The Burning Platfor‪m‬ CliffCentral.com

With the recent 2021 fiscal spending plans of the National Budget being unveiled by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni... Gareth, Phumi, and Jamie (lawyer, award-winning debater and political analyst) have a candid conversation about the tax increases, debt to GDP, and our government’s simple-minded approach to solving our current financial issues.

Racial politics are a hot topic this week as Phumi states that there are too many white men in one particular party. Playing the blame game seems to be second nature when it comes to our politicians. Do we have a toxic relationship when it comes to corporate and government? Herman Pretorius - head of Strategic Initiatives at the IRR - shares his thoughts on the current state of the nation.

Has Cyril Ramaphosa been a weak leader for the ANC and South Africa at large? What is the big difference between Cyril and Jacob Zuma when it comes to leadership? What is the role of the Zondo Commission within the South African legal landscape? Do South Africans need to worry about the 2021 elections being cancelled?

Are we taking too long to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine? With a declining economy, how much worse must it get before it gets better? Maybe it’s time to admit that many South Africans might be addicted to the ANC. Leading the conversation this week is Lecturer at the Central University of Technology, debater and socio-political analyst, Leeto "Briggar" Nthoba, and Gabriel Crouse - writer and analyst at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR).

Biden’s inaugural address was a soulful plea to come together. After being in office for a week he has already overturned Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the US military, and rejoined the Paris climate agreement... is President Joe Biden better than Trump, or will the honeymoon phase come to an end sooner than expected? The Guardian's Washington DC bureau chief David Smith joins the team to discuss what’s happening in the USA.

If a mere seven more MPs had voted with Prime Minister JBM Hertzog in favour of neutrality, South Africa's history would have been quite different. Will we see more war under the administration of US President Joe Biden?