Sunday's talk radio was dominated by the fallout from the Rotanda water protests and the sudden death of KZN ANC leader Dr Ntutuko Mashlaba, which crossed almost every station. Governance took another knock as Gauteng's auditor-general report exposed billions in irregular spending, while Action SA's public protector complaint against Tony Leon's Resolve Communications kept a state-capture-flavoured story simmering. Lighter texture came from a Springbok Women's home win and a rare long-form AI conversation with Google's James Manyika.

1. 01

   Rotanda water protests turn deadly, mayor's house torched

   Stations led with the aftermath of violent service delivery protests in Rotanda, south east of Johannesburg, where residents furious over persistent water outages blocked roads, clashed with police and burned down the mayor's home, leaving two people dead. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi told media at the Old Town Hall in Heidelberg that the crisis had only been flagged to province two weeks earlier, despite weekly intergovernmental meetings. Rand Water agreed to lift a 20% restriction on Lesedi municipality, and 15 people were arrested for public violence as police continued hunting the arsonists.

   702·05:01 SAST↗Discuss Rotanda water protests turn deadly, mayor's house torched on 702 in chatstation 702

2. 02

   ANC mourns Dr Ntutuko Mashlaba after Newcastle jogging death

   Tributes poured in across Power, 702, Cape Talk and SAfm for former Newcastle mayor and KZN public works MEC Dr Ntutuko Mashlaba, who died after being struck by a bakkie while jogging in Newcastle. KZN police opened a culpable homicide investigation, with preliminary reports suggesting the driver tried to swerve to avoid him. The IFP called him a fearless youth leader, the EFF a soft-spoken servant of the poor, and the DA sent condolences. Provincial and regional ANC task teams gathered at his homestead in northern KZN as the legislature paused preparations for a Taking Parliament to the People event he had been organising.

   702·10:04 SAST↗Discuss ANC mourns Dr Ntutuko Mashlaba after Newcastle jogging death on 702 in chatstation 702

3. 03

   Gauteng auditor-general report exposes R14.4bn in irregular spending

   Finance MEC Lebogang Maile-era successor Jacob Mamabolo — briefed on-air as MEC Godongwana-Dunga — released the consolidated audit report showing only two of Gauteng's 11 municipalities, Midvaal and West Rand District, achieved clean audits for 2024/25. Six received unqualified opinions with findings and three were qualified, an overall regression on last year. Municipalities racked up R14.4 billion in irregular expenditure. The MEC insisted Gauteng is not a poor province but one lacking discipline in how money is spent, arguing the deterioration underscores the need for stronger financial management, particularly in the struggling metros.

   702·15:00 SAST↗Discuss Gauteng auditor-general report exposes R14.4bn in irregular spending on 702 in chatstation 702

4. 04

   Action SA takes Tony Leon's Resolve Communications to the Public Protector

   SAfm, Power and 702 dug into Action SA's fresh complaint to the public protector alleging that former DA leader Tony Leon's PR firm, Resolve Communications, improperly linked government officials to private clients including Starlink. The complaint is anchored on an affidavit from a former senior City of Tshwane manager claiming Leon set up a meeting between Resolve and then-mayor Solly Msimanga to discuss tenders. Presenters argued that if the same conduct involved black-led networks it would be openly called state capture, and pressed guests on whether undisclosed preferential access to ministers crosses the line from lobbying into corruption.

   Power FM·06:16 SAST↗Discuss Action SA takes Tony Leon's Resolve Communications to the Public Protector on Power FM in chatstation power-fm

5. 05

   Springbok Women down USA as Boks eye 2029 World Cup build-up

   Weekend sports desks celebrated the Springbok Women's 34-21 home win over the USA, with South Africa racing to a 29-0 half-time lead on the back of standout performances from Logan Velman, Ayanda Malinga and Jakkie Cilliers before holding off a spirited American comeback. Coach Swys de Bruin framed the result as the first building block towards the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup. The Bok theme carried into afternoon bulletins with SA Rugby reportedly banking more than R2 billion in 2025 revenue on a 74% surge in sponsorships, buoyed by the men's 45-21 hammering of England.

   Power FM·08:37 SAST↗Discuss Springbok Women down USA as Boks eye 2029 World Cup build-up on Power FM in chatstation power-fm