South Africa votes on 4 November. The United States votes the day before. In episode 31 of Sharp Sharp, Rob Rose from the Financial Mail, Zukile Majova from Scrolla.Africa and Patrick Smith from Africa Confidential look at what both elections mean for South Africa.

They start with what the local government elections mean for the Government of National Unity. Patrick asks whether the GNU can survive a result that goes against one of its biggest partners.

Then they turn to Joburg. Zuks says the DA’s maths is hard even if it reaches 40%, because it still needs about 10 more points and has few obvious partners. They also ask whether Herman Mashaba and the ANC could cut a deal that keeps Helen Zille out of the mayor’s chair.

The three also ask why professionals feel pushed out of the ANC, and why so many young people register to vote but do not turn up. They discuss how the youth vote has been pulled towards the EFF and MK.

Finally, they look at the world. They cover the US midterms, corruption and the cost of living, Brazil and Israel’s election, and whether South Africa slips down Donald Trump’s list of targets.

Watch the full episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Sharp Sharp is the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

Rob Rose from the Financial Mail and Zukile Majova from Scrolla.Africa clash over the Constitutional Court’s ruling that let the ANC register the candidates it failed to submit, in episode 30 of Sharp Sharp.

Rob says rules are rules, and the ANC missed its own deadline by not pressing submit. Zuks says punishing the party means punishing voters, especially in the Eastern Cape, where people could lose the party they have backed for 30 years.

They also ask whether the ruling has saved Fikile Mbalula’s career, and who takes the blame if the ANC does badly in November.

In the first half of the show, they speak to Dr Elsa Thirion Venter from MarkData about the new poll with eNCA. It puts the DA on 35% and the ANC on 21.8% in Joburg. Dr Elsa explains how the poll was done, why so many voters are still undecided, and what people want from their next mayor.

Rob Rose from the Financial Mail, Zukile Majova from Scrolla.Africa and Patrick Smith from Africa Confidential unpack Jacob Zuma’s unfinished revolution in episode 29 of Sharp Sharp.

With uncertainty surrounding his health, they examine whether the MK Party can survive without its biggest drawcard, his complicated legacy and the politics of personal loyalty.

They also discuss the ANC’s candidate list court battle, South Africa’s Formula One frustrations and the similarities between Zuma and Donald Trump.

Rob Rose from the Financial Mail and Zukile Majova from Scrolla.Africa are joined in studio by ActionSA president Herman Mashaba for episode 28 of Sharp Sharp.

Mashaba explains why he refuses to work with Helen Zille and sets out his conditions for coalitions. He discusses his fallout with the DA and ActionSA’s ambitions in Johannesburg and Soweto.

Rob and Zuks challenge his claims about undocumented migrants and crime, question his record as mayor and ask what he would do in his first 100 days back in office.

The conversation also covers building Black Like Me under apartheid, his proposed changes to the Constitution and the next generation of ActionSA leaders.

Rob Rose from the Financial Mail and Zukile Majova from Scrolla.Africa are joined by Gareth van Onselen, CEO of Victory Research, for episode 27 of Sharp Sharp.

Gareth lifts the lid on election polling: how samples are chosen, why turnout changes the numbers, what margins of error mean and why polls are snapshots rather than predictions.

They unpack the ANC’s turnout problem, Helen Zille and the DA’s prospects in Johannesburg, the coalition picture in Tshwane, and the rise of MK and the Patriotic Alliance.

The team also examines the ANC’s candidate-list failures and why voters, politicians and journalists often see what they want to see in a poll.

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova return for episode 26 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

Fikile Mbalula is facing growing pressure after the ANC failed to submit 181 council candidates before the election deadline. Rob and Zuks ask what the blunder reveals about the party’s leadership and whether the ANC can continue protecting its secretary-general.

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.

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova return for episode 24 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

The ANC failed one of the most basic tests facing any political party: submitting all its candidates for an election. Nearly 200 ANC candidates across several municipalities could be affected after the party missed the Electoral Commission’s deadline. Rob and Zuks ask what the failure reveals about the collapse of the ANC’s internal machinery and whether secretary-general Fikile Mbalula will be held accountable.

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova are joined by Patrick Smith from Africa Confidential for episode 23 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

The week began with two Airlink jets flying dramatically low over Cape Town Stadium ahead of the Springboks and All Blacks Test, sparking a global safety debate. Rob and Zuks use it as a fitting metaphor for a party that never seems to plan ahead, the ANC, which missed the Electoral Commission’s deadline to submit candidate lists in several Eastern Cape municipalities, risking being locked out of contesting those areas entirely in November.

Rob Rose and Zukile Majova open episode 22 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on South African politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa, by paying tribute to country music icon Dolly Parton, who died this week at the age of 80.

From there, they turn to the ANC’s election manifesto, launched this weekend in Diepsloot, one of the areas the party has failed to deliver basic services to for three decades. Rob and Zuks pick apart promises of free electricity and water that ring hollow given municipalities owe Eskom more than R110 billion, and electricity costs have risen 900% over twenty years.