About this video
LIVE from the State of the Nation Breakfast: we’re six months from the 2026 local government elections — and this isn’t “just another municipal vote.” This election could reshape the GNU, decide who controls the metros, and set up the 2029 national battlefield.
Mike Sham explains why the ANC looks resigned to losing, why non-voting could explode (making every vote count more), and why the DA still struggles with a psychological barrier in black urban Gauteng: the fear that DA success would “prove the wrong thing.”
Then the GNU problem: DA ministers can’t clean up departments run by ANC deployees — and the latest shock is a R258m textbook tender awarded to a company registered days after the tender was announced.
IN THIS EPISODE
• 2026 will be the most important local election ever
• ANC has no mayoral candidates and no plan — and metros keep getting worse
• Why turnout could fall into the 40s (and why your vote matters more)
• The DA’s trap: fear of failure… and fear of success
• MK chaos won’t translate well into local government (likely)
• PA incentives: staying close to power while the brand rots
• ActionSA’s identity crisis: DA-lite vs ANC voters
• GNU usefulness is running out
• R258m textbook tender scandal + DA minister stuck with ANC deployee DG
• “Have we sunk deep enough yet?” — why SA still hasn’t hit bottom
Don’t just complain get involved, share this conversation, and subscribe for more State of the Nation insights.
Get Daily Updates: @PoliticalInsiderZA
Follow @sonacoza on TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook
Produced by Stream In Studios – https://podcast-room.co.za/
The State Of the Nation is Proudly Sponsored by Pace Car Rental
https://www.pacecarrental.co.za/
Use Code : SONA for a discount today!
Chapters: 0:00 Welcome + format for the breakfast 0:45 Who Mike Sham is + what State of the Nation covers 2:45 Sponsor thanks: Pace Car Rental + Trade Nation + Corion Capital + Manzi Water 4:40 Six months to 2026: why this election is massive 5:36 2016–2021: ANC loses metro majorities and does nothing 6:34 Metros got worse: water, potholes, streetlights, basic collapse 8:30 ANC has “resigned itself” to losing (rerun of 2024) 9:16 Why local government matters: your life is the pothole and the tap 10:36 The hidden cost: councillor jobs, patronage and violence risk 12:55 Where do votes go? Non-voting surge + turnout in the 40s 13:59 Two-ballot warning: ward + PR vote (vote both) 14:09 Joburg math: the DA “winnable” story vs reality 15:10 DA’s core problem: bad listening + stuck in Cape Town 15:53 Voters’ fear #1: what if DA fails? 16:11 Voters’ fear #2: what if DA succeeds? (psychology of race) 18:12 Zille’s “pothole stunts”: effective — but can backfire 19:59 Deeper point: a wounded people + “you’re not good enough” politics 23:29 Coalitions: MK chaos won’t govern well locally 24:57 IFP likely does better than expected (despite contradictions) 26:22 EFF role: survival and where their chaos “belongs” 27:42 FF+ won’t grow (family business argument) 29:07 PA + McKenzie: why he stays close to Ramaphosa (contracts) 30:16 ActionSA dilemma: say yes to DA = “vote DA”; say no = “vote ANC” 33:17 Nationally: SA on autopilot — no growth plan 34:14 GNU reaching its “useful end” 34:50 R258m textbook tender scandal explained 35:10 DA minister trapped: DG is ANC deployee; only President can fire 36:10 “Dice with the devil”: let ANC go full MK/EFF before 2029? 37:00 “Have we sunk deep enough?” + why accountability is still missing 39:00 Wrap + intro to Frans Cronjé + Bonsai Shongwe + Q&A
Watch the full conversation above. This article uses the title and description published by State Of The Nation on YouTube on 6 May 2026.
\n
