A man was eaten by a crocodile in the Komati River this week. It is the perfect metaphor for what is happening to ordinary South Africans right now. Paraffin is R28/l at the regulated price and R40 by the time it reaches a village spaza shop. It is the fuel of the poorest South Africans heading into winter and nobody in government seems to care.
Rob Rose and Zukile Majova dig into the cost-of-living crisis that is eating through people’s pockets, as well as the Human Sciences Research Council survey showing support for democracy has collapsed from 65% to 36% since the mid-2000s, and why that collapse is pushing people towards strongman leaders like Jacob Zuma and Donald Trump. Also on the podcast: the National Student Financial Aid Scheme disaster and the deeply questionable new appointment to fix it.
And listen on for the Chad du Plessis award of the week, which goes to Gwede Mantashe’s department for getting the fuel price calculation wrong by a rand.
Sharp Sharp is a podcast on South African politics, money and power from Currency and Scrolla.Africa. New episode every week.
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