The Lead

100 days to kickoff, here’s your Boks ‘26 test guide

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Let it be known: Thursday, 26 March, marks exactly 100 days before the inaugural Nations Championship kicks off. With one successful alignment camp al...

The ‘Cat’ and a dozen cops in cuffs for alleged graft. Plus: EC ANC mess

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The crucial work by our News24 Investigations team, in collaboration with journalist and author Jeff Wicks, over the past more than three years has fi...

Inside the Bellville South house of horrors

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Every now and then, South Africans are rocked by the depravity of a heinous act of crime. This week, we learnt of a 63-year-old woman who stands accu...

Graft-spotting? Texts reveal ex-Prasa head’s alleged corruption

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What is the public not getting to see after the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) was ordered to keep the findings of a damning forensic i...

Hear from new NPA boss, and the summit births two jobs

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On Day Two of News24’s On The Record jobs summit, we weigh the severe toll crime and corruption have taken on the state of South Africa, and hear fr...

On The Record: Hear insights from Paton, Ramaphosa, Manuel, Kieswetter

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We're a country of around 65 million people. Now, if you consider the expanded definition of unemployment in South Africa, which is nearly 43%, th...

Key ‘hitmen’ in Murray, ‘Witness D’ murders and their tobacco industry links

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This Wednesday on The Lead on News24, we drill down, layer by layer, into two high-profile murder cases: the Murray murders and the killing of the Mad...

Commission continued: Same name, different stories, one rampant police crisis

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From Pretoria to Parliament: we hear from two Fannies in the SAPS this Tuesday. One, a sergeant, Fannie Nkosi, who claims that national deputy top cop...

98 then 94, now 97% complete! Will Jozi’s forensic super lab finally open?

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's meant to revolutionise the processing time it takes to crack critical criminal cases in Gauteng. But no, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, claiming that the...

Mmusi Maimane on the DA’s ‘toxic’ politics and why the N2 wall won’t work

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2011, he was but a DA spokesperson. Today, 15 years later, he's part of a centrist collective of opposition political parties preparing to shak...

ANC-linked Carrim, the ‘Cat’ and Maumela do ‘business’, or is it money laundering?

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

He claims he was caught up in the web of doing business with people he eventually became afraid of disobeying. But the Madlana Commission has put it t...

Should SA shore up its fuel reserves? Plus: Jooste’s mansion sold

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

With global oil prices skyrocketing, largely due to rising conflict in Southwest Asia, South African industry experts are concerned that we should be ...

The Ximba connection exposed in R1.8bn Ekurhuleni toilets tender

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We now know that City of Ekurhuleni financial auditor Mpho Mafole put his life on the line to raise red flags about the metro's R1.8 bn toilets te...

Geordin Hill-Lewis on why he can be SA’s president and the ‘disgraceful’ Steenhuisen vs George spat

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

He’s the preferred candidate whose name is on the lips of many senior DA party members. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis sits down to lunch with T...

Your SA guide to understanding the US, Israel, Iran conflict

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The conflict situation in the Middle East is fluid. South Africans in Dubai and Bahrain tell of the terror of Iran’s retaliatory strikes after Israe...

Arrests as HIV funds wasted on probing health ministry whistleblower

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Senior Health Ministry officials face the music for allegedly siphoning off around a million rand from the Global Fund, which is actually meant to ass...

Jetting off to London and then a fuel tender? Jeff Wicks investigates

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Oh, no, it wasn't a gift… That's the insistence from former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi, who in 2022 hopped on a R3.5-million, pr...

Two sides of a coin? Examining O’Sullivan and Mogotsi

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Are they two sides of a similar coin? Parliamentarians have spent the past few weeks grilling the rather cryptic backgrounds of both investigator Pau...

Tax breaks galore, reforms and economic growth forecast in Budget 2026

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Don’t worry, folks, it appears 2026 is a good news Budget. In a nutshell, Treasury has spared us the pain of universal tax increases, while also int...

The Joburg water crisis is not over

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Coronationville, Westbury and Melville are among the Johannesburg suburbs still suffering from a perpetual water crisis. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesuf...

Alleged bribes, price gouging the locomotives for Prasa deal?

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Multi-millions of our hard-earned taxes have gone towards a mass Metrorail train refurbishment project but allegations of bribery between the contract...

Inside the spectacle that was SONA 2026

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The opening of Parliament, albeit from Cape Town City Hall, is anything but a quiet affair. Let The Lead host, Graeme Raubenheimer, take you inside th...

Special Panel – Will you fix the water crisis, Mr President?

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is The Lead, and this is the South African story. Joining host Graeme Raubenheimer for a special roundtable discussion, asking whether or not Pre...

The reality of KZN’s FMD outbreak. Plus: Tony Leon on next DA leader

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

KwaZulu-Natal has emerged as the epicentre of the current devastating outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among cattle, with farmers, desperate f...

Johannesburg Water strike called off but supply crisis deepens

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We begin this late Tuesday edition of The Lead with breaking news: Johannesburg Water says an unprotected strike by some of its staff has been called...

Red tender flags, yet PP clears Gauteng in Mashatile sons’ deal

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

They scored big contracts with the Gauteng government. And, according to News24 investigations, the Public Protector’s about to clear the province’...

Here we AGOA again, but no silver bullet for US-SA trade

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has now signed off on a new AGOA deal, allowing South Africa duty-free access to the US market. But do not celebrate too qui...

Who succeeds Steenhuisen? With Pieter du Toit and Velani Ludidi

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In an about-turn, John Steenhuisen has decided to bow out as DA leader. It’s left the party’s upcoming elective congress all the more intriguing. ...

Witness F’s WhatsApps to Matlala, Sibiya and Mabuza. Plus: Steenhuisen’s done?

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

They are one of the most critical witnesses yet…In the Madlanga Commission’s view, the implicated police officer known as Witness F was the “go-...

The Cat’s wife’s R3.7m training tender. Plus: Epstein’s SA links

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

While the notorious Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala gunned for dodgy multimillion-rand payouts with the Tembisa Hospital extraction scandal, the police, an...

Is SA getting ‘bad’ cars? With Wendy Knowler and Driving with J9

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we ask: Are we being forced to buy inferior new cars? There’s no sugarcoating the latest crash test results for Hyundai SA’s Grand i10, wh...

No more state deals for ‘Stuttgart’ company tied to Mashatile’s son

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

His son has links to a company that once raked in millions from a questionable Gauteng Health Department contract. Now, this business, tied to Deputy ...

Senona spills on Mkhwanazi’s meeting with ‘Cat’ Matlala

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Madlanga Commission’s work deepens this week with KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss, Lesetja Senona, coming clean on his and his son Thato’s proximity ...

New cellphone data rollover rules explained. Plus: Oscars 2026

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Say you’ve used only a quarter of an expensive data bundle, and its 30-day use period is about to expire? Well, the Independent Communications Auth...

The Lead hits 1 million listens! We cross to Davos for WEF and US-SA trade talks

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Lead on News24 has finally reached more than one million listens, and one million page views, in under a year. Thanks go to all of the excellent ...

From Iran’s navy with love: What’s next? With Carol Paton

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Who, in our country’s signal of command, didn’t get the memo or ignore the president’s order to tell the Iranian navy to pull out of the recent ...

‘Day Zero’ looms large for drought-stricken Knysna

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A real Day Zero scenario looms large for the people of Knysna. Bad seasonal rains, claims of a lack of water infrastructure maintenance – and the us...

More tough questions for Ekhuruleni mayor over DJ’s murder

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There is a long list of burning questions piling up at the door of the Ekhuruleni mayor’s office these days. News24 investigations’ Sikonathi Mant...

‘Cat’ Matlala tried to open an ultra-lux OR Tambo airport terminal

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When the “Cat” wasn’t sneaking his way into the heart of police operations, the controversial tender don was also trying to build a private inte...

Is the ‘prime lending rate’ just a load of BS?

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is the so-called “prime lending rate” – the fancifully advertised rate that banks use as a reference or pegging point to sell bonds and loans to...

Everything you need to know about the 2025 matric results

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Back to school, back to reality…With schools about to reopen, senior education journalist Prega Govender takes stock of the 2025 matric results. Thi...

Is KZN’s paper-thin coalition on the rocks?

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Provincial coalition politics in KwaZulu-Natal are on shaky, uncertain ground, with the small kingmaker National Freedom Party trying to call the shot...

Should SA get involved in the US-Venezuela crisis?

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

While the SACP marched on the US Embassy in Pretoria on Thursday to denounce the Trump administration’s abduction of another sitting head of state, ...

From SIU head to NPA boss, Andy Mothibi’s surprise leap raises eyebrows

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A surprise appointment to be sure… Corruption buster Advocate Andy Mothibi has his work cut out for him as the new head of the National Prosecuting ...

Why are SA shoppers still using savings stamps? With Maya Fisher-French

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In our second edition of the new year so far…They’re by no means a new invention. But they appear to be as popular as ever, according to one major...

Analysing Bafana’s Afcon exit

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to 2026 Lead listeners…From municipal elections to the FIFA World Cup, it is going to be a banger of a year… and we’ll be with you telli...

The government of national unity (barely) survives 2025, with Jan Gerber

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Touch wood, South Africa’s government of national unity has survived 2025. But the tested national coalition between two of the country’s most dev...

Are we turning into an assassination nation? With Sikonathi Mantshantsha

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sadly, assassinations will come to define the 2025 news agenda. From Ekhuruleni financial auditor Mpho Mafole to Brakpan crimefighter Marius van der M...

Jeff Wicks tells us how Vusimusi Matlala became the ‘Cat’

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Vusimusi “the Cat” Matlala has been a name tough to keep out of our top news headlines of 2025. From the Tembisa Hospital extraction scandal to a ...

Woolies cash bags and info peddlers: Madlanga musings with Karyn Maughan

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Another high-profile commission of inquiry wasn’t on our news bingo cards for 2025.But we’re not surprised another one was established, either. Bo...

Revealing ‘Twatterbaas’, the X Boer who hasn’t posted since April

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may be wondering these holidays, around the braai, “hey, I can’t remember but…” what set off the US Trump Administration in 2025 to punish...

Protea fire blazes bright, the Boks’ amazing year and Afcon loading

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When, eventually, we peer back at the annals of South African sport in 2025, cricket will come out tops. That’s the argument from our News24 Sport e...

The toll of Cape Town’s unending gang war

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Western Cape gang crisis is at fever pitch. The latest stats show nearly 100 people were killed in gang violence every month for the past six mont...

Who killed DJ Warras and why? PLUS, meat prices soar

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Media personality turned businessman Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock tasked himself with restoring some order in Johannesburg’s maze of problematic, h...

Pierre de Vos judges the judiciary in 2025. PLUS, KZN legislature chaos 

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you clocked out for the year already? On the beach yet? Switched off? Well, constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos has, but not before giving u...

Can the black middle class save the ANC from collapse? 

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ANC is introspecting. If its National General Council is anything to go by, the continent’s oldest liberation party appears to be serious about ...

Inside the ANC’s soul-searching NGC – vote buying, step-asides and succession

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An end to vote-buying at elective conferences. And a stricter step-aside ruling for those accused of corruption. These are just some of the party poli...

ANC and DA succession races – Didiza rising, Hill-Lewis waiting?

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The DA won’t be led by John Steenhuisen forever, and this is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s final turn at the helm of Africa’s oldest liberation mo...

‘Vlam’ extinguished - why was crimefighter Marius van der Merwe killed?

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nicknamed “vlam”, or flame in English, 41-year-old Brakpan crimefighter Marius van der Merwe was shot and killed last Friday at his home. It’s m...

Dlomo in the dock cracks open SSA looting legacy of the Zuma years

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, he was former president Jacob Zuma’s so-called super spy. Heading up a secretive sub-section of the State Security Agency, all in ...

Families desperate as 17 SA men remain stuck in Russian conflict

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A resignation from Parliament. Charges and counter charges filed. Denials and disappointment. And still, nothing right now can return 17 men to South ...

Gqeberha’s governance crisis: Who can fix the Windy City?

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Broken lamp posts, litter and a good ‘ol serving of corruption….It sounds like the standard recipe for any South African town these days, and Gqeb...

Mayoral misleadings in Mafole murder?

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Greetings from Boksburg on Gauteng’s East Rand, Lead listeners...Today, we get an update from senior investigative journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha...

REWIND: After nearly 50 years of SA TV, can SABC, DStv live on?

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Please note this is an older version of The Lead, reuploaded specifically for our Spotify and Apple listeners. South Africa has been watching televisi...

REWIND: Zuma funder, diamond ‘conman’ Louis Liebenberg’s guitar, pool table under auction

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Please note, this is an older version of The Lead reuploaded specifically for our listeners on Spotify and Apple. He is accused of being one of South ...

REWIND: Why is Riaan Manser going WILD with News24? PLUS: Bafana’s triumph

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Please note, this is an older episode of The Lead we're republishing for your listening pleasure on Spotify and Apple only.. “The outdoors is sc...

The Cat, the Hat and the Woolies shopping bags of money

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Cat, the man with the iconic hat, and black Woolworths shopping bags filled with hard cash. Alleged attempted murderer and tender don Vusimusi “...

Indian fake news farm fuels Sassa lies. PLUS, probing ‘cheap flights’

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did an obscure northern Indian digital agency turn into a global fake news factory spouting all sorts of Sassa nonsense in SA? It’s a burning qu...

Power surge, Carol Paton on Mzansi’s new electricity revolution

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If, like me, you’ve seen these headlines of new independent power producers emerging to feed into the national grid ... and you’re wondering, when...

Ubuntu diplomacy lands at Jozi G20 as US stays away

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first G20 summit on African soil has flown by and, barring the United States’ view, it appears that President Cyril Ramaphosa has come in for ne...

SA’s high stakes G20 and whiplash from Washington

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We start this edition of The Lead tonight with the breaking news from President Cyril Ramaphosa that Washington has done a u-turn and is now showing a...

Unravelling Brown Mogotsi’s conspiracies with Karyn Maughan

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We begin this special edition of The Lead with the very latest charge from Madlanga Commission evidence leader, Matthew Chaskalson, that notorious Nor...

78-year-old District Six resident beats 2023 eviction order

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every now and then, a modern-day David and Goliath story comes along that warms our hearts. Today, this story is about 78-year-old Noor-Banu Allie, a ...

How the DA axed its own minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First came Andrew Whitfield’s axing – and now the DA’s had to see the environment minister, Dion George, fired too. This time for failing to toe...

Lawless lawmen? Inside the AmaPanyaza saga, with Khaya Koko

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They’re called the AmaPanyaza. Meaning: Panyaza’s boys. These are the more than 6 000 anti-crime wardens appointed as a task force in the name of ...

Adriaan Basson calls out SA’s Trump collaborators

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Remember their names: Kallie Kriel, Rob Hersov, Elon Musk. These are just some of the collaborators News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson argues play...

The MKP’s puzzling Russia deployment. PLUS: How to spot AI slop

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We lead today’s show with a News24 exclusive on news that the MK Party flew some of its members to Russia to train as bodyguards only for them to be...

Cat clairvoyance? Matlala bagged clinic lease months before SAPS tender

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just when you thought the Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala saga couldn’t get any more intriguing, it does. Today, specialist investigative journalist Jeff...

Jozi leaders out of office ahead of G20. PLUS: DA, ANC, PA duel for WC

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the Big Smoke to Slaapstad, there’s plenty to unpack politically this week. In Jozi, a temporary leadership vacuum ahead of the G20 Leaders’ ...

BEE makeover - Is Tau’s Transformation Fund glow-up enough?

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau’s dream of realising a massive voluntary fund to uplift small black businesses gets a reality check in this ed...

All aboard? Not quite, as Gautrain stuck in search for new operator

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Democratic South Africa has had such lofty dreams of bullet trains for our now largely decrepit rail network. The Gautrain, though, stands as somewhat...

SARS guns for company linked to Mashatile’s sons. PLUS: Murray murders case restarts

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once a registered South African company trades past R1 million, it is legally required to pay value-added tax (VAT). Tell that to two of the deputy pr...

Rassie’s suprise year-end rookie. PLUS: Black Coffee’s R157m CT villa

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Springbok boys in green and gold go head-to-head with their old foes, the Japanese Cherry Blossoms this 1 November. Coach Rassie Erasmus has alrea...

Poor Economic Empowerment - DA’s answer to BEE. PLUS: Slain auditor update

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On one hand, the ANC’s championing of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) has certainly succeeded in putting money into black people’s ...

Is this why Ekurhuleni auditor Mpho Mafole was assassinated?

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hunted. What was slain auditor Mpho Mafole and his team probing from within the City of Ekurhuleni when he was gunned down in Kempton Park this year?...

Mchunu defends decision to disband PKTT, with Jan Gerber

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He’s been itching to tell his side of the story. Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has been emphatic to Parliamentarians this Thursday that the...

The real costs of the police’s PKTT. PLUS: Bafana’s last chance

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Much of the Madlanga Commission’s focus has been on detailing the events leading up to the disbandment of KwaZulu-Natal’s Political Killings Task ...

Mkhwanazi in Parly. Maumela, Sibiya raids. PLUS: Bafana FIFA preview

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Die poppe is besig om te dans! Translated: the dolls are busy dancing! Which essentially means the chickens have come home to roost. While the SIU r...

More Jozi coalition chaos on the cards? PLUS: Mkhwanazi latest

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The smaller, minority political parties are easily the kingmakers in the City of Johannesburg. Now, though, it has emerged that some of them have sud...

ANC considers changing tack against DA’s Zille in Jozi

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the DA quick out of the gates to deploy one of its most senior members to run for Johannesburg’s mayoral chain, where does this leave the ANC? ...

Meet the monster John Harris (with Jacques Pauw)

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Please note that our top story in The Lead today may upset you. Listeners’ discretion is advised. In short, you’re going to meet the monster John...

Morgan Maumela’s North West hospital hustle, with Jeff Wicks

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He’s been riding high in Lamborghinis, now eyed by investigators for asset seizure. Hangwani Morgan Maumela, the supreme tender don at the centre o...

Mogotsi, Matlala and the ‘Big Five’ criminal cartel

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It is already week three of the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria, and we have witnessed some damning allegations of the criminal capture of the country...

Is SA the next Mexico or Brazil when it comes to contract killings? 

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There are some signs that South Africa is heading down the Latin American route, following the recent assassinations of some key societal figures. Fro...

Police chief Masemola claims Mchunu, Sibiya shielded criminals

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On day five of the Madlanga Commission sitting in Pretoria: South Africa’s police chief, Fannie Masemola, has alleged that his now-suspended deputy,...

Masemola reveals deputy Sibiya probed for alleged criminal syndicate links

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been day four of the Madlanga Commission with our second witness on the stand: national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, who’s since insi...

Mkhwanazi tells Madlanga about Mogotsi’s ‘unfettered’ SAPS access

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Friday marks day three of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into allegations of criminal capture of the country’s criminal justice system. Evidence...

Mkhwanazi guns for NCC MP Fadiel Adams over ‘reckless’ handling of classified info

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s day two of the Madlanga Commission and KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has begun implicating more pub...

Foundation laid on Day 1 of the Madlanga Commission

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time ever, News24’s The Lead has gone live from the source of the story. The News24 team has set up camp at the Brigitte Mabandla Just...

DA envy: Unpacking Ramaphosa’s startling admission with Bongekile Macupe

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a stunning admission rarely seen from any politician in South Africa today, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa conceded that DA municipalities, such as ...