VIDES
Bheki Mahlobo: South Africa’s Investment Rate Has Fallen. The Consequences Have Been Dire
Bheki Mahlobo explains to Gabriel Makin what South Africa’s low rate of investment means for the country.
2 days ago
17 min
Wandile Sihlobo: The State Is Finally Handing Farmers the Title Deeds to Its Land
The state is releasing millions of hectares of land – will it make a difference?
3 days ago
17 min
Jacob Zuma and What Might Have Been
In this astonishing exchange Frans Cronje and the panel talk about Jacob Zuma and how if elite society and the business had not "treated him like a goat herder from Zululand who did not belong in the same rarified air as they did," South Africa's future might have been different. Frans talks about the first serious investor event that he and John Kane-Berman arranged for Zuma and of how surprised people were at their advice that Zuma would be president. Frans talks of how hurt Zuma later became at the manner in which elite society responded to his succeeding Thabo Mbeki and what the consequences of that ultimately were.
4 days ago
7 min
Wandile Sihlobo: Half Your Bread Is Imported as Wheat Harvest Hits Eight-Year Low
South Africa is harvesting record maize and soybean crops, but its smallest wheat crop in eight years could push up imports, but Wandile Sihlobo explains why consumers need not panic.
9 days ago
12 min
The Common Sense's Latest Scenarios: Reform Now Less Likely
In this subscribers-only video Frans Cronje discusses the latest scenarios from The Common Sense and explains what has changed.
10 days ago
26 min
Investors Think South Africa Is Safe Again. November's Elections Could Prove Them Wrong
Bheki Mahlobo explains to Gabriel Makin why markets might be underestimating South Africa's risk premium.
16 days ago
20 min
Cape Town Just Beat Race-Based Procurement at the Constitutional Court
Frans Cronje talks about the Western Cape and Cape Town governments striking a blow against race-based procurement regulations.
18 days ago
5 min
How South Africa's Farm Murders Began and Why the ANC Stopped Fighting Them
In a speech in Washington DC Dr James Myburgh talks about the history of farm murders in South Africa.
19 days ago
10 min
Frans Cronje: Why the DA Could Be Right to Walk Out of the GNU
In this clip from Talking Sense, Frans Cronje explains why it could make sense for the DA to leave national government.
21 days ago
6 min
The ANC Has Lost South Africa's Cities. Is the Country Next?
Marius Roodt talks to Gabriel Makin about how the DA is now bigger than the ANC in South Africa’s cities.
22 days ago
10 min
More than 60% of ANC Voters Support America's BEE Demand
New polling shows South Africans back Washington's demands on BEE and expropriation, and the support crosses every race and party line.
24 days ago
7 min
Americans Are Trying to Buy the Springboks
In this clip from Talking Sense Frans Cronje talks about the commercial potential of the Springboks.
25 days ago
10 min
ANC's End Game, Enclaves, and What America Wants From SA (Q&A)
Frans Cronje and Gabriel Makin answer your questions.
26 days ago
1h 5m
South Africans Owe Their Municipalities R470 Billion
Terence Corrigan tells Gabriel Makin how we can fix local government.
27 days ago
54 min
Private Money Runs This Public Beach
The Common Sense Senior Editor Warwick Grey went to uMhlanga and saw enclavisation in action. He tells Gabriel Makin what he saw.
28 days ago
10 min
South Africans Are Poorer In 2026 Than In 2008
Bheki Mahlobo explains to Gabriel Makin why you are getting poorer.
September 17, 2026
8 min
The Massive Election Problem No One Is Talking About
A little-known electoral flaw could hand control of your council to a party with just a quarter of the vote.
September 16, 2026
1 min
The Economics of Domestic Workers
What does it really cost to survive as a domestic worker in South Africa, and why does working full-time on the minimum wage still leave them short?
September 15, 2026
13 min
How To Thrive In South Africa's Enclave Future: (Members Special)
A practical, step-by-step guide to what middle-class families must do to thrive as the old Union of South Africa gives way to the enclave future.
September 14, 2026
53 min
One Hundred Municipalities Won’t Have a Majority
Marius Roodt and Gabriel Makin discuss the upcoming local government elections where a record number of councils will see no party win a majority.
September 10, 2026
14 min
The DA Declared R104m in Donations. The ANC, MKP, and EFF: R0
In this clip from Talking Sense, Frans Cronje looks at ANC administrative chaos while James Myburgh talks about the latest party funding declarations.
September 8, 2026
10 min
Motsepe, Enclaves, and The Future of South Africa (Answering Your Questions)
In this special TCS podcast Frans Cronje answers viewers' questions.
September 7, 2026
32 min
Why Are South Africa's Murders Suddenly Falling?
In this clip from Talking Sense James Myburgh discusses the latest crime statistics which show the number of murders in South Africa declining.
September 6, 2026
9 min
We Ran the Farm Murder Numbers Using The Police's Own Data
Reine Opperman talks to Gabriel Makin about the very high risk farmers, of all races, face.
September 4, 2026
11 min
More Than 80% of ANC Supporters Want a Municipal Deal With the DA
Marius Roodt tells Gabriel Makin about polling that shows most voters in South Africa want to see the ANC and DA working together at local government level.
September 3, 2026
13 min
South Africa's White Population Is Disappearing
Reine Opperman talks to Gabriel Makin about South Africa's changing demographics.
September 1, 2026
9 min
The ANC Has Ignored Mandela's Warning
Bheki Mahlobo talks to Gabriel Makin about a warning by Nelson Mandela on South Africa's finances which has been ignored.
August 31, 2026
16 min
The Constitutional Court Wrecked South Africa's Economy
In this clip from Talking Sense the panel discusses the hammer blow struck by the Constitutional Court against South Africa's economy.
August 26, 2026
10 min
Did the ANC Ever Deliver?
Richard Tren and James Myburgh discuss the ANC’s record shortly after it came to power.
August 25, 2026
10 min
DA Keeps Cape Town
Marius Roodt tells Gabriel Makin about modelling by an elections analyst which shows that the DA is likely to retain Cape Town with a majority in the November election.
August 24, 2026
10 min
Is The Common Sense Too Soft on the ANC? Frans Cronje Answers the Critics
Frans Cronje's talks to Gabriel Makin about The Common Sense's view of the ANC.
August 23, 2026
13 min
Could MK Lead South Africa? The One Mistake That Sank the ANC and the EFF
The MKP now holds two thirds of the ANC’s support among black voters, and Frans Cronje says there is one thing to watch to know whether it could come to lead South Africa.
August 20, 2026
7 min
How Oil and Gas Could Have Cut South Africa's Unemployment From 33% to 20%
Frans Cronje and Gabriel Makin discuss what South Africa's oil reserves could do for the economy.
August 20, 2026
6 min
The Two South Africas: 10% Unemployment for Graduates, 40% for Everyone Else
Frans Cronje and Gabriel Makin discuss South Africa's dual employment economy.
August 19, 2026
5 min
The Couch That Sunk A Presidency.
The poll shows the public no longer sees a clear difference between Ramaphosa and Zuma on corruption. ANC support is down. The party has fewer options for a successor who can restore trust.
August 17, 2026
9 min
Someone Is Faking Our Polls
Bot accounts are circulating fake polls dressed up in The Common Sense's name — complete with invented sample sizes and a made-up margin of error.
August 17, 2026
4 min
New Poll: The DA Leads in Pretoria as ANC Support Collapses to 32%
Gabriel Makin and Frans Cronje discuss the latest polling from Tshwane.
August 13, 2026
8 min
New Poll: South Africans Want Patrice Motsepe to Replace Ramaphosa
Gabriel Makin and Frans Cronje discuss the race to be the next leader of the ANC.
August 12, 2026
8 min
82% Of South Africans Want Ramaphosa Removed.
New July 2026 polling from The Common Sense and the Social Research Foundation gives the first public read on the Phala Phala scandal, and the numbers are severe.
August 9, 2026
11 min
The Public Has Stopped Believing In The GNU
Frans Cronje explains the latest round of GNU tracking questions from The Common Sense and the Social Research Foundation, asked consistently since the government of national unity came together in 2024.
August 7, 2026
5 min
The ANC Is Now Below 50% With Every Group That Built It.
Frans Cronje and Gabriel Makin discuss the second-quarter polling data that closes off the ANC's last remaining fallback position.
August 7, 2026
4 min
The ANC Is Down to 18% in Johannesburg (Our New Polls Are Out)
New Social Research Foundation polling, fielded in July 2026, has the ANC down roughly 12 points from the first quarter of this year - a fall well outside margin of error. Frans Cronje and Gabriel Makin go through what the data show and what is driving this trend.
August 6, 2026
9 min
The ANC is in "classic decline" and cannot stop it (our new polling reveals).
New Social Research Foundation polling, fielded in July 2026, puts the ANC two points off the lowest figure it has ever recorded, which it hit in the first quarter of last year during the VAT dispute with the DA. Frans Cronje and Gabriel Makin go through the national topline.
August 5, 2026
9 min
Phala Phala Broke the ANC, and Our New Polls Show the Damage
Frans Cronje gives an overview of new polling conducted by the Social Research Foundation and The Common Sense.
August 5, 2026
7 min
Ramaphosa's Empty Victory
The Western Cape High Court told the parliamentary committee on Phala Phala to wait. This gives President Ramaphosa more time. Frans Cronje explains why this is not a real victory.
August 4, 2026
10 min
Revisiting the SARS Rogue Unit
In this clip from Talking Sense the panel discusses how the current brouhaha around IDAC has echoes of the SARS "rogue unit" scandal.
August 3, 2026
8 min
South Africa's Underground Fight Against The Zama Zamas
South Africa is preparing a specialist military capability for underground warfare. Special forces and engineers are being trained to operate in mine shafts and tunnels, drawing on precedent from Gaza and from the American tunnel rats of the Vietnam War. The reason is the illicit mining industry.
July 30, 2026
5 min
This Western Cape Town Is About To Be Destroyed. Why Is the DA Letting This happen?
The Talking Sense panel discusses a proposed synthetic aviation fuel project near Hopefield in the Western Cape. The project would include the synthetic aviation fuel plant north of the town, extensive solar panel fields covering thousands of hectares, and a separate carbon biomass boiler component.
July 29, 2026
9 min
How El Nino Could Trigger Droughts and Food Crises Across Southern Africa.
Wandile Sihlobo explains what this year's El Nino could mean for South Africa's agriculture sector.
July 21, 2026
10 min
The China Debt Crisis No One Sees Coming
Is there a looming debt crisis in China?
July 20, 2026
6 min
