In this clip from Makin Sense, The Common Sense's flagship podcast, the panel got an in-depth report from James Myburgh on the political history of the Thabo Mbeki and Zuma power struggle at the 2005 National General Council and how Ramaphosa's National General Council was very different to that. He then discusses the fine balance that seems to have been struck within the GNU and its prospects of continuing.

Gabriel adds to this discussion by discussing the widespread support amongst voters for the ANC and DA to work together in a coalition.

Frans Cronje reports on the ANC not paying its staff and the feeling within the party. He then goes on to offer a word of caution to the DA about the rush to dethrone John Steenhuisen and how that might be an imprudent decision. He ends the show by discussing both the newest developments in the Chinese economy and their push to create a new global reserve currency as well as the new US national security strategy.

Simon Lincoln Reader reports from London all about Private Equity in the UK. He explains the recent data indicating that the industry has seen a substantial decline in the UK. He then describes the recent history of British Private equity, he explains the success story of the early days of private equity through the case study of Pret a Manger and then gives the panel an example of how it went wrong. Simon is a financier and co-founder of the dealmaking platform Lofotr Investors. He is international and markets correspondent for The Common Sense and a trustee of the Kay Mason Foundation.

James Myburgh is the Director of the Bremen Centre for Democratic Research (BRE-DE-RE) and editor of politicsweb.co.za . He served as a policy researcher for the Democratic Party in the late 90s. He has a DPhil in Politics from St. Anthony's College Oxford.

Frans Cronje is the Editor of the Common Sense and founder of Frans Cronje private clients. He was the CEO of the South African liberal think-tank the Institute of Race Relations for 8 years.

Gabriel Makin is the CEO of the SRF and Executive producer of The Common Sense. He had previously worked as a barista.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Panel and Topics

02:21 The ANC's National General Council: What Didn't Happen

09:44 The ANC's Current Challenges and Leadership Dynamics

14:48 The DA's Leadership Struggles and Political Landscape

22:28 Public Perception of the GNU and Party Performance

43:44 The DA's Strategic Positioning in South Africa

48:04 Transitioning to International Perspectives

48:24 Understanding Private Equity in the UK

01:02:32 The Future of the UK Economy

01:13:18 China's Economic Developments and Global Influence

01:23:52 Shifts in US National Security Strategy