Uncensored With Penny Fourie
Investigative journalist, Penny Fourie, tackles burning issues in the greater Ballito region.
Shark-Safety Plan for Tinley Manor Under Review
This week on Uncensored, we look at KDM’s proposal to reinstall shark-safety gear off Tinley Manor. The plan includes seasonal nets and drumlines as part of efforts to improve coastal safety amid new developments like the Club Med resort. Environmental consultant and marine-protected-area specialist Peter Kowalski joins me to discuss…
This Week on Uncensored: Who Really Owns the Land?
Across South Africa and right here on the North Coast the question of land ownership is becoming harder to ignore. Private farms, open spaces, and development sites are being illegally occupied at a growing rate, while the laws meant to protect property rights are increasingly being tested. This week on…
Public Money, Private Protection: The Hidden Costs of KwaDukuza’s Security Bill
A leaked internal council report has revealed how councillors and officials in KwaDukuza are benefiting from unregulated security perks, including beachfront “safe housing” and hand-picked bodyguards. With no adopted policy, no SAPS threat assessments, and little transparency, what began as protection has evolved into a system of privilege and patronage…
NERSA Audit Reveals KwaDukuza’s Electricity Failures
Half a billion in energy losses, understaffed teams, and glaring maintenance failures - NERSA’s 75-page audit exposes serious issues in KwaDukuza’s electrical engineering department. We speak to DOCRRA’s Brian Pottinger and Flip Helberg about the findings, the risks of administration, and what comes next. 🎧 A conversation not to be…
This week on the North Coast: secret meetings at luxury villas, a controversial tender boss, and the surprising risks of
We look at the latest environmental alert after scores of dead fish were found at the Tongaat River mouth, and speak to local residents working tirelessly to hold authorities accountable. Plus, frustrated motorists weigh in on KwaDukuza’s broken traffic lights, and social media influencers learn that the taxman is watching…
From Promises to Crisis: Inside the Rocky Ridge Housing Project
The Rocky Ridge Housing Project was meant to deliver around 3,000 homes with a light industrial zone, but years later, hundreds of families remain homeless. Community members Philani Pityo and Mbongeni Bidi share their story of demolitions and resilience, while Ishana Barciela, activist and KZN MPL, is taking the municipality…
KwaDukuza Speaks: Community Voices on Uncensored
This week on Uncensored, we’re turning up the volume on Community Voices. From activists and public reps to local businesses and residents, we’re hearing your take on what really matters in KwaDukuza. Today, we listened to voices on the election of KDM’s new mayor, the countdown on broken traffic lights,…
From political battles in KwaDukuza to a biometric shake-up in social grants
From the air we breathe to the power that keeps our lights on, and even the fight to free Opal the orangutan. These are the five stories dominating the North Coast this week, all in under ten minutes. Don’t miss our weekly news segment every Friday on 88FM
What does Women’s Month really mean today?
As August, Women’s Month, draws to a close, it’s worth asking: what does this commemoration truly mean today? Nearly 70 years after more than 20 000 women marched to the Union Building, too many women in our informal settlements are still walking for water, raising families in overcrowded shacks, and…
Civic Voice, Critical Question: Don’t miss our deep dive into KwaDukuza’s unfolding crisis.
We unpack the three investigations rocking the municipality, the factional battles over the mayor’s seat, and whether the opposition will manage to put residents before party politics. And beyond the power struggle, we tackle the question that’s quietly on everyone’s mind: is environmental sustainability being sacrificed in the race for…
Prohibition Orders Hit KwaDukuza’s Self-Catering Hosts: What It Means for Local Rentals
This week on Uncensored, we speak to Tamryn Sherriffs, a longtime short-term-rental host and local business owner who, along with other self-catering operators, was served with a Prohibition Order. In the episode, we break down what’s happening, why it matters, and what it could mean for hundreds of local rental…
KDM IN CRISIS: WHO WILL STEP UP?
The ANC is fractured and running out of time to elect a mayor. Meanwhile the municipality continues its free-fall with no proper governance, council and portfolio meetings cancelled, and service deliveries stalled. But here’s the real question: Would the DA be open to backing a compromise candidate, someone not from…
KwaDukuza: ANC’s Grip Wobbles. Will the Opposition Step Up?
Mayoral politics in KwaDukuza has become a revolving door, exposing deeper issues of broken leadership, factional battles and the misuse of public funds. Today’s special council meeting to elect new leadership was postponed, but the power struggle is far from over. The ANC is fielding two candidates with controversial pasts…
Unseen, Unmeasured, Unsafe: The Air Crisis in KwaDukuza.
The air we’re breathing on the North Coast is dangerous and we know this because private data from the civic group, Communities Against Pollution (CAP) is telling us what government won’t. Without official working monitors, there’s no enforcement, no accountability, and no way to hold polluters responsible. Today on Uncensored,…
Short-Term Rentals in the Firing Line: What’s Changing in KwaDukuza?
In April, KwaDukuza Municipality quietly opened public comment on proposed changes to its Land Use Management Scheme (LUMS), the legal framework that governs the types of activities permitted on various properties. But most short-term rental operators, agencies, and small accommodation businesses across Ballito and Salt Rock say they weren’t aware…
A Deep Dive into the Alleged Capture of KwaDukuza Municipality (Part 2)
In Part 2, we follow the money: what happened to the R35.7 million that vanished in a brazen hack? To this day, there’s been no clarity and no accountability. We unpack the shifting alliances, legal manoeuvres, and the deeper power dynamics keeping KwaDukuza municipality in a state of political paralysis.
A Deep Dive into the Alleged Capture of KwaDukuza Municipality (Part 1)
This week on Uncensored, we investigate the inner workings of a local government where political power, silence, and money collide and where, according to some, mafia-like elements operate at the highest levels. In Part 1, we ask: is the recent mayoral recall the beginning of a clean-up or is the…
Municipal Chaos in KwaDukuza: Strike Will Continue
Provincial Chairperson of SAMWU, Sithembiso Madlebe, joins us and confirms: the strike action will continue until workers' demands are met. Don’t miss this critical episode.
Arrested for Unpaid Fines: Know Your Rights Before It’s Too Late
This week on Uncensored, we investigate the troubling case of a North Coast farmer, Andrew, who was unexpectedly arrested at a routine roadblock in Stanger for two unpaid traffic fines - fines he claims he was never notified about. Despite his family’s immediate efforts to pay the fines, police refused…
Inside the Transport Tensions: A Conversation with iLembe Chamber CEO Cobus Oelofse.
South Africa’s taxi industry, while essential to daily transport, has increasingly come under fire for operating with little oversight and using intimidation to maintain control. In KwaDukuza, recent reports of illegal roadblocks and threats to construction workers have raised serious concerns. In this episode, I speak to iLembe Chamber CEO…