Best Sast Podcasts (2026)

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The government of national unity (barely) survives 2025, with Jan Gerber 23:46

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3h ago23:46

23:46

Touch wood, South Africa’s government of national unity has survived 2025. But the tested national coalition between two of the country’s most devout enemies, the ANC and the DA, has the war wounds to show for it. And senior parliamentary correspondent Jan Gerber has borne witness to most of these GNU trials and tribulations. He’s our final guest o…

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Are we turning into an assassination nation? With Sikonathi Mantshantsha 22:33

2h ago22:33

22:33

Sadly, assassinations will come to define the 2025 news agenda. From Ekhuruleni financial auditor Mpho Mafole to Brakpan crimefighter Marius van der Merwe, several South Africans have paid the ultimate price for doing the right thing. Our senior investigative journalist, Sikonathi Manthshantsha, is live on the line with us in this end-of-the-year e…

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Jeff Wicks tells us how Vusimusi Matlala became the ‘Cat’ 17:36

12h ago17:36

17:36

Vusimusi “the Cat” Matlala has been a name tough to keep out of our top news headlines of 2025. From the Tembisa Hospital extraction scandal to a failed hit on his former lover, actress Tebogo Thobejane, all while brushing shoulders with former police commissioner and long-time minister Bheki Cele – the Cat’s nine lives may well and truly be finall…

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Michaelangelo Scandroglio on The K Jazz Show 31:58

2h ago31:58

31:58

On the K Jazz Show, This Sunday, we wrap up the year that was, and we find ourselves in Italy with a renowned bassist and composer who has received multiple awards for his exceptional talent. Michelangelo Scandroglio an artist whose journey has taken him from Europe’s great jazz stages to the world’s most respected festivals… and now, fresh from hi…

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Woolies cash bags and info peddlers: Madlanga musings with Karyn Maughan 22:59

19h ago22:59

22:59

Another high-profile commission of inquiry wasn’t on our news bingo cards for 2025.But we’re not surprised another one was established, either. Born out of two parts: one, News24 picking up slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran’s investigation into the Tembisa Hospital extraction scandal, and two, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’…

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Revealing ‘Twatterbaas’, the X Boer who hasn’t posted since April 34:53

2d ago34:53

34:53

You may be wondering these holidays, around the braai, “hey, I can’t remember but…” what set off the US Trump Administration in 2025 to punish South Africa with tariffs, a White House press ambush, and a ghosting at the G20 in Johannesburg? Well, not one factor, person or organisation is to blame for the supreme souring of relations between Washing…

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Protea fire blazes bright, the Boks’ amazing year and Afcon loading 33:51

3d ago33:51

33:51

When, eventually, we peer back at the annals of South African sport in 2025, cricket will come out tops. That’s the argument from our News24 Sport editor, Lloyd Burnard, who believes the Proteas’ fire is blazing bright for both the men’s and women’s sides. Burnard joined The Lead in our new Cape Town studios to reflect on the sporting year that was…

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Future Forward with Zenzele Mthembu - Salter on The K Jazz Show 37:09

4d ago37:09

37:09

This Sunday on The K Jazz Show… The future calls, and it swings. The Cape Town born, Amsterdam based bassist takes the chair, unpacking his powerful debut album, Future Kwela. From township grooves to global jazz language, from inherited rhythm to bold new imagination this is kwela remembered forward. Join us for a conversation about heritage, move…

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The toll of Cape Town’s unending gang war 43:29

7d ago43:29

43:29

The Western Cape gang crisis is at fever pitch. The latest stats show nearly 100 people were killed in gang violence every month for the past six months. Families are shattered, police detectives are strained to capacity, and trauma doctors are burnt out. We give the “War at Home” in Cape Town a face with journalist, Lisalee Solomons. Later, in our…

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Who killed DJ Warras and why? PLUS, meat prices soar 21:53

8d ago21:53

21:53

Media personality turned businessman Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock tasked himself with restoring some order in Johannesburg’s maze of problematic, hijacked buildings. We look at why Stock, a former 5FM DJ and private security company boss, was shot and killed in broad daylight on a public holiday meant to celebrate our country’s reconciliation. Journal…

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Pierre de Vos judges the judiciary in 2025. PLUS, KZN legislature chaos 27:50

10d ago27:50

27:50

Have you clocked out for the year already? On the beach yet? Switched off? Well, constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos has, but not before giving us his last interview for the year. Touching on all his highs and lows for the judiciary in 2025, from one judge allegedly receiving church bribes – to IDAC’s Transnet corruption trial, De Vos weighs in…

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Matshidiso on The K Jazz Show 35:49

12d ago35:49

35:49

This Sunday we welcome an artist who lives beautifully in the in-between —that luminous grey space where jazz, soul, folk, poetry and memory weave themselves into something entirely her own. London–Johannesburg–Paris based singer, pianist and storyteller Matshidiso Mohajane joins us fresh on the show, carrying with her a new body of work that feels…

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Can the black middle class save the ANC from collapse? 37:50

14d ago37:50

37:50

The ANC is introspecting. If its National General Council is anything to go by, the continent’s oldest liberation party appears to be serious about reversing its sliding scale of victory. But the yellow and green giant forged in the images of Luthuli, Sisulu and Mandela cannot rebuild without the full support of the country’s black middle class, wh…

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Inside the ANC’s soul-searching NGC – vote buying, step-asides and succession 18:51

15d ago18:51

18:51

An end to vote-buying at elective conferences. And a stricter step-aside ruling for those accused of corruption. These are just some of the party policy changes the African National Congress (ANC) is mulling over at its current National General Council in Boksburg. As our political reporter, Soyiso Maliti debuts on The Lead, the ANC takes a hard lo…

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ANC and DA succession races – Didiza rising, Hill-Lewis waiting? 22:56

19d ago22:56

22:56

The DA won’t be led by John Steenhuisen forever, and this is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s final turn at the helm of Africa’s oldest liberation movement, the ANC. While most of us have our minds on the beach at this time of year, News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson has some very informed thoughts on who may or may not lead these two awkward GNU bed…

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‘Vlam’ extinguished - why was crimefighter Marius van der Merwe killed? 19:56

20d ago19:56

19:56

Nicknamed “vlam”, or flame in English, 41-year-old Brakpan crimefighter Marius van der Merwe was shot and killed last Friday at his home. It’s mere weeks after he, as Witness D at the Madlanga Commission, detailed an alleged 2022 murder cover-up involving deputy Ekurhuleni top metro cop, Julius Mkhwanazi. And it follows Van Der Merwe’s private secu…

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The Echoes of Marabi with Yonela Mnana on The K Jazz Show 36:10

19d ago36:10

36:10

We welcome back a profound musical thinker, a sonic architect, and one of the most quietly influential forces in contemporary South African jazz. He last graced our airwaves when he gifted us Baba in 2016 and since then, his artistry has only deepened, sharpened, and expanded. Pianist, composer, bandleader, scholar, and collaborator of the highest …

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Dlomo in the dock cracks open SSA looting legacy of the Zuma years 27:07

24d ago27:07

27:07

Once upon a time, he was former president Jacob Zuma’s so-called super spy. Heading up a secretive sub-section of the State Security Agency, all in the name of only protecting number one: Umsholozi. But this week, the NPA’s no-holds-barred Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) unit arrested and charged Thulani Dlomo for alleged forger…

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Families desperate as 17 SA men remain stuck in Russian conflict 26:20

25d ago26:20

26:20

A resignation from Parliament. Charges and counter charges filed. Denials and disappointment. And still, nothing right now can return 17 men to South Africa who were unknowingly deployed to the frontlines of the Russia/Ukraine war. We get the latest from the man who broke the MK Party and Russian military saga, Iavan Pijoos, in our latest edition o…

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Gqeberha’s governance crisis: Who can fix the Windy City? 30:09

26d ago30:09

30:09

Broken lamp posts, litter and a good ‘ol serving of corruption….It sounds like the standard recipe for any South African town these days, and Gqeberha’s been no exception under chaotic coalition rule. Political journalist Siyamtanda Capa is keeping a close eye on Nelson Mandela Bay these days as the DA stakes its claim for the ANC’s coveted mayoral…

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Mayoral misleadings in Mafole murder? 21:56

29d ago21:56

21:56

Greetings from Boksburg on Gauteng’s East Rand, Lead listeners...Today, we get an update from senior investigative journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha on the murder of City of Ekurhuleni financial auditor Mpho Mafole. And how, clear evidence suggests, Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has publicly tried to draw links between Mafole’s murder and other City …

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The Cat, the Hat and the Woolies shopping bags of money 25:51

1M ago25:51

25:51

The Cat, the man with the iconic hat, and black Woolworths shopping bags filled with hard cash. Alleged attempted murderer and tender don Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala claims he showered former police minister Bheki Cele with R500 000 to try and get police investigators off his back. Senior parliamentary correspondent Jan Gerber and I distil Matlala’s evi…

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Indian fake news farm fuels Sassa lies. PLUS, probing ‘cheap flights’ 36:25

1M ago36:25

36:25

How did an obscure northern Indian digital agency turn into a global fake news factory spouting all sorts of Sassa nonsense in SA? It’s a burning question that we discuss with our Disinformation Desk editor Andrew Thompson. Because even after being exposed for how it peddles completely made-up stories about SA last month, the Indian agency has doub…

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Power surge, Carol Paton on Mzansi’s new electricity revolution 30:16

1M ago30:16

30:16

If, like me, you’ve seen these headlines of new independent power producers emerging to feed into the national grid ... and you’re wondering, when will we finally wean ourselves off a century-old Eskom monopoly and realise cheaper power prices? Then stick around for my conversation with specialist journalist Carol Paton in this edition of The Lead.…

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Ubuntu diplomacy lands at Jozi G20 as US stays away 30:44

1M ago30:44

30:44

The first G20 summit on African soil has flown by and, barring the United States’ view, it appears that President Cyril Ramaphosa has come in for near-universal applause for pulling off a global event of this magnitude. In what some are calling a diplomatic masterstroke, Pretoria pushed for the participating powers to adopt the summit’s declaration…

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SA’s high stakes G20 and whiplash from Washington 22:26

1M ago22:26

22:26

We start this edition of The Lead tonight with the breaking news from President Cyril Ramaphosa that Washington has done a u-turn and is now showing a willingness to participate in the G20 Summit in some form or another. Please note the rest of the show tonight was recorded earlier in the day. For the first time in Africa’s history, the G20 Summit …

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Unravelling Brown Mogotsi’s conspiracies with Karyn Maughan 30:01

1M ago30:01

30:01

We begin this special edition of The Lead with the very latest charge from Madlanga Commission evidence leader, Matthew Chaskalson, that notorious North West businessman Brown Mogotsi lied under oath. Mogotsi’s claims read like a Cold War-era spy novel, but they appear to lack the evidence the commission so sorely needs to make concrete findings. T…

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78-year-old District Six resident beats 2023 eviction order 18:49

1M ago18:49

18:49

Every now and then, a modern-day David and Goliath story comes along that warms our hearts. Today, this story is about 78-year-old Noor-Banu Allie, a long-time District Six resident who was forcibly removed from the area in the late 1960s. She very nearly suffered the same fate recently when her landlord dug their heels in, but a Western Cape High …

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How the DA axed its own minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment 21:07

1M ago21:07

21:07

First came Andrew Whitfield’s axing – and now the DA’s had to see the environment minister, Dion George, fired too. This time for failing to toe the Cabinet’s policy lines on COP30 and regulated rhino horn and ivory trading. Allegations, too, of bullying and sexual misconduct suggest that George was deeply unpleasant to work with. Catch our convers…

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Multipolar with Steve Dyer on The K Jazz Show 34:20

1M ago34:20

34:20

It’s always special when we welcome back the giants of our sound, the elders who continue to move the language of jazz forward. Our guest needs little introduction; he’s a saxophonist, composer, producer, cultural thinker, and one of the most profound creative voices in South African music. The last time we spoke, he had just released Enhlizweni, a…

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Lawless lawmen? Inside the AmaPanyaza saga, with Khaya Koko 28:22

1M ago28:22

28:22

They’re called the AmaPanyaza. Meaning: Panyaza’s boys. These are the more than 6 000 anti-crime wardens appointed as a task force in the name of the premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, back in 2023. But Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka, just this October, found in a report that the establishment of the force was illegal and unconstitutional. She o…

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Adriaan Basson calls out SA’s Trump collaborators 31:56

2M ago31:56

31:56

Remember their names: Kallie Kriel, Rob Hersov, Elon Musk. These are just some of the collaborators News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson argues played a part in backing US President Donald Trump’s lies about the Afrikaner experience in SA today. Basson, our guest on The Lead, believes Trump’s comments may come and go, but history will remember the…

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The MKP’s puzzling Russia deployment. PLUS: How to spot AI slop 41:50

2M ago41:50

41:50

We lead today’s show with a News24 exclusive on news that the MK Party flew some of its members to Russia to train as bodyguards only for them to be deployed, apparently unknowingly, to the frontlines of a war. It now appears that former president Jacob Zuma wants them moved to a safe space. And, later in the show, how did an obscure northern India…

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Cat clairvoyance? Matlala bagged clinic lease months before SAPS tender 26:09

2M ago26:09

26:09

Just when you thought the Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala saga couldn’t get any more intriguing, it does. Today, specialist investigative journalist Jeff Wicks can reveal the notorious tender don secured a pretty affordable deal to rent a state clinic on the grounds of the Pretoria West Police Training Academy, a full six months before he landed a controver…

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A maiden journey with Hakan Bașar on The K Jazz Show 28:41

2M ago28:41

28:41

This Sunday on The K Jazz Show, we’re taking a trip that begins on the banks of the Bosphorus, glides through the cobbled streets of Florence, making its way to Johannesburg — where jazz meets joy, culture meets curiosity, and rhythm knows no borders. An extraordinary young voice in global jazz — Hakan Başar, the 21-year-old Turkish piano virtuoso …

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Jozi leaders out of office ahead of G20. PLUS: DA, ANC, PA duel for WC 22:47

2M ago22:47

22:47

From the Big Smoke to Slaapstad, there’s plenty to unpack politically this week. In Jozi, a temporary leadership vacuum ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit has coalition partners outraged. Meanwhile, in the Western Cape, the DA’s blue wave has swallowed up some senior ANC members left out in the cold. Stay tuned for The Lead’s discussions with News24 …

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BEE makeover - Is Tau’s Transformation Fund glow-up enough? 23:22

2M ago23:22

23:22

Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau’s dream of realising a massive voluntary fund to uplift small black businesses gets a reality check in this edition of The Lead. Specialist journalist Carol Paton tells us that Tau has revised this concept to include a key incentive for big business to help build the R100-billion chest. Later, in our trending t…

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All aboard? Not quite, as Gautrain stuck in search for new operator 26:18

2M ago26:18

26:18

Democratic South Africa has had such lofty dreams of bullet trains for our now largely decrepit rail network. The Gautrain, though, stands as somewhat of a contemporary rail success story. And now, the high-speed service between OR Tambo International Airport and the capital, Pretoria, is approaching its final station in finding a new operator to r…

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SARS guns for company linked to Mashatile’s sons. PLUS: Murray murders case restarts 40:20

2M ago40:20

40:20

Once a registered South African company trades past R1 million, it is legally required to pay value-added tax (VAT). Tell that to two of the deputy president’s sons whose company they are linked to, Modipadi Nokaneng, now owes the SA Revenue Service (SARS) a cool R3 million. This is revealed by our investigative journalist, Kyle Cowan, who is live …

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Rassie’s suprise year-end rookie. PLUS: Black Coffee’s R157m CT villa 26:12

2M ago26:12

26:12

The Springbok boys in green and gold go head-to-head with their old foes, the Japanese Cherry Blossoms this 1 November. Coach Rassie Erasmus has already named his squad for next month’s tour, with young Stormers breakout star Zachary Porthen tipped to make his debut. Taking stock post-Rugby Championship for The Lead is our News24 sport editor, Lloy…

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Poor Economic Empowerment - DA’s answer to BEE. PLUS: Slain auditor update 18:43

2M ago18:43

18:43

On one hand, the ANC’s championing of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) has certainly succeeded in putting money into black people’s hands, a majority race excluded from enjoying the fruits of our country’s economy for centuries. But BBBEE’s critics, on the other hand, claim that the wealth this contentious policy has generated has oft…

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Is this why Ekurhuleni auditor Mpho Mafole was assassinated? 25:37

2M ago25:37

25:37

Hunted. What was slain auditor Mpho Mafole and his team probing from within the City of Ekurhuleni when he was gunned down in Kempton Park this year? Find out by listening to this edition of The Lead with our senior investigative journalist, Sikonathi Mantshantsha. Later, in our trending topic, the PA unseats the ANC in a startling Soweto by-electi…

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Mchunu defends decision to disband PKTT, with Jan Gerber 29:28

2M ago29:28

29:28

He’s been itching to tell his side of the story. Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has been emphatic to Parliamentarians this Thursday that there was no sinister ulterior motive in disbanding the Political Killings Task Team and that the unit was under review for a long time. Catch the very latest from Mchunu’s evidence before MPs, with our se…

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The real costs of the police’s PKTT. PLUS: Bafana’s last chance 43:59

3M ago43:59

43:59

Much of the Madlanga Commission’s focus has been on detailing the events leading up to the disbandment of KwaZulu-Natal’s Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) nearly a year ago and the alleged reasons behind the decision. But if we pause and consider the text-based evidence tabled before the commission regarding the PKTT’s effectiveness, has it been…

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Mkhwanazi in Parly. Maumela, Sibiya raids. PLUS: Bafana FIFA preview 49:45

3M ago49:45

49:45

Die poppe is besig om te dans! Translated: the dolls are busy dancing! Which essentially means the chickens have come home to roost. While the SIU raids tender don Morgan Maumela’s Sandton mansion, and heavily armed officers swarm the Centurion home of suspended top cop Shadrack Sibiya, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi wrapped u…

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More Jozi coalition chaos on the cards? PLUS: Mkhwanazi latest 20:37

3M ago20:37

20:37

The smaller, minority political parties are easily the kingmakers in the City of Johannesburg. Now, though, it has emerged that some of them have suddenly exited their shared WhatsApp group. So where does this leave the current configuration of the government of local unity in Jozi? Could it spell more coalition uncertainty for a metro screaming ou…

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ANC considers changing tack against DA’s Zille in Jozi 24:43

3M ago24:43

24:43

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Meet the monster John Harris (with Jacques Pauw) 50:43

3M ago50:43

50:43

Please note that our top story in The Lead today may upset you. Listeners’ discretion is advised. In short, you’re going to meet the monster John Harris, as narrated by the veteran investigative journalist who unearthed the harrowing story, Jacques Pauw. Harris, 73, a British-born music teacher for schoolchildren who had frequented many towns up an…

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Morgan Maumela’s North West hospital hustle, with Jeff Wicks 25:20

3M ago25:20

25:20

He’s been riding high in Lamborghinis, now eyed by investigators for asset seizure. Hangwani Morgan Maumela, the supreme tender don at the centre of the Tembisa Hospital tender scam, has since been pushing to get his foot in the door in the North West province too. But as investigative journalist Jeff Wicks reports, Maumela’s company couldn’t even …

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Mogotsi, Matlala and the ‘Big Five’ criminal cartel 42:12

3M ago42:12

42:12

It is already week three of the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria, and we have witnessed some damning allegations of the criminal capture of the country’s justice system. The rot in the police is so bad that the senior men and women in blue have a name for the criminal syndicate that has infiltrated its heart: “The Big Five”. And with a new inquiry e…