Families desperate as 17 SA men remain stuck in Russian conflict

Loading player...
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 of The Lead. Later, in our trending topic, the Boks have been thrown in a fairly easy pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Finally, Dr Christiaan Barnard made human heart transplant history on this day in 1967 at the end of the show. You can send our host, broadcast journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, a voice note with your questions or thoughts on the show: 072 562 3179. To advertise in the show: thelead@24.com. Full editions drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. The Lead is currently sponsored by 10X Investments.
Chapters
  • 00:01 Graeme's intro
  • 01:23 Crossing to Iavan Pijoos on MKP Russia saga
  • 16:33 AD: 10X Investments
  • 17:25 Crossing to Khanyiso Tshwaku on RWC 2027 pools
  • 23:58 AD: N24's The Weekender
  • 24:26 On This Day in SA History: Dr Christiaan Barnard
3 Dec 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

The Daveyton Muti Murders Part 2

NOTE: Listener’s discretion is strongly advised. In Part 2 of News24’s narrative podcast investigation, The Daveyton Muti Murders, we honour the memory of budding Wits University student, Wandile Jasop, and detail a deeply disturbing cycle of extreme violence unfolding in the historic Ekurhuleni town in the late 2010s. Reported over nearly six…
28 Aug 23 min

TRAILER: The Daveyton Muti Murders - a News24 narrative podcast investigation

News24 this Sunday, 23 August, brings you The Daveyton Muti Murders, a three-part narrative podcast investigation into the historical Ekurhuleni town’s disturbing history of ritual killings. The saga begins with Jabulani Mntungwa, a 20-year-old aspiring young man who leaves his sleepy hometown of eMkhondo for the bright lights of Gauteng’s…
21 Aug 1 min

The Daveyton Muti Murders Part 1

Please note: Listener’s discretion is strongly advised. News24 this Sunday brings you The Daveyton Muti Murders, a three-part narrative podcast investigation into the historical Ekurhuleni town’s disturbing history of ritual killings. The saga begins with Jabulani Mntungwa, a 20-year-old aspiring young man who leaves his sleepy hometown of eMkhondo for the…
21 Aug 23 min

Digesting the anti-immigrant marches, with Bongekile Macupe, Sakhiseni Nxumalo

In this edition of The Lead with Graeme Raubenheimer, we assess the immediate aftermath of the June 30th anti-immigration marches with News24’s deputy politics editor, Bongekile Macupe, and Durban journalist, Sakhiseni Nxumalo. Macupe witnessed firsthand how pockets of violence took over the mass demonstration in Johannesburg, while Nxumalo observed a…
1 Jul 40 min

What happens after 30 June’s anti-migrant marches? With Sakhiseni Nxumalo

With the clock ticking on the 30 June “deadline” set by anti-migrant groups, will peace prevail as marchers take to the streets this Tuesday? With so many foreigners queuing up in Durban and other parts of the country, to somehow find a way home, what happens then when this cutoff comes…
29 Jun 30 min