Rewired with Isobel Frye

Power Disruptor Ayanda Sishi Part 2 | Youth and Gender Activism and BIG

Youth and Gender activist, Ayanda Sishi Wigzell speaks to Isobel Frye, Khutso Makobela and Amahle Ngwenya of SPI on Basic Income Grant in this two-part episode. In Part One Ayanda talks about the importance of Dignity in defining her activism and how poverty actively erodes this. Growing up she saw…

30 Jan 2023 26 min

Power Disruptor Ayanda Sishi Part 1 | Youth and Gender Activism and BIG

Youth and Gender activist Ayanda Sishi Wigzell speaks to Isobel Frye, Khutso Makobela, and Amahle Ngwenya of SPI on Basic Income Grant in this two-part episode. Ayanda talks about the importance of dignity in defining her activism and how poverty actively erodes this. Growing up she saw how grants enabled…

23 Jan 2023 36 min

In the Balance Part 2 | Hein Marais unpacks his recent political economy of UBI

In this episode, Hein Marais, author of two critical works on the political economy of the South African transition and the stagnation of change, explains his reasoning for a universal basic income. Marais identifies the growing support of business for the idea and also says why the idea has traction…

7 Dec 2022 24 min

In the Balance Part 1 | Hein Marais unpacks his recent political economy of UBI

In this episode, Hein Marais, author of two critical works on the political economy of the South African transition and the stagnation of change, explains his reasoning for a universal basic income. Marais identifies the growing support of business for the idea and also says why the idea has traction…

29 Nov 2022 36 min

A BIG just makes sense | Portia Derby and Derek Thomas tell it like it is

Portia Derby, Group Head of Transnet and Derek Thomas, co-founder and shareholder of Letsema Holdings, talk about why a BIG is the only common sense thing to do to get SA back on track and share their early awakenings of the inequality and madness of Apartheid which formed their commitment…

18 Nov 2022 53 min

Can South Africa Reimagine Economic Policy | Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi

Can South Africa Reimagine Economic Policy after 26 years of Democracy — Why has South Africa failed to transform its economy? During this episode, we have a conversation with Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi who served as a cabinet minister between 1996 and 2008. We explore social and macroeconomic policies during the first…

21 Sep 2020 55 min

Can we afford NOT to have a BIG in South Africa? | Guy Standing

Pilots, multipliers and Covid- recovery stimulus - let the evidence lead. In this episode, Guy Standing, internationally renowned expert and widely published author on BIG speaks to Duma and Isobel about his experience as an advisor to President Mandela on labour market issues, as well as his view that South…

24 Aug 2020 50 min

Does South Africa need more austerity or a fiscal stimulus? | Busi Sibeko

In this episode, Busi Sibeko talks to Duma Gqubule and Isobel Frye about reimagining a Rewired fiscal policy in the wake of the Covid-19 economic depression. The conversation details the inadequacy of the stimulus package announced by the state on top of the austerity path already embarked on pre-Covid. The…

27 Jul 2020 52 min

Monetary policy shibboleths and sacred cows | Owen Willcox

Understanding how past bad orthodox monetary policies must change. In this episode, Owen Willcox (formerly National Treasury and now with Oxford Policy Management) talks to hosts Isobel Frye and Duma Gqubule about the choices made around monetary policy and how this might have led to low economic growth and successive…

3 Jul 2020 44 min

What is the BIG idea? | Ravi Naidoo

What is the BIG idea? — The Idea whose time has come. In this episode, Isobel and Duma talk to Ravi Naidoo who leads the Bluefields Group which focuses on impact investment. He previously served as a director of Naledi, Cosatu's think. During this time he represented organised labour in…

19 Jun 2020 43 min