Debunking Malema and Trump with Andrew Thompson

Loading player...
EFF leader Julius Malema alleges it's a lie that there are farm killings in South Africa. Among other claims, Malema suggests that white people are not murdered in South Africa. The politician's April statements in Parliament in response to the Trump Administration’s US aid pullout were shared on social media without verification. That's until News24's Disinformation Desk got wind of them. The desk's investigative journalist, Andrew Thompson, has fact-checked Malema's assertions, as well as President Donald Trump's claims that SA is experiencing a white genocide amid wanton land grabs, finding no truth to any of these. "The most important thing we can do here, regardless of an agenda, regardless of our political ideologies, is to look through the murkiness of the political agendas to find the facts," says Thompson. Later in the show, host Graeme Raubenheimer tells us about Johannesburg's rubbish dump dilemma. And finally, the News24 Food team has cooked up the perfect mid-week dinner recipe. Mail your comments and voice notes to thelead@24.com. Editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.
23 Apr English South Africa News · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

Tabling Budget 3.0 with Carol Paton

A whole new Budget 3.0 aims to include everyone's proper buy-in and you won't be taxed more on most goods you buy. But the DA and EFF's recent court case scrapping Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's proposed VAT increase of 0.5% percentage points means that it's also back to the drawing…
30 Apr 23 min

Exposing X-Boer, the ex-farmer in Elon Musk’s ear

On 'X', he goes by the name ‘Twatterbaas’, and his messages have attracted the attention of Elon Musk and, thus, the Trump Administration. Regularly, the anonymous account posts racist tropes and promotes selective views that have reinforced misinformation about South Africa. But now we know who is behind the account:…
29 Apr 37 min

The Mashatile ‘hit’ that wasn’t, with Kyle Cowan

Was South Africa's deputy president, Paul Mashatile, the recent target of an attempted assassination? If sources close to a SAPS ballistics report are anything to go by, the answer to that question may be a resounding no. In tonight’s episode, we discuss with News24 journalist Kyle Cowan what our team…
24 Apr 35 min

The police chief, the Cat and corruption with Jeff Wicks

South African Police Service (SAPS) top brass dragged their feet in cancelling a tender awarded to a businessman known as "The Cat". News24 specialist investigative journalist Jeff Wicks combed through an internal audit report. In it, he found that tender tycoon Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala should've never scored a R360 million…
22 Apr 17 min

Why did Nada-Jane have to die? With Bernadette Wicks

In 2023, 4-year-old Nada-Jane Challita was discovered dead in the bathtub of her Johannesburg home, with only one suspect to point the finger at: her father's now ex-partner, Amber Lee Hughes, who was also the little girl's former pre-school teacher. Hughes' trial – in which she is facing a count…
17 Apr 22 min