Jacob Zuma has shaped South African politics for nearly two decades. Now uncertainty over his health raises a major question: can the MK Party survive without the man holding it together?

Rob Rose, Zukile Majova and Patrick Smith examine Zuma’s political power, his complicated legacy and the struggle that could follow him inside MK.

They also discuss the ANC’s Constitutional Court battle over 181 excluded election candidates, Rwanda beating South Africa to Formula One and Donald Trump’s reaction to Navi Pillay winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba joins Rob Rose and Zukile Majova in studio for episode 28 of Sharp Sharp, the weekly podcast on politics, money and power from the Financial Mail and Scrolla.Africa.

Mashaba makes his position clear: he will not work with Helen Zille. Rob and Zuks question him on his fallout with the DA, his conditions for coalitions and what that means for the fight to govern Johannesburg.

The conversation also covers immigration, his record as mayor and his plans to fix the city. The hosts challenge his claims about undocumented migrants and press him on how he would turn his promises into action.

From building Black Like Me to taking on Joburg’s political battles, Mashaba explains what drives him and why he believes he can win voters back.

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

Can we trust the polls? Gareth explains how election polling works, what separates good research from bad numbers, and why a poll is a snapshot rather than a prediction. They examine sample sizes, margins of error, political bias and the questions journalists should ask before reporting a headline figure.

The conversation turns to South Africa’s local elections. Gareth unpacks the ANC’s turnout problem, the DA’s prospects in Johannesburg and Tshwane, and the forces behind the rise of MK and the Patriotic Alliance.

They also explore why voters staying home can matter as much as voters changing parties, what the ANC’s candidate-list failures mean for affected municipalities, and how wishful thinking shapes the way we read polls.