David O'Sullivan
David O'Sullivan has worked in radio for 40 years, covering every significant news and sports event in South Africa in that time. His podcasts focus on current affairs, sport, and modern political history.
11 Episodes
Soweto Uprising: The Role of Middle School Students
The Soweto Uprising on June 16 1976 was one of the most significant events in South African political history. Thousands of Soweto schoolchildren boycotted classes and marched in protest against being taught in Afrikaans. Many students were killed or injured after a violent confrontation with police over a period of…
Judge Baloyi sentences Ayanda Zwane to life
In the South Gauteng High Court, Acting Judge Baloyi sentenced convicted murderer Ayanda Zwane to life in jail for the murder of Kenny Mlangeni. He also got 15 years in jail for armed robbery with aggravating circumstances and 7 years for unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol.
The Story of the Sharpeville Massacre
On the 21st March 1960, police opened fire on pass law protesters outside the Sharpeville Police Station, killing 69 people and injuring hundreds more. It was the single most brutal incident in South Africa's political history and changed the country's political trajectory forever. This is the story of the Sharpeville…
A tribute to the late Rivonia Trialist Denis Goldberg.
Denis Goldberg was Accused no.3 in the 1964 Rivonia Trial, standing alongside fellow trialists Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and others. He was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of sabotage as a member of the ANC's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. He served 22 years in…
Ruth Mompati on the Women's March 1956
Ruth Mompati was a member of the ANC Women's League Executive Committee. She worked for Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela in their law firm. On the day of the 1956 Women's March to the Union Buildings, she and Bertha Gxowa were given an important task. They had to count the…
Londani Loshaka: Feeding the children of Alexandra Township
In the heart of Johannesburg's Alexandra Township there is an oasis of hope for the hungry children of this poverty-stricken area. It's called Londani Loshaka (Caring for the Nation), a social welfare organisation started by three remarkable women, Irene Chauke, Mavis Rathogwa and Alice Modire who want to make a…
Stranded South Africans fly home in lockdown
The world closed down as Covid-19 swept the globe in early 2020. Most countries shut their borders, giving foreign nationals very little notice to get home. Many South Africans working or travelling as tourists in countries across Africa found themselves stranded with no way of getting home. Up stepped a…
Chefs With Compassion: Saving Lives
When South Africa was locked down at the end of March 2020, an economic slump quickly ensued. People on the poverty line were unable to eek out their meagre living. The demand for food increased. A group of chefs from around the country sprung into action. They call themselves, appropriately,…
Remembering the Bisho Massacre
On 7 September 1992 I was in Bisho, the capital of the Ciskei bantustan. I was covering what was thought to be an ANC protest march to demand the overthrow of Ciskei leader Oupa Gqozo. It turned into a massacre as Ciskei soldiers opened fire on the ANC marchers on…
The Soweto Uprising
A gripping account of the tumultuous events that occurred in Soweto on June 16, 1976 as told by students, teachers, journalists and a doctor who were there on that fateful day.
What it means to be a British and Irish Lion - with David O'Sullivan and John Robbie
John and David discuss the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa ahead of the first Test in Cape Town.