Explore every episode of the podcast News24 | The Story

In South Africa, the news never stops.

Breaking stories and the horrifying headlines that accompany them happen every single day.

2022 has been no different to any other year. And violent crime has again dominated our headlines. News24 Podcasts

On this special episode of The Story, we talk to News24's political editor Qaanitah Hunter about some of the year's biggest stories. We also speak to lifestyle editor Herman Eloff about some of the lighter stories that captivated South Africans. News24 Podcasts

2022 has been a year of eye-opening revelations for all of us - and journalists have worked doggedly throughout the year to report on the stories behind the headlines.

News24 has been at the forefront of many headline-grabbing investigations. News24 Podcasts

This week, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the decision to release former president Jacob Zuma on early medical parole had been unlawful. And in another court, the highest in the country, another ruling that has dominated the headlines was delivered. The Constitutional Court ruled that Janusz Walus, who gunned down SACP leader, Chris Hani almost thirty years ago, be released on parole. News24 Podcasts

It's not long until the end of the year, and many matric learners are counting down the days until they finish their final exams. But, those who wrote the Matric Maths paper 2 last week are anxious about their results after trying to solve the unsolvable question 5. News24 podcasts

On Tuesday, finance minister Enoch Godongwana briefed journalists on the Preferential Procurement Regulations. The new regulations have come under fire from some quarters, but the minister has denied they are a setback for transformation. News24 podcasts

Former Eskom acting chief executive Matshela Koko appeared in the Middleburg Magistrate's Court on Monday, along with seven other co-accused. News24 podcasts

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Sunday, announcing steps that the government will take to implement recommendations made by the Zondo Commission of inquiry. Describing corruption as a crime against the people of South Africa, Ramaphosa promised an overhaul of the country's anti-corruption architecture. News24 podcasts

A man arrested in connection with the abduction, rape and murder of a four-year-old girl appeared in the Benoni Magistrate's Court this week. It's yet another horrific case of child murder that too often dominates the headlines in South Africa. News24 podcasts

On Monday, News24 specialist legal journalist Karyn Maughan and state advocate Billy Downer appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. It was the first day of former president Jacob Zuma's private prosecution of Maughan and Downer. News24 podcasts

On Monday, a 67-year-old German tourist was shot dead in an attempted hijacking near the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga. He was travelling with his wife and two other German tourists. The fatal shooting has highlighted South Africa's high levels of violent crime, and there are concerns about the impact on the country's tourism industry. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

Plettenberg Bay beaches in the Western Cape were reopened on Wednesday after several days of closure. They were closed on Sunday after a shark attack claimed the life of a 39-year-old Cape Town woman. It was the second fatal shark attack in only three months. News24 podcasts

The South African energy crisis escalated this week as Eskom implemented Stage 6 load shedding in the early hours of Sunday morning. The state-owned power utility is struggling to meet electricity demand, and rolling blackouts were, once again, the order of the day. News24 podcasts

Hundreds of residents in the small Free State town of Jagersfontein were displaced after the dam at a diamond mine burst and flooded the area on Sunday. News24 podcasts

The murder trial of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa resumed in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria this week. Meyiwa was shot dead at the home of his girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, in Vosloorus in 2014. Five men are currently on trial for his murder. News24 podcasts

Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh and several co-accused face various charges involving millions of rand, including fraud, money laundering and corruption. News24 podcasts

The two most prominent South African trade union federations, Cosatu and Saftu, called for a national shutdown on Wednesday in protest against rising living costs, particularly fuel price hikes.

But many South Africans continued with business as usual, ignoring the unions' calls to stay home.

This week, we unpack the strike action and ask if its impact was significant enough to make the government sit up and heed workers' grievances.

We talked to Fin24 journalist Khulekani Magubane, who covered the shutdown, and Saftu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi. News24 Podcasts

News24 investigations have revealed explosive details of what may have led to the assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. The senior Gauteng health department official was gunned down in August in front of her home in Winchester Hills, Johannesburg. News24 podcasts

President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing mounting pressure as more details about the 2020 burglary at his Phala Phala farm have emerged. This week, News24 published an exclusive investigation about the alleged theft of millions in cash. It sheds more light on a scandal that could potentially threaten Ramaphosa's future as president. News24 podcasts

More than 80 people appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court this week in connection with a gang rape in Krugersdorp, but none of the accused has been directly linked to the rapes as yet.

Instead, they are being charged with being in the country illegally.

The case was postponed to 10 August, for an identity parade to be held. News24 Podcasts

To uncover the truth behind the brutal murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran, News24's investigative team tried to expose what the chief accountant for the Gauteng health department had raised concerns about.

Deokaran was murdered outside her home in the south of Johannesburg in August 2021 after dropping her daughter off at school.

In a special exposé this week, News24 reported that Deokaran had tried to stop R100 million in dodgy payments and flagged nearly R850 million in other suspicious transactions to the Gauteng health department shortly before she was murdered. News24 Podcasts

Seven people were murdered in a violent farm attack in Kestell last week. This week on The Story, we discuss it with News24's Iavan Pijoos. We then hear from a social rights activist about the unique nature of farm attacks, and the associated misconceptions. www.news24.com · News24 Podcasts

A brutal mass shooting at a tavern in Soweto last week bought South Africa's gun laws and the issue of illegal weapons into the spotlight.

A total of 16 people were killed in the shooting in Orlando East, Soweto.

In a separate incident in Pietermaritzburg, just a few hours before the Soweto attack, four people were shot dead in a tavern. News24 Podcasts

Last week, South Africa was plunged into stage 6 load shedding, honing the attention of an already frustrated country onto Eskom and the figures of authority in charge of the state power utility, looking for answers and accountability.

An illegal wage strike by Eskom workers further strained the failing infrastructure, increasing the load shedding burden. News24 Podcasts

In the early hours of Sunday morning, 21 teenagers - between the ages of 13 and 17 - died in a tavern in the Eastern Cape. Authorities have said carbon monoxide poisoning could be the cause. News24 Podcasts

'Farmgate' has gripped the nation's attention and News24's investigative journalists are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of the truth. It's been nearly a month since the allegations against President Ramaphosa were brought into the spotlight by former spy boss Arthur Fraser. This week on The Story we'll talk to Jeff Wicks who tells us about his investigation into the prime suspect's expensive spending habits. www.news24.com

Nelson Mandela Bay is set to reach Day Zero in less than two weeks. The region has suffered a devastating drought for roughly six years. This week on The Story we discover just how bad things are. www.news24.com

President Cyril Ramaphosa was robbed of a large amount of cash, allegedly foreign currency, from his game farm in Limpopo in February 2020. Now, two years later, former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against him. Fraser alleged he had provided police with evidence showing Ramaphosa "concealed the crime" from them. News24 Podcasts

Abongile Mafalala, an e-hailing taxi driver from Dunoon, Cape Town, was an innocent victim of a gruesome mob justice attack on Tuesday morning in Parkwood, Grassy Park. Police have arrested 14 suspects involved in the attack, some of whom will be appearing in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court on Monday. www.news24.com · News24 Podcasts

In early 2020, 18-year-old Ruan van Heerden attacked his adoptive parents in their home in Pretoria.

He stabbed his mother 36 times while co-accused Carlson Phelps beat his father with a golf club.

On Tuesday, Van Heerden was charged with murder in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court where he received a 25-year sentence.

Phelps is set to appear in court on 7 June. News24 Podcasts

An allegedly racist incident that occurred at Huis Marais residence on Stellenbosch University campus over the weekend, has triggered conversations around the extent of transformation at the university.

A seemingly intoxicated first year student, Theuns du Toit, urinated on the belongings of Babalo Ndwayana in the early hours of Sunday morning. News24 Podcasts

There have been three mass shootings in Khayelitsha just short of two months, resulting in the deaths of 17 people collectively.

On Sunday, six people were shot and killed outside a spaza shop in Site C in the early evening. News24 Podcasts

The trial of five men accused of the murder of Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa in 2014 finally got under way in the Pretoria High Court last week. It's been nearly eight years since the football star was shot and killed at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo's house in Vosloorus, near Johannesburg. News24 podcasts

On Monday, president Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in response to catastrophic flooding in KwaZulu-Natal. Hundreds of people have died, and thousands have been displaced. R1 billion in relief funds has been made available to rebuild the province, but many South Africans fear the money will simply be looted, as happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. News24 podcasts

On Monday, president Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in response to catastrophic flooding in KwaZulu-Natal-Natal. Hundreds of people have died, and thousands have been displaced. R1 billion in relief funds has been made available to rebuild the province, but many South Africans fear the money will simply be looted, as happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. News24 podcasts

On Monday, president Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster in response to catastrophic flooding in KwaZulu-Natal. Hundreds of people have died, and thousands have been displaced. R1 billion in relief funds has been made available to rebuild the province, but many South Africans fear the money will simply be looted, as happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. News24 podcasts

Devastating floods caused by torrential rains wreaked havoc in KwaZulu-Natal this week. Hundreds of people have been killed by the floods and landslides. News24 journalists were dispatched to the scenes of devastation, and this week on The Story, they recount the horrors of what they saw. News24 podcasts

Devastating floods caused by torrential rains have wreaked havoc in Kwazulu-Natal this week. Hundreds of people have been killed by the floods and landslides. It's been described as one of the worst floods in KZN on record. News24 journalists were dispatched to the scenes of devastation, and this week on The Story, they recount the horrors of what they saw. News24 podcasts

After 750 days, president Cyril Ramaphosa lifted the country's state of disaster at midnight on Monday. But, there's been criticism of proposed regulations under the National Health Act that some argue will effectively allow the government to hold on to unprecedented emergency powers - including quarantining citizens. News24 podcasts

The world's economy has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic for the last two years, but towards the end of last year, it started to recover - at long last. Then came the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the possibility of a third world war looming large. This sent the financial markets into another tailspin, but the rand remained surprisingly strong. News24 podcasts

On Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the further easing of Covid-19 regulations. But, the National State of Disaster was extended yet again, drawing criticism from some quarters. It is now set to expire on 15 April, more than two years since it was declared at the start of the pandemic. News24 Podcasts

This week on The Story, an aviation expert tells News24 the grounding of Kulula and domestic British Airways flights, operated by Comair, should have been a "last resort". He criticised the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) for its lack of transparency. News24 podcasts

Suffering continues in Ukraine as Russia steps up its onslaught. Several ceasefire agreements to allow citizens to flee cities have failed. And on Wednesday, a hospital in the port city of Mariupol was hit by a Russian airstrike, leaving three people dead. News24 podcasts

2021 has been a tough year for South Africans. Loadshedding, Covid-19, a changing political landscape, and a battered economy has all taken its toll on the health and emotional wellbeing of most South Africans. News24 podcasts

The discovery of a new Covid-19 variant has sent the world into panic mode. South African scientists announced the discovery of the variant last week, sparking travel bans against the country. Health officials believe the new variant, named Omicron, is driving up infections, with Gauteng at the epicentre of cases. News24 podcasts

South Africa's official opposition, the Democratic Alliance, has reaped the benefits of smaller parties uniting against their common enemy, the ANC. The DA won mayorships in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and the City of Johannesburg. The ANC has now lost control of the biggest and most important metros in Gauteng, the economic heartbeat of the country, News24 podcasts

The government's withdrawal of its support for the Miss SA pageant has sparked controversy ahead of the Miss Universe contest in Israel next month.

Organisers of Miss South Africa refused to boycott the event, despite the government's advice to withdraw from the competition. News24 Podcasts

South Africans have had a rough week as Eskom bounced between stage two and stage four load shedding. Faced with up to three outages a day, many South Africans are despairing about the future of this country, and whether Eskom will ever be able to meet power supply demands. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

A record low voter turnout characterised the 2021 municipal elections, with a resultant significant impact on the fortunes of some political parties. More than 13 million voters, eligible to vote, did not even take the time to register. It was the lowest voter turnout in the history of the country's democracy. And for the first time since 1994, the ANC's support fell to below 50%. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts

It's been almost two weeks since four young brothers were kidnapped while being driven to school in Polokwane, Limpopo. The case of the Moti brothers has been dominating headlines, and has highlighted the terrifying trend of kidnappings in South Africa. News24 podcasts · News24 Podcasts