Eusebius on TimesLIVE

Unpacking the legal challenge against public enterprises and Eskom

TimesLIVE contributor and analyst Eusebius McKaiser examines the legal action being initiated against the department of public enterprises and Eskom in this audio explainer. Political parties, unionists and civil society bodies have sent a letter of demands to the two in an attempt to halt rolling blackouts. However, they are…

17 Jan 21 min

Bonang Mohale: ANC can’t run a conference and can’t fix the state

Business Unity South Africa president Bonang Mohale joined Eusebius McKaiser to discuss his recent opinion piece (https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2022-12-15-the-anc-cannot-fix-itself-south-africas-last-hope-is-business/ ) in which he argued the ANC cannot fix itself. Instead, he is of the view business is South Africa’s last hope. The discussion starts with an analysis of the ANC’s recent elective…

6 Jan 43 min

“I'm married to an Indian woman so I'm not racist!”

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, he was joined by founding CEO of Diversi-T Terry Oakley-Smith to examine a range of issues on antiracism. Bringing her wealth of experience to bear on the conversation, Oakley-Smith started by explaining how little cross-racial contact and lack of early formation of cross-racial friendships…

5 Jan 34 min

Media coverage of Maselspoort racist attack is too tame

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, podcast host Eusebius McKaiser wears his hat as a political analyst and reviews the coverage of what happened at a resort in the Free State recently. McKaiser argues and explains how certain frameworks chosen by reporters, subeditors, and editors unwittingly water down the…

29 Dec 2022 30 min

ANC's top 7 is neither a win for the ANC nor the country 

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, he is joined by seasoned journalists Sam Mkokeli and Sabelo Skiti. They bring their collective institutional memories to bear on a range of questions: Who are the characters in the top 7? What do we know about their track records? Are they fit…

20 Dec 2022 33 min

Ramaphosa's political report embellishes reality

In this short piece of audio analysis, TimesLIVE contributor and analyst Eusebius McKaiser summarises what President Cyril Ramaphosa set out to achieve in his political report at the African National Congress' elective conference. McKaiser argues, with examples to that end, that while Ramaphosa cited some details of the ANC government's…

16 Dec 2022 16 min

Deputy minister of justice on why sex work should be decriminalised

Though constitutional processes necessitate government not putting the cart before the horse and engaging the public on proposed changes to the law, it is clear the government favours the decriminalisation of sex work. In this short edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, our contributor and analyst explains the Constitutional Court’s legal…

15 Dec 2022 28 min

Explained: The Janusz Waluś judgment is based on solid legal reasoning

In this short edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE, our contributor and analyst explains the Constitutional Court’s legal reasoning that resulted in an order that SACP leader Chris Hani’s assassin, Janusz Waluś, should be freed on parole. He explains why, in his view, the decision is legally sound in terms of…

22 Nov 2022 24 min

Eusebius McKaiser in conversation with Jacques Pauw

In the latest edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE he is joined by journalist and author Jacques Pauw to discuss his new book, Our Poisoned Land. It is a sequel to his previous bestseller, The President's Keepers. McKaiser engaged Pauw on many themes and questions which included, amongst others, the following:…

21 Nov 2022 36 min

Did you know, dear voter, that coalition politics is not about you?

Eusebius McKaiser invited TimesLIVE editor Makhudu Sefara to discuss a TimesLIVE editorial that caught the podcast host’s attention. Sefara explains the editorial’s logic in support of the view that the politics playing out in Gauteng metros show political parties only care about power play and careerism, rather than about residents…

11 Nov 2022 23 min

New polling data: here's what politicians should know about voters

Lukhona Mnguni, head of research at Rivonia Circle, joined Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast to discuss the results of polling data and other research his organisation commissioned and worked on with Ipsos. The discussion started with an explanation of the research methodology. McKaiser pressure-tested the integrity of political polling…

10 Nov 2022 49 min

OPINION | What's the meaning of Zuma’s weekend rant?

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE the host offers his political interpretation, with which listeners of the podcast can wrestle, about former president Jacob Zuma's press conference this past weekend. McKaiser believes Zuma had two intentions: a desire to influence discourse about his political biography, and an attempt to influence…

24 Oct 2022 23 min

Heard the joke about Bain & Co South Africa being a victim of state capture?

Bain released a statement in which they asked the government to repeal a decision to ban the company from doing business with the state for 10 years. The decision was made because Bain has been implicated in state capture, but the company insists it is innocent. In a recent press…

14 Oct 2022 37 min

Helen Zille is a gift to the ANC

In this edition of Eusebius on TimesLIVE he analyses a controversial tweet DA leader Helen Zille aligned herself with. McKaiser argues why the tweet is not innocuous, but rather reveals a social conservatism and ahistoricism on the part of Zille. He teases out the implications for both the DA’s general…

12 Oct 2022 23 min

How to steal an election

Terry Tselane, former vice-chairperson of the Electoral Commission (IEC) and executive chairperson of the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa, joined Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast. Looking ahead to the 2024 national elections, they discussed whether electoral processes in SA are beyond reproach, or whether elections could conceivably…

3 Oct 2022 39 min

Is the ANC leadership battle a contest between deplorables?

Mike Siluma, deputy editor of The Sunday Times, and Susan Booysen, well-known political analyst, joined Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast to discuss the current state of ANC leadership battles. The impetus for this episode of the podcast is the press statement this past week by former president Jacob Zuma…

30 Sep 2022 35 min

Richard Calland answers questions about the Phala Phala panel

University of Cape Town law professor Richard Calland is no longer going to serve on the panel tasked with a preliminary inquiry into a motion in terms of section 89 of the constitution. This motion relates to the Phala Phala controversy around president Cyril Ramaphosa. Some political parties had objected…

27 Sep 2022 33 min

Excited about Mmusi Maimane's return to electoral politics?

Former DA leader Mmusi Maimane told TimesLIVE contributor and analyst Eusebius McKaiser why he decided to register a political party to contest the 2024 elections. On Eusebius on TimesLIVE, Maimane argues that communities are disempowered by the electoral system, which is why he focused his energies, after exiting formal politics…

23 Sep 2022 22 min

EXPLAINER | Political chaos in Nelson Mandela Bay

Eusebius on TimesLIVE hosted Rochelle de Kock (editor, The Herald) and Andisa Bonani (senior political reporter, The Herald) to explain and debate this week's political drama in Nelson Mandela Bay. The municipality has a new mayor, the DA's Retief Odendaal, who replaces the ANC's Eugene Johnson. She was removed in…

23 Sep 2022 34 min

IFP spokesperson struggles to justify murder accusation

IFP spokesperson and MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa joined analyst and broadcaster Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast to explain why the party is marching to City Press this Friday. Mkhuleko was at pains to explain they are doing so “as a last resort” in response to multiple “unsubstantiated” claims and “blatant…

15 Sep 2022 47 min