilela on South African politics
What really happens behind the scenes in South African politics? And how much of what we see is politics as usual, and how much is political performance? Phumi…
- Democracy Unplugged
Power, Promises & the People - Local Government Elections 2026
As South Africa heads towards the 2026 local government elections, Siya Sangweni brings political parties in Cape Town together for one last, important…
- Democracy Unplugged
How do the numbers impact your vote? Decoding the upcoming elections
What do the numbers tell us about Johannesburg’s local elections? Political and economic analyst Paul Berkowitz joins Phumi Mashigo to unpack the data behind…
- Democracy Unplugged
Who Gets Your Vote? A look at politicians’ promises
How do you decide who gets your vote? With South Africa’s political landscape offering more choices than ever, understanding what political parties actually…
- Democracy Unplugged
The Race to Run Johannesburg - Your City, Their Plan
Johannesburg needs a mayor. But what does each candidate believe is broken, what do they want the city to become, and who pays for their plans? In this…
- Democracy Unplugged
Heritage, identity and where to from here?
As South Africa marks Heritage Day, Phumi Mashigo is joined by Zulu Royal Historian and author Shalo Mbatha to ask: what kind of South Africa are we building…
- Democracy Unplugged
50 Days to Go: SA Politics Heats Up
With local government elections less than 50 days away, the political temperature is rising. Phumi Mashigo sits down with Justice Malala and Mondli Makhanya to…
- Democracy Unplugged
The ANC Is Falling Apart. Who Takes Its Place?
With the local government elections less than 50 days away, South Africa's political landscape is heating up. This week Phumi Mashigo speaks to Justice Malala…
- Democracy Unplugged
Is Tobacco Policy Going Up in Smoke?
Can South Africa get tobacco policy right? What do these decisions mean for you? Phumi Mashigo speaks to Prof Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, Professor of Public Health with…
- Democracy Unplugged
The Politics of Protest: 10 Years After #FeesMustFall
Ten years after #FeesMustFall, does protest still have the power to change South Africa? From the Wits campus to the streets, student activism has shaped some…
- Democracy Unplugged
Who will take back our streets?
When basic services fail, corruption takes root and criminal networks become more powerful, what happens to the communities left behind? Phumi Mashigo speaks…
- Democracy Unplugged
The Big Debate - Who do you trust to lead our cities?
Who do you trust to lead our cities? As we wrap Women’s Month, meet the women vying to shape futures as host Phumi Mashigo profiles female mayoral candidates…
- Democracy Unplugged
Lukhona Mnguni on the Fight to Fix Johannesburg
Is Johannesburg ready for a new kind of political leadership? Lukhona Mnguni joins Phumi Mashigo to unpack his vision for the city, from cleaner and safer…
- Democracy Unplugged
Why is Durban in crisis?
What has gone wrong in Durban, and what will it take to fix the city? Phumi Mashigo speaks to the Democratic Alliance’s Haniff Hoosen about the challenges…
- Democracy Unplugged
Does the world understand Israel?
Why does Israel believe the world misunderstands its actions? Phumi Mashigo gets into a conversation about this with Ambassador Mark Regev, one of Israel's…
- Democracy Unplugged
Who Belongs? Who Decides?
In this episode we bring together political leaders and commentators for an unfiltered discussion on one of South Africa's most pressing and divisive issues…
- Democracy Unplugged
A Nation Under Pressure
Are we paying enough attention to the warning signs? With crime, protest, poverty, and public trust being increasingly intertwined, Phumi Mashigo speaks to two…
- Democracy Unplugged
Is JHB ready for new leadership? With Build One SA’s Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster
What does Johannesburg need most right now? Better management, bold ideas, or both? Phumi Mashigo speaks with Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster about her journey into…
- Democracy Unplugged
What Does America’s 250th Anniversary Really Mean?
Can a nation built on freedom still be grappling with who truly belongs? As the United States marks 250 years of independence, Phumi Mashigo unpacks the…
- Democracy Unplugged
The Illegal Immigration Tipping Point with Rebone Tau
What sparked the illegal immigration protests? Recent protests across the country have exposed growing frustrations around illegal immigration, service…
- Democracy Unplugged
Politics, Labour and Leadership with MK Party's Patrick Motubase
What lessons can be drawn from decades spent in activism, labour movements, government, and politics? Patrick Motubase joins Phumi Mashigo for a wide-ranging…
- Democracy Unplugged
Inherited freedom or unfinished business?
As South Africa reflects on five decades since the Soweto Uprising, a critical question remains: have young people inherited freedom, or unfinished business?…
- Democracy Unplugged
Youth Month, Broken Promises and the Fight for Change
What happens when a student activist enters the political establishment? Naledi Chirwa-Mpungose joins Phumi Mashigo for a wide-ranging discussion on power…
- Democracy Unplugged
Did the Youth of 1976 Get the SA They Fought For?
50 years later - has South Africa kept its promise to the youth? As South Africa marks Youth Month, Phumi Mashigo sits down with Seth Mazibuko, one of the…
- Democracy Unplugged
What Would Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Want Us to Remember Today?
How do the descendants of South Africa’s most famous freedom fighters understand freedom in today's world? Phumi Mashigo speaks with Princesses Swati…
- Democracy Unplugged
Survival or strategy? SA’s informal economy
South Africa's informal economy is everywhere - from taxi ranks and pavement stalls to township salons and spaza shops. But is it simply a response to…
- Democracy Unplugged
Can the Constitution Still Save South Africa?
What happens when one of the world’s most progressive constitutions collides with corruption, inequality and political dysfunction? In this week’s episode…
- Democracy Unplugged
From "New Dawn” to Political Crossroads
Did South Africans buy into hope, only to end up confronting more political disappointment? Phumi Mashigo dives into President Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala fallout…
- Democracy Unplugged
Can the gap between education policy and delivery finally be closed?
Following our previous education discussion, a clearer picture begins to emerge: one defined not just by underperformance, but by mounting pressure. Demand is…
- Democracy Unplugged
Democracy vs Reality: Why South Africans Are Losing Faith in Voting
South Africa is a young democracy, yet its voters are ageing while optimism continues to fade. Every election cycle raises the same concerns about youth…
- Democracy Unplugged
Has education transformation worked?
What has 30 years of education reform in South Africa actually produced? For more than three decades, James Urdang has worked at the intersection of education…
- Democracy Unplugged
Broken basics: who’s responsible?
Who is responsible when service delivery stops working, and how do we fix it? Phumi Mashigo moderates this timely conversation with a panel of politicians on…
- Democracy Unplugged
The Constitution Promises Housing… So Why Are South Africans Still Fighting Evictions?
Nearly 30 years into democracy, why are housing rights still being fought for in court? Housing is a constitutional right in South Africa, yet for millions of…
- Democracy Unplugged
Tobacco Bill Chaos: You Could Be Arrested for Smoking in Your Own Car
In this episode, Phumi sits down with a parliamentarian to unpack the real impact of the bill, from controversial definitions of “smoking” to the unintended…
- Democracy Unplugged
What matters to South Africa’s youth?
What do young South Africans really want from politics today? Recorded live at University of Johannesburg, Phumi Mashigo places students at the centre of the…
- Democracy Unplugged
A loaf of bread and a broken political system... with Build One South Africa's Tsepo Mhlongo
A loaf of bread can feed a family for a day - but can it fix a broken political system? A video showing people wearing African National Congress (ANC) regalia…
- Democracy Unplugged
South Africa’s illegal mining crisis, and why you should care about this
What really drives South Africa’s illegal mining crisis, and how does this impact you? Phumi Mashigo investigates the complex world of so-called “zama zama”…
- Democracy Unplugged
SA’s budget: Fragile or fixable?
Is South Africa’s economy on the brink of renewal, or just surviving? Directly after Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered his 2026 Budget Speech, political…
- Democracy Unplugged
Inside SA's budget choices
Is South Africa’s national budget really working for our households? Phumi Mashigo examines what a truly community-centred national budget would look like…
- Democracy Unplugged
What has changed since SONA 2025?
What has been delivered since the last State of the Nation (SONA), and what does that mean for ordinary South Africans? In his address last year, the President…
- Democracy Unplugged
SA’s Water Emergency, with Phumi Mashigo and WaterCAN's Dr Ferrial Adam
What has changed since last year’s State of the Nation (SONA) promises? At last year’s SONA, water infrastructure was particularly framed as a national…
- Democracy Unplugged
The state of SA’s defence force, with Frank Ntwali & Ricardo Teixeira
Can South Africa defend human rights without the power to enforce them? South Africa speaks confidently about justice, peace, and human rights on the world…
- Democracy Unplugged
If democracy is changing, are we changing with it?
This edition of Democracy Unplugged is a forward-looking conversation on where South Africa, and the world, is headed politically. Phumi Mashigo picks the…
- Democracy Unplugged
Is SA’s education system broken? With Hendrick Makaneta and Dr Linda Meyer
Higher education in South Africa - are we future-proofing the country, or stuck in an old system? Just after the grade 12 results have been released, Phumi…
- Democracy Unplugged
Who really writes our laws? With RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana and The New South Institute’s Ivor Chipkin
How do South Africa’s laws and policies come to be, and what can you do to be part of the change? Phumi Mashigo dives into the stages and processes involved in…
- Democracy Unplugged
Power, institutions, and incentives with Dr Levy Ndou
What should citizens be watching — not emotionally, but analytically — as we head into 2026? Kicking off the new political year, Phumi Mashigo speaks to Dr…
- Democracy Unplugged
Mike Sham wraps up 2025 - where do we go from here?
What can we learn from 2025 to anticipate where the world is going next year? In this year-end conversation, State of the Nation host Mike Sham joins Phumi…
- Democracy Unplugged
Municipal Meltdown: Part 2
What will it take to turn South Africa’s municipal crisis around? Can local government still be rescued before the 2026 elections? In this follow-up episode of…
Democracy UnpluggedThe AI Reality Check - Are We Ready for 2026?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is re-writing the rules. Are we ready? In this episode of Democracy Unplugged Timothy Maurice Webster leads a dynamic conversation…
- Democracy Unplugged
Conviction or convenience - what drives Floyd Shivambu?
What does South Africa need now, according to Floyd Shivambu? And will he be the answer to our political problems? Phumi Mashigo unpacks the evolution behind…
- Democracy Unplugged
Can Helen Zille Really Save Johannesburg?
Johannesburg is falling apart - power cuts, potholes, broken pipes, waste piling up, and corruption choking the city that once symbolised South Africa’s…
- Democracy Unplugged
Local Government – Down but not out
Local government is meant to be the heartbeat of democracy. But as cities crumble, services collapse, and trust erodes, South Africans are asking: can our…
- Democracy Unplugged
How to break the corruption chain, with Xavier Bapoo, Stefan Grobler and Mike Bolhuis
What does it really take to root out corruption in South Africa? Stand-in host Xavier Bapoo speaks to former South African Police Service (SAPS)…
- Democracy Unplugged
South Africa's voice in the G20
What does South Africa’s G20 presidency mean for the country’s future? In this episode of LevelUp, Phumi speaks with Ercilia Mata Ubisse, Regional Head for the…
- Democracy Unplugged
Morals in Dirty Politics | With ATM's Vuyo Zungula
How does a values-based politics survive in a system built on power and pragmatism? And what drives a leader who still speaks of conviction in an age of…
- Democracy Unplugged
Who’s Really Calling the Shots? With Mayihlome Tshwete, Sunday Times' Sabelo Skiti and News24's Bongekile Macupe
Is local government failing the people? Part two of our discussion on local government - Phumi Mashigo discusses this with Sabelo Skiti, Sunday Times…
- Democracy Unplugged
Can business save South Africa?
South Africa is running out of time. Load shedding, unemployment, corruption, crumbling infrastructure - the challenges keep stacking up. But can business step…
- Democracy Unplugged
Fake cigarettes financing terror | With commonwealth law enforcement, Rohan Pike
How do criminals exploit borders, trade systems, and corruption to move their money? For most of us the idea of ‘fake’ cigarettes and illicit trade really came…
- Democracy Unplugged
Media, Mayors & Missed Chances: A Joburg Dilemma
Is Helen Zille right for mayor of JHB? Has the mainstream media left us in the lurch when thinking about our choices? And has the ANC abandoned its post when…
- Democracy Unplugged
Media, Mayors & Missed Chances: A Joburg Dilemma
Is Helen Zille right for mayor of JHB? Has the mainstream media left us in the lurch when thinking about our choices? And has the ANC abandoned its post when…