Why do South Africa’s most powerful leaders refuse to act, even in the face of crisis?
In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Corruption Watch Executive Director Lebogang Ramafoko about the Madlanga Commission, political accountability, and the failure of leadership at the highest levels of the state. They unpack why commissions of inquiry rarely lead to consequences, and how party politics overrides the public interest.
From the legacy of Zondo to the cost paid by whistleblowers, this conversation asks a blunt question: when power sits at the fault line between politics and force, who is actually being protected?
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Lebogang Ramafoko
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
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00:50 Reflecting on Recent Events
01:11 The Police Minister Controversy
01:38 Guest Introduction: Lebogang Ramafoko from Corruption Watch
02:00 The Legacy of State Capture
03:30 Systemic Corruption and Its Impact
04:19 The Role of Disinformation
08:48 Economic Inequality and Corruption
12:21 The ANC’s Response to Corruption
14:13 Corruption Beyond the ANC
26:32 The Need for Electoral Reform
28:33 The Ineffectiveness of Commissions
