News24 The Lead

Air Force None with Sikonathi Mantshantsha

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South Africa's skies are primarily unprotected, which should be of concern. On Monday, News24 revealed that only six of the 330 SA Air Force aircraft were in working order. That's two fighter jets, a helicopter, and three fighter jet trainers; the rest are gathering rust. In his exclusive report, News24's investigative journalist Sikonathi Mantshantsha details how the SAAF has all but collapsed and has no fighting capacity left. “You have a situation where the best military on the African continent … has been degraded to such an extent that they cannot scrabble two jets at a time if we had to intercept anything at a moment's notice," says Mantshantsha. Later, host Graeme Raubenheimer discusses the latest budding romance in the Trump administration. You can now mail your views, news, and voice notes to thelead@24.com. New episodes drop Monday through Thursday at 19:00.
Chapters
  • 00:01 Intro
  • 01:04 Interview with Sikonathi Mantshantsha
  • 33:43 Trending topic: West Coast Airshow crash
  • 34:57 And finally: Woods dates a Trump
  • 35:49 Outro
24 Mar 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

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