Podcast: Trump’s Fake South Africa

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova are joined by Patrick Smith from Africa Confidential for episode 25 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

The Trump administration has announced targeted visa restrictions for foreign nationals involved in race based discrimination. Washington has again accused South Africa of persecuting Afrikaners, despite its claims presenting a distorted picture of the country. Rob, Zuks and Patrick examine what this could mean for business and diplomacy, and whether anyone can repair relations between the two countries.

The conversation turns to the women whose bodies were found across Ekurhuleni. Police have not confirmed that all the cases are connected. The team examines South Africa’s failure to confront gender based violence, the collapse of trust in the police and why crime has not become a major issue ahead of the local elections.

They also unpack Fikile Mbalula’s court battle with Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma over allegations of vote buying within the ANC. Mbalula denies the allegations. The episode ends with Africa’s successful campaign for the United Nations to use maps that show the continent at its true scale.