Sound Africa

In the third episode of “They Killed Dulcie,” we delve into the world of informants and double agents and how the apartheid security forces used them to infiltrate the liberation movements in South Africa and abroad. It remains a sensitive topic in South African politics today – some comrades were also collaborators. Following the assassination of Dulcie September in Paris in 1988, the ANC moved swiftly to install a new man in her old job. Solly Smith, also known as Samuel Khanyile, was to continue Dulcie’s work. But Solly Smith served two masters who were at war with one another. Was a double agent placed in her office immediately after her murder to undo all her work in investigating the sinister world of politicians, spies, arms dealers and bankers? This was not the first time that Dulcie September was in the proximity of a double agent. In the 1960’s she and her comrades were arrested following the infiltration of the National Liberation Front by a police agent. They Killed Dulcie is made by Sound Af

On the wall of a grey Parisian apartment building, a small plaque commemorates the life of activist Dulcie September. She lived in the building at the time of her murder in 1988. The plaque reads: “Dulcie September was killed by apartheid.” The second episode of the podcast series They Killed Dulcie continues where episode one left off. The journey begins in a Parisian suburb, but ends in Johannesburg, where former Apartheid era spy Craig Williamson opens the door to the murky world of espionage. Dulcie’s childhood friend, activist Betty van der Heyden recounts the story of Dulcie’s emergence as an activist, she explains how what started as a “study group” became a militant organisation with the intention to overthrow the government. If you haven’t heard the first episode of the podcast you can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/soundafrica/1-themurderscene They Killed Dulcie is made by Sound Africa and Open Secrets. They are supported by: The Claude Leon Foundation; Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southern Af

On 29 March 1988 five bullets ended the life of liberation movement activist Dulcie September. After years in prison and decades in exile, she spearheaded anti-Apartheid efforts in France, Switzerland and Luxembourg from a small office in Paris. Why was she killed? Who profited from her murder? Why do her killers roam free? This is the first episode of the podcast series They Killed Dulcie. It's the epic story of the life and death of a struggle hero who appears to have been erased, while some of the people who profited from her murder continue to thrive.

This episode is made by our friends Aswat: Voices of Arabia from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who make podcasts about women from this region, who tell stories about their lives, achievements and aspirations at a time when restrictions on women have been easing. This episode is called… Cat Mama and is about Farah who has 300 cats living with her and she feeds about 600 street cats.

SERIES LAUNCH: 28 MARCH On 29th March 1988 five bullets ended the life of liberation movement activist Dulcie September. Having fled Cape Town she spear-headeded anti-apartheid efforts in France, Switzerland and Luxembourg from a small office in Paris. Why was she killed? who profited from her murder? Why do her killers roam free? Sound Africa and Open Secrets ZA are launching a new eight part investigative podcast series that explores the sinister trail of intrigue which September was uncovering at the time of her murder. Meet the spies, bankers,businessmen, corrupt politicians and comrades whose actions in the past have shaped our present. They Killed Dulcie- but have not erased the memory of her struggle for our freedom.

In this episode Seventy-something grandmother, Monica Cromhout, has gone from law-abiding teetotaler to an evangelist for the benefits of psychedelic – magic mushrooms. Marianne Thamm tells us how she come to be at the forefront of the legal drive to have South Africa’s drugs laws declared unconstitutional.

Friends of SoundAfrica Ep04 - OurAfrica - Meet Labelz by Sound Africa

The award-winning South African radio show and podcast. The first series investigates the case of a man who may have been wrongfully convicted for 17 years. Compelling, long-form investigative radio told over eight episodes.

When record store owner Jeff Bubeck buys an old record collection out of an abandoned storage unit, he has no idea what he’s stumbled across. Jeff learns the collection once belonged to the late great J Dilla, one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time.

We’ve been listening to some great podcasts which we’d like to share with you. Over the next few weeks we’re going to play an episode from each of our friends. This one is made by our friends 'Honeymoon Studios' who make podcasts about interesting local stories. This episode is called Giants of Lesotho. It's a true story of wise men, warriors and an ideology that created the country of Lesotho. The episode is narrated by Award-winning journalist and author, Max Du Preez. The full series is here: https://soundcloud.com/honeymoonstudios

Like our country, many of us in South Africa have complicated histories. Our ancestral backgrounds are almost always a mix contradicting the simple apartheid era classifications of Indian, black, white and colored. For many of us, these classifications are simply not enough, we need to know where we're coming from, so we're able to move on. In this story, Candice Nolan tries to find the answers she is looking for by looking in an old bible. This episode was written and arranged by Candice Nolan and produced by Danny Booysen. Sound Africa is supported by the Open Society Foundation’s Project for Independent Journalism and Hindenburg Systems. Every two weeks another episode will be released here and on Soundafrica.org. For more, follow Sound Africa on Facebook, Twitter or listen to all our documentaries on iTunes, Soundcloud or our website. You can also subscribe to the newsletter.

On a summer morning in 1997, a man was arrested with a plastic bag full of party drugs in a park in Pretoria. The man was Wouter Basson, also known as Dr. Death. Basson was the head of the apartheid-era chemical and biological warfare program Project Coast. Today he works as a cardiologist in a private practice in Durbanville outside Cape Town. In this Sound Africa episode we re-visit the story of Wouter Basson. We try to find out who keeps him in the medical business, why they do it, and ask Basson what he believes his legacy is.

The first ever heart transplant in the world was performed in South Africa in 1967. It was an international triumph, and the surgeon in charge, Dr. Christiaan Barnard became an over night celebrity. But did Christiaan Barnard deserve all the credit? In this Sound Africa podcast we investigate the persistent rumor that a black man named Hamilton Naki played a much bigger role in the surgery than he has been given credit for. Some even claim that Naki personally performed the operation and it was kept secret because of apartheid’s discriminatory laws. What is the truth, and why does it matter? The story of Hamilton Naki is a re-broadcast of our episode “The Heart Problem”. It was first released in December 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the first ever heart transplant.

This Sound Africa Podcast is a story of a man and his mother. While it is set in the transition years between the old and the new South Africa, the story is a deeply personal narrative of how the past never goes away, but always travels with us. It is a story of grief and how a son tries to escape his own.

In 1985, South African music legend Ray Phiri collaborated with a number of other South African artists on Paul Simon’s legendary Graceland album. While the recording of the album from the beginning was mired in controversy, it was not until almost 30 year later, Ray Phiri revealed that he felt had been cheated out of his royalties and composer rights by Paul Simon. That there was bad blood between them. In this Sound Africa podcast Lungile Sojini re-visits the story of the Graceland album. He tries to find out, what exactly Ray Phiri was unhappy about and who was responsible for the conflict.

In this episode we meet Anthero Bowie, a former gang member who is out of prison and trying to reinvent himself as a poet. But is it possible for Bowie to reinvent himself? The entire episode plays out in his neighbourhood, Belhar Extension 13 in Cape Flats. A neighborhood that produces young men like Anthero everyday, and now refuses to see him in a new light.

Bongani Dyalivana is a 29-year-old man from Cape Town. He has been out of jail for just over two years after serving a 10-year sentence. In this Sound Africa podcast we hear Bongani’s story. It is a story of loss, of growing up in a gang and then in jail. Of finding oneself and trying to break a new path. Bongani shares the outline of his story with many other South African men. And we hear about these young men often. But while we hear about them, we usually never hear from them. In this podcast Bongani Dyalivana speaks for himself.

Sometimes taking a detour can show you an entire world you did not know existed. That is what happens to reporter Lars Overland, who drives into a Karoo ghost town on his way to somewhere else and ends up chasing ghosts through a sleepless night. This story is about the small town of Matjiesfontein in the Karoo. It is a story where the desert wind blows, and the lines between the past and the present, reality and dream are blurred.

When apartheid ended, the big companies that helped the regime buy weapons illegally continued to do business with the new South African government. Until today, these companies have never been held accountable. This was the subject of the first People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime held in February this year. In this episode, producer Neroli Price takes us to the Tribunal and delves into the three corruption cases presented there from apartheid to state capture. Economic crime continues to cast a long shadow over South Africa, but luckily there are those prepared to dig up the past. This episode was made in collaboration with Open Secrets.

When the coloured population of Simon's Town was forcibly removed, Aunty Patty’s family remained. They were forgotten by the authorities for years. Her nephew Jackie, on the other hand, was moved to the township of Ocean View, and he clearly remembers the day he loaded his belongings onto a truck and left the town of his childhood behind. He has not forgiven the people responsible. Today Auntie Patty has made her family home into a museum. In this Sound Africa podcast, producer Rasmus Bitsch visits the museum and walks down memory lane with Auntie Patty and Jackie. Even after several decades, the past casts a shadow that the beauty of Simon's Town cannot expel. This is the first episode in the Sound Africa series “Re-visits.” In this series Sound Africa take another look at stories from the past that may only linger in the back of our minds, but continue to affect our lives.