The Real Network Gareth Cliff on...

Gareth Cliff on...

Gareth Cliff is known for his well-articulated and strong opinions about politics and current affairs. Hear them in his own voice here.
Weekly English South Africa Society & Culture · News
50 Episodes
12 – 32

Gareth's Blog: Meaning, Purpose and the New Year

Every year I write something hopeful, something that I wish would help just one person who reads it to have something to reach for in the new year. This has been such a tumultuous year that it almost feels like I need to reconsider everything, even my parting shot for…
15 Dec 2020 4 min

Gareth's Blog: The 12 Online Commandments

The Internet isn’t real life. Look, I’m, sure you know this already, but let’s all take a minute in what has been a very difficult year, to take stock of our lives. Thanks to Covid, for many people the Internet is the only kind of social activity they’ve had. It’s…
26 Oct 2020 7 min

Gareth's Blog: Desiderata 2020

Not sure why, or for whom, but I felt it necessary to say this: If you’re going through hell at the moment - If your life isn’t anything like what you always hoped it would be- If people are disappointing you or hurting you - If you’re hopeless, disconnected, lonely…
18 Sep 2020 5 min

Gareth's Blog: Power to Podcasting

Podcasting is flourishing, not just globally, but in South Africa. There is no other audio medium that can reach an audience as highly engaged as podcast listeners. Loyalty and influence come with a highly engaged podcast audience and as a result, the people who make up this audience are an…
27 Jul 2020 4 min

Gareth's Blog: Civil disobedience

America celebrated their Independence Day over the weekend, a day that marked their split from the kingdom of the oppressor of the day, King George III of Great Britain. Since we’re revising history left, right and centre (but mostly left), I thought it might be useful to remind ourselves of…
6 Jul 2020 4 min

Gareth's Blog: Dear Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma...

I write to you in my private capacity as a citizen of South Africa, just in case the media read it wrong, again. I watched your NCCC briefing today. I decided at the outset to give you the respect due to you - as an elder. Without the usual judgement…
29 May 2020 3 min

Gareth's Blog: What now?

How are you doing in this madness? ‘Vasbyt', as the Afrikaans people say. I write one of these blogs every week and normally they’re not as controversial as the last two, but they might interest you if you’re thinking about what happens next. Just like any other mammal, I don’t…
21 May 2020 2 min

Gareth's Blog: 'The Big Debacle'

We live, we learn. It has been almost three weeks since we heard from the President, and two weeks where I have found myself trending on Twitter. Neither of those things is optimal. I’d really like to hear from the President - because we’re in crisis and it would be…
12 May 2020 3 min

Gareth's Blog: Dear Mr President...

We’ve all been ready to support you and your administration in your efforts to save lives from this pandemic. Even people like me, who have questioned the idea of a lockdown as the best response have decided to comply and do whatever we could to help. We set aside our…
30 Apr 2020 3 min

Gareth's Blog: Unlocking the Lockdown

OK, so we’re all coming to the end of our lockdown sentence - and you’ve probably been angry, depressed, anxious, frustrated, scared and numb - at least a few times each. I am not one to gild the lily and if you’ve ever read any of my stuff you know…
23 Apr 2020 5 min

Gareth's Blog: Lockdown Lowdown

Time to level with each other, ok? You don’t have to prove you’re exercising at home during lockdown - we’ll know at the end when you roll out of your house if you did or not. I believe you’re working from home. Thanks to all the holidays, April was a…
8 Apr 2020 6 min

Gareth's Blog: We’ll get through this together

Can you believe what this coronavirus outbreak is doing to us? It has everyone jumping, and in the midst of mass-hysteria toilet paper stockpiling and stock markets crashing, we should take stock of ourselves. Let’s take a sober, rational look at the madness that has taken hold in the last…
18 Mar 2020 6 min

Gareth's Blog: An apology for Tito

Imagine being the responsible parent in a family where the other parent has spent every cent, saved nothing, borrowed against the house, taken on mountains of credit card debt and siphoned off whatever cash could be found to their lover and their children. That’s what Tito Mboweni has to manage…
28 Feb 2020 2 min

Gareth's Blog: 2020 Vision

Are you ready for the best decade in humanity’s history? No matter how much the news media, politicians, celebrities and climate change activists tell you we’re about to enter the gates of hell, we’re not. Things are pretty fantastic for humans…
21 Jan 2020 2 min

Gareth's Blog: The End is Nigh

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been called an optimist. I think the people who called me that didn’t mean it as a compliment. Throughout human history, the cynics, stoics and mystics had more respect than the optimists - but it turns out that history is on the…
13 Dec 2019 3 min

Gareth's Blog: New York, New Media

Siya Sangweni (CliffCentral Brand Manager), Rina Broomberg (CliffCentral co-founder) and I were in New York last week for a series of meetings, a conference and some interesting experiences in the world of podcasting. It’s always reassuring to hear other people’s stories of pioneering their businesses and ideas in new media…
28 Oct 2019 2 min

Gareth's Blog: Communities: Real & Digital

People abuse the term ‘community’. A community is defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” It doesn’t mean the million things politicians want it to. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram talk about their community – but we’re certainly not in…
19 Sep 2019 2 min

Gareth's Blog: Advertising is Alive!

Turns out we’re not just vapid and superficial. Turns out we want more than 280 characters. Turns out we like complex stories with lots of characters and plot lines. Turns out we like interviews where people talk about philosophy, life and meaning. Turns out we’re smarter than the media people…
22 Aug 2019 2 min

Gareth's Blog: Changing Behaviour

I remember the school run fondly. My mom would load me, my brother, and sister into the car and take us on the 30-minute drive to school. The journey had a familiar routine - passing by the same places, chatting and laughing. Someone else was always in the car though…
18 Jul 2019 2 min

The Power of Podcasting with Gareth Cliff, Timothy Maurice & Ernest North

Online media was in its infancy in South Africa when we made the giant leap from terrestrial radio to start CliffCentral.com. Podcasting was almost unknown in South Africa and the naysayers predicted failure. Now, five years later, podcasting is the fastest growing medium in America (70% growth year-on-year for the…
24 Jun 2019 32 min
12 – 32