News24 The Lead

BEE makeover - Is Tau’s Transformation Fund glow-up enough?

Loading player...
Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau’s dream of realising a massive voluntary fund to uplift small black businesses gets a reality check in this edition of The Lead. Specialist journalist Carol Paton tells us that Tau has revised this concept to include a key incentive for big business to help build the R100-billion chest. Later, in our trending topic, political silly season’s in full swing with a top Cape ANC man defecting to the DA. Finally, the Cullinan diamond was cut up, not for any South African’s benefit, in our regular On This Day in SA History segment at the end of the show. You can send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note with your questions or thoughts on the show: 072 562 3179. To advertise in the show: thelead@24.com. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.
Chapters
  • 00:01 Graeme's intro
  • 01:51 Crossing to Carol Paton
  • 10:00 Are they deployed cadres?
  • 19:27 Trending topic: WC ANC man defects to DA
  • 21:04 On This Day in SA History / Top Billing's back!
5 Nov 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

The City of Gold is bankrupt

The City of Gold is bankrupt. And don't take our word for it, the finance minister says so! Enoch Godongwana has even instructed Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero to halt a R10 billion wage hike for municipal workers, a move that may come back to bite the beleaguered administration. Here, in this…
7 May 20 min

A textbook case of a problematic state publishers' deal?

From one Limpopo company charging up to R19 000 for a teaching aid that may only cost R200, to a completely unknown publishing house based out of a Simons Town cottage that was handed 26% of the pie. Glaring problems have since emerged in the Basic Education Department's approvals, amounting…
6 May 40 min

AI ‘hallucinations’ spark credibility crisis in SA policy

In the past two weeks, News24's eagle-eyed journos have uncovered evidence that artificial intelligence (AI) conjured up incorrect and misleading sources in two critical pieces of proposed government policy, one of which concerns the use of AI itself. The revelations have led to the suspension of top officials, and the…
4 May 39 min

Is this Jozi’s monument to poor service delivery?

Is Johannesburg's vacant, derelict civic centre the ultimate monument for the metro's perceived legacy of poor service delivery? Well, a recent inspection by DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille has re-exposed the centre's long-standing problems, like its piles of unprocessed archive files and building plans gathering mould. This didn't happen overnight, though,…
30 Apr 18 min

Media storm as SIU probes lottery funds linked to editor

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has set the cat among the pigeons in Mzansi’s news media world this week. The SIU red-flagged more than half a million rand from the National Lotteries Commission, which in 2018 found its way to a communications company formerly belonging to the current Sunday Times…
29 Apr 29 min
All episodes