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Daily briefing

Tuesday, 25 August 2026

The day across South African radio, cited to the broadcast minute.

locl.co.za / briefing / 2026-08-25

Daily briefing

Tuesday, 25 August 2026

The day across South African radio, cited to the broadcast minute.

Afternoon edition

Afternoon editionCovers Tue, 25 Aug 05:00 → 15:30 SAST

Afternoon edition · 5-minute listen

The Madlanga Commission dominated talk radio, with Vusimuzi Matlala's testimony about business ties, alleged organised-crime links and co-accused Brown Mkhotze's alleged court-cell escape plot running across nearly every station. Municipal politics also loomed large as the ANC floated a Gauteng megacity merger ahead of November's local government polls, while Cape Town's flare-up in gang violence prompted sharp questions to Premier Alan Winde. Comrades Marathon drama and a reopened Steve Biko inquest rounded out an unusually heavy news day.

  1. Madlanga Commission: Matlala grilled on Maumela ties, Mkhotze's alleged escape plot

    The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry drove coverage across Power FM, SAfm, 702 and Cape Talk as attempted-murder accused Vusimuzi Matlala was questioned about his business and financial links to Hangwani Morgan Maumela, including an alleged informal revolving fund used to finance health department quotations. Justice Mbuiseli Madlanga pressed him on the limits of his claims of privilege. In parallel, co-accused Brown Mkhotze's fourth bail bid collapsed spectacularly when the state alleged he tried to disguise himself as a correctional services officer to escape court cells on 20 August, promising CCTV evidence.

    Heard on Power FM · 12:31 SASTAsk locl about this: Madlanga Commission: Matlala grilled on Maumela ties, Mkhotze's alleged escape plot, heard on Power FM

  2. ANC floats Gauteng megacity as municipal election looms

    Power FM led with the ANC's proposal to redraw South Africa's municipal map, potentially merging Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni into a single Gauteng megatropolis as part of a wider review of municipal boundaries. Analysts on air pushed back, arguing the three metros already have the biggest budgets in the country and that residents care about visible, ward-level service delivery rather than distant district structures. The debate landed as the ANC prepares candidate lists for the 4 November local government elections and as Ramaphosa faced parliamentary questions on basic services.

    Heard on Power FM · 07:17 SASTAsk locl about this: ANC floats Gauteng megacity as municipal election looms, heard on Power FM

  3. Cape Town gang violence: Belleville South shootings and army questions

    Cape Talk and Moneyweb@Midday zeroed in on a fresh flare-up of gang violence in Belleville South after gunshots rang out during an open-air church service, with viral video showing congregants continuing to pray. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde told Moneyweb authorities have lost their handle on parts of the province, questioning whether Operation Prosper — the SANDF deployment running since April — has achieved anything, given that by July police had acknowledged not a single gang dismantled. Winde said the province and communities feel excluded from the operation's planning.

    Heard on Moneyweb@Midday · 12:42 SASTAsk locl about this: Cape Town gang violence: Belleville South shootings and army questions, heard on Moneyweb@Midday

  4. McKenzie steps in to save Comrades as SAFA VAR row simmers

    Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie became a talk-radio fixture as he moved to rescue the Comrades Marathon after Athletics South Africa cut ties with KZN Athletics, telling listeners not to stress the nation because he would sort the fight out himself. In parallel, SAfm and Power FM tracked his blistering attack on SAFA over the stalled R21-million VAR technology rollout, with the minister demanding either implementation or the money back. Meanwhile the Lions prepared to host the All Blacks at Ellis Park hoping to end a three-match Currie Cup losing streak.

    Heard on Power FM · 07:41 SASTAsk locl about this: McKenzie steps in to save Comrades as SAFA VAR row simmers, heard on Power FM

  5. Steve Biko inquest reopens with widow's legal costs finally covered

    Cape Talk, 702 and SAfm carried the emotional reopening of the Steve Biko inquest in the Gqeberha High Court, nearly five decades after his 1977 death in police custody. Proceedings had been delayed by a funding dispute after Legal Aid South Africa said Biko's widow Ntsiki did not qualify for assistance — a decision the court questioned given the historical weight of the matter. The Justice Department has now agreed to cover her costs, allowing the family, backed by AZAPO, to return focus to what they call a long-overdue search for truth and justice.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 08:04 SASTAsk locl about this: Steve Biko inquest reopens with widow's legal costs finally covered, heard on Cape Talk

Morning edition

Morning editionCovers Mon, 24 Aug 05:00 → Tue, 25 Aug 05:00 SAST

Morning edition · 5-minute listen

Monday's talk radio was dominated by two big accountability stories running in parallel: alleged crime kingpin Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala being forced to testify at the Madlanga Commission after failed postponement bids, and the reopened Steve Biko inquest getting under way in Makhanda nearly 50 years after his death. Around them, the ANC's manifesto launch and its stalled mayoral candidate announcements fed a wider mood of pre-election scrutiny, while the murder of boxing legend Zolani Tete and a rousing SA Sports Awards night gave the day its sport and human-interest texture.

  1. Matlala forced back into the Madlanga Commission hot seat

    Alleged Big Five cartel figure Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala dominated afternoon coverage across 702, SAfm, Power FM and Cape Talk after two failed attempts to postpone his testimony at the Madlanga Commission. His legal team cited a sick lead advocate and difficulties consulting with him at Kgosi Mampuru prison, and even threatened an interdict and withdrawal, but evidence leader advocate Matlapeng Sello pressed on. Matlala was guarded on his relationship with suspended crime detection boss General Shadrack Sibiya, conceding they had met three or four times through Sergeant Fanie Nkosi but insisting they were not friends.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 18:31 SASTAsk locl about this: Matlala forced back into the Madlanga Commission hot seat, heard on Cape Talk

  2. Steve Biko inquest reopens in Makhanda

    Nearly five decades after Steve Biko died in apartheid police custody, the reopened inquest got under way in the Makhanda High Court, with stations from 702 to Power FM tracking every twist. Proceedings were delayed while Legal Aid South Africa explained that the Biko family had failed a means test, before the Justice Minister and DG confirmed the department would cover their legal costs. The inquiry will examine whether any act or omission amounted to a criminal offence, offering the family and the country long-awaited answers after the 1977 inquest cleared the special branch.

    Heard on 702 · 15:02 SASTAsk locl about this: Steve Biko inquest reopens in Makhanda, heard on 702

  3. ANC manifesto launch and the mayoral candidate mess

    Cyril Ramaphosa used Riversands Park in Diepsloot to unveil the ANC's 65-page local government manifesto, promising councillors 100 days to change their wards and pledging to wean municipalities off consultants and contractors. But talk radio was less interested in the promises than in the shambolic postponement of mayoral candidate announcements, with eight names floated in Mangaung, seven in Matjhabeng and multiple contenders in Joburg and Tshwane. Analysts on SAfm and 702 read it as proof of deep ANC factionalism, while Herman Mashaba used Power FM to pledge scrapping Joburg's municipal entities.

    Heard on 702 · 22:11 SASTAsk locl about this: ANC manifesto launch and the mayoral candidate mess, heard on 702

  4. Boxing world mourns Zolani Tete as arrests mount

    The murder of former world bantamweight champion Zolani Tete, gunned down by balaclava-clad attackers as he arrived at his Mdantsane home on Friday night, ran across Power FM, Cape Talk and SAfm bulletins. Police confirmed four suspects are now in custody after weekend arrests in Mdantsane's Senior Park and in Komga, with a 27-year-old woman wounded in the shooting still in hospital. Coverage sat alongside the SA Sports Awards at Sun City, where sprinter Akani Simbine took Sports Star of the Year as the industry gathered in a subdued mood.

    Heard on Cape Talk · 10:03 SASTAsk locl about this: Boxing world mourns Zolani Tete as arrests mount, heard on Cape Talk

  5. Transnet lines up the Carlton Centre for sale

    Cape Talk and 702 lingered on Transnet's decision to begin disposing of 15 properties, headlined by Johannesburg's 50-storey Carlton Centre, once the tallest building in Africa and a fixture of 1980s and 90s South African television and pop culture. The parastatal, under pressure to shore up its finances, has identified shopping centres, golf courses and commercial properties for potential sale, though no buyers have been secured. Presenters framed it as both a hard-nosed balance-sheet story and a nostalgic loss, recalling the Carlton's ballroom studios and its role in shaping Joburg's skyline and imagination.

    Heard on 702 · 04:05 SASTAsk locl about this: Transnet lines up the Carlton Centre for sale, heard on 702

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