As South Africa prepares to host the G20 and its presidency to the United States, President Donald Trump announced its decision to boycott the summit. In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks with Professor John Stremlau about the power play behind the boycott, the diplomatic fallout, and what it signals about an era where disruption is strategy.

In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi reflects on Johannesburg, a city rich in promise, the economic heart of Southern Africa, yet held back by poor leadership and indifference. “You can modernise it, clean it up, put in all the cosmetic fixes you want,” she says. “But without vision, and without people who care, Johannesburg will not thrive.”

South Africa’s gambling industry just hit R1.5 trillion and it’s not just for fun anymore. Behind the flashing lights are stories of poverty, desperation, and survival. In today’s episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi talks to Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist at News24, about how gambling has quietly become one of the country’s biggest social and economic fault lines.

In this episode of The Readiness Report with Redi Tlhabi, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay reflects on a lifetime spent pursuing justice, from defending anti-apartheid activists in South Africa to presiding over landmark international trials. As lead investigator of the recent UN report on Gaza, Judge Pillay discusses why she believes accountability still matters, even in the face of power, politics, and impunity. A conversation on the law and the weight of truth. “In 1967, Judge Navi Pillay became the first woman to open a law practice in Natal and later the first black woman appointed to South Africa’s High Court. She defended anti-apartheid activists before serving eight years at the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, four of them as president. A pioneer in international law, she has been especially influential in advancing justice for sexual violence in conflict.” (Source: International Criminal Court)

In this episode of the Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi calls out world leaders for pushing a Gaza “peace plan” without Palestinians at the table. How can there be peace when the people at the heart of the conflict are excluded?

Ahead of World News Day 2025, Daily Maverick co-founder and Project Kontinuum’s Leader Branko Brkic speaks to Rebecca Davis about the crisis facing global media, from Africa’s “media deserts” to growing distrust in journalism. In this candid conversation, he asks: if not the media, then what? And despite the challenges, he insists there is hope, grounded in the decency of ordinary people and the resilience of journalists worldwide.

Just a few days before World News Day - on 28 September - Redi Tlhabi is joined by Karen Attiah to confront the shrinking space for free expression. With Attiah’s own high-profile firing from the Washington Post as a backdrop, their conversation explores how powerful forces exploit polarisation, smear campaigns, and censorship to dilute truth and weaken journalism worldwide.

On this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis about the commission of inquiry into the recent claims made by top cop Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, which has been underway since 17 September. From political power to law enforcement accountability, they reflect on the nation’s repeated failures to confront corruption and the long road to meaningful justice.

“We cartel. We don’t forgive you.” A voice note like that may be linked to the fate of Peter Jaggers and William Petersen, reported as kidnapped in Gauteng and later found murdered. Daily Maverick journalist Caryn Dolley traces the deadly reach of South Africa’s gangs and international drug networks, from coastal cocaine drops to city streets, and reveals a criminal underworld that spares no one.

As war and political fractures reshape global alliances, Redi Tlhabi reports on shifting diplomatic winds: sharper criticism of Israel, unease over U.S. rhetoric, and hard questions about double standards in Ukraine and Gaza. She explains why these changes matter — and where South Africa fits in.

In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi unpacks two parallel crises of leadership and legitimacy. In South Africa, ANC leaders now admit the party has “lost its way” — but only after years of silence during corruption and state capture. In Washington, Donald Trump declares a “crime emergency” and floods the streets with troops, despite data showing crime is down. Redi connects the dots between hypocrisy, militarisation, and the erosion of democracy at home and abroad.

In this episode, The Readiness Report’s host, Redi Tlhabi, takes apart the Army Chief’s eyebrow-raising trip to Iran, in the very week South Africa is scrambling to ease US tariffs. She calls it an own goal of epic proportions, a foreign-policy free-for-all, and a masterclass in how not to win friends or influence markets.

In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks with Judd Devermont, academic, former Special Assistant to President Biden, and author of Post Strategy, a Substack on US foreign policy in Africa, to unpack the evolving landscape of US foreign assistance and shifting global power dynamics. Together, they explore how aid strategies are changing, what’s beginning to unravel, and what it all means for diplomacy, influence, and Africa’s place in a rapidly transforming world.

In this episode of Power Chat, Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis speaks with investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh about his recent exposé on Independent Development Trust’s suspended CEO, Tebogo Malaka, and her attempt to bribe him. Myburgh unpacks how the story developed, what led him to a face-to-face meeting with Malaka and her spokesperson in a Western Cape restaurant, and the behind-the-scenes steps taken to expose the truth.

In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi sits down with veteran journalist Phillip van Niekerk to unpack the geopolitical chaos unleashed by Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs. From South Africa to Brazil, global economies are reeling, and the implications run deeper than trade. Are we witnessing the collapse of multilateralism, or the rise of something far more personal and dangerous? Tune in for sharp analysis and commentary, and to hear more about why this matters for South Africa right now.

Daily Maverick’s Marianne Thamm reflects on the passing (and longevity!) of our rock gods and how the spirit of rebellion continues to evolve in a world increasingly defined by noise.

Some people don’t have an ‘inner voice’, but maybe those who do shouldn’t be smug, says Daily Maverick Associate Editor, Marianne Thamm.

In this solo episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi cuts through the panic and misinformation surrounding the US–SA Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025. Are sanctions really imminent? What stage is the bill really at? From Washington, Tlhabi explains the legislative process, the politics behind the headlines, and why it’s crucial to stay informed, not alarmed.

Redi Tlhabi speaks with journalist and author Michela Wrong about the murky peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. What’s really driving this latest effort: justice, minerals, or Trump’s quest for a Nobel Peace Prize? Wrong unpacks the long-standing roots of the conflict, Rwanda’s covert military interventions, and the DRC’s strategic value in a world desperate for critical minerals. Together, they explore the price of transactional peace, the manipulation of genocide trauma, and the fragile political future of both nations.