Gareth's Guests

Gareth has a candid conversation with Jesse and Jaron Clegg, as they talk about the release of their father Johnny's memoir, Scatterling of Africa. The brothers open up about the process of compiling the book, spending their childhoods touring the world, and the 'nature vs nurture' of talent and creativity. www.cliffcentral.com

Dr Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha, the iconic and award-winning South African actor, grew up knowing his real father, but without knowing that he was actually his father. In this conversation, he explains his complex relationship with masculinity and fatherhood, the deep, meaningful contribution of his wife and lifelong partner, and the lessons he would like young South African men to learn from his story. As a wise elder, we could all benefit from his new memoir, I Am A Man. www.cliffcentral.com

Desmond Dube is a South African singer, actor, mime artist and entertainer. He joins the team to have a catch-up on how lockdown has affected him, whether or not he is Lillian’s son, and this year's Janice Honeyman pantomime Cinderella, where he stars as the hilarious Ugly Sister, Fanny Flatulina. www.cliffcentral.com

You might know Ben Miller from recent shows like Bridgerton, Professor T, and Death in Paradise - but he was also part of the comedy duo, Armstrong and Miller... and he starred alongside Rowan Atkinson in the Johnny English franchise. Before Ben turned his attention to acting, he studied for a PhD in quantum physics at Cambridge University. Don't miss this highly entertaining interview as Gareth Cliff gets into Ben's head about science, how he memorises his lines and lots more! www.cliffcentral.com

Angelo Agrizzi is the man who spilt the beans on Bosasa at the State Capture commission. In this interview, he also spills the beans on Gavin Watson’s death, crooked and venal politicians (and how cheaply they can be bought) and how he was poisoned. With the release of his second book, and plenty of frightening evidence, Angelo isn’t backing down - he’s upping the ante. Hear about the tactics of State Capture, the people involved, and the amounts of money that changed hands. www.cliffcentral.com

Glynis Horning experienced something no parent ever should. Her 25-year-old son Spencer committed suicide two years ago. Glynis shares her deeply moving and personal story with us, and approaches it from the point of view of being a mother, and also as an award-winning journalist, who has specialised in the field of mental health. This isn’t an easy interview to listen to, but it’s something we should all think about, and hope not to experience ourselves. www.cliffcentral.com

Dr Tshepo Motsepe, South Africa’s First Lady and Patron of the Early Care Foundation, shares her thoughts and passion about the importance of early care for children. ECF is an organisation dedicated to increasing access to early childhood development in disadvantaged areas through upskilling women and providing support for home based creches. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this already fragile sector. Thousands of parents and early care practitioners have lost their jobs, which also means that thousands of children in vulnerable communities lose their access to safe, educational early care facilities and the associated daily nutrition the creche provides. Early Care Foundation has launched #NoOneLeftBehind campaign to help get at least 1000 children back into a stimulating learning environment and providing a roadmap for women back into employment. www.cliffcentral.com

Muzi Kuzwayo has written an inspirational book on how we can make South Africa live up to its incredible potential. He and Gareth explore the ways we can get South Africa to deliver on the promise - the promise of 1994 and the bright future we could have. www.cliffcentral.com

Travis Brown is a filmmaker and philosopher who has just produced a documentary series about the religion of wokeism. In this discussion, he and Gareth talk about the parallels between established religion and the current, obsessive ideology of leftist wokeism, both in the US and the rest of the world. www.cliffcentral.com

Would it be better to have never been? If you’re not having an existential crisis yet, then this interview might just give you one. Professor David Benatar of UCT is one of the world’s greatest philosophers and proponents of antinatalism - the idea that it is wrong to bring sentient human life into being. He and Gareth wrestle with the idea of parenting, overpopulation, bio-ethics and the idea of purpose. www.cliffcentral.com

Kenny Xu is a brave author - brave enough to publish a book on an issue none of the major parties in America care about. But they should, because it’s actually about an attack on merit. Kenny and Gareth discuss some of the parallels between Harvard’s discrimination against Asian Americans and affirmative action in South Africa, and what it means for finding the best people in any job, without politicians interfering or grandstanding. Kenny's book, 'An Inconvenient Minority', is all about active discrimination which prejudices some the hardest working people in the United States, with many lessons for the rest of us. www.cliffcentral.com

Living through 2020 and 2021, you could be forgiven for thinking the conspiracy theorists were right. Looking back on the big events in South Africa and the US (not to mention the rest of the globe), there’s enough fertile ground for every wild grain of paranoia to take root. Chris Wyatt - a retired US Army Colonel, and someone who has been paying a lot of attention to South Africa for many years - weighs in on the violence in KZN, the demise of the ANC, racial politics, and even a false flag operation on January 6th. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg... www.cliffcentral.com

Ian Goldin is a professor and globalist at Oxford University, but he’s also a South African who served in the Development Bank during the Mandela years. He and Gareth Cliff discuss his book, RESCUE, and argue about big government, the ways the pandemic could change the world for better or worse, and whether anyone handled COVID well at all. www.cliffcentral.com

What is hope during times of crisis? Is it passion? Perseverance and grit? Or faith? And how do we look beyond the current situation to inspire and acknowledge others? Should we look to the bravery and resilience of others, to hold each other strong? Gareth and Jon Foster-Pedley, Dean and Director of Henley Business School in Africa, have a candid conversation about hope being the new currency. www.cliffcentral.com

Greg Ellis is a star of the stage, the screen and the digital world. He has sung for the Queen, starred in Pirates of the Caribbean and Titanic, and even voiced some of your favourite video game characters. The reason we wanted to speak to him was to hear his story - the story of a father caught in the expensive, unfair and cruel world of custody law. In this emotional discussion (wait until the end), Greg and Gareth discuss toxic masculinity, the war on competent masculinity, and the forces that are trying to destroy the family. www.cliffcentral.com

Kojo Baffoe is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed retired poet. His life story has been a book waiting to happen. He and Gareth have a candid conversation about his book, ‘Listen to Your Footsteps’, which dives into reflections on losing his mother as a toddler, being raised by his father, forming an identity, living as an immigrant, his struggles with substance abuse, and a whole lot more. www.cliffcentral.com

The world is going through tremendous chaos and change, individuals and corporations are trying to adapt to this change with little or no guide or reference point. What is the public ‘bidding’ for? Emotional stability? Consistency? Answers? Hope? Leadership? A blueprint? An escape? Dr Hanan Bushkin - renowned psychologist and head of the Anxiety and Trauma Clinic - chats to Gareth about all this and more. www.cliffcentral.com

To know him is to like him… ProVerb is one of the warmest and talented people you’ll ever meet as a TV host and producer, musician and entrepreneur. But most recently he's given readers an unprecedented look into his life in his memoir, “The Book of ProVerb.” Gareth speaks to him about it, as he provides an honest account of his life’s hustle in the ebbs and flows of the entertainment industry, which he hopes will invoke the awareness of self in others. www.cliffcentral.com

David Weiss - a businessman, podcaster and Flat Earth believer - joins Gareth to have a candid conversation about his conspiracy theories, how belief is the enemy of knowing, and the most important secret of the elite. This conversation will certainly leave you thinking and maybe even convince you to see things differently. www.cliffcentral.com

Even though many of us would rather not mention 20/20 vision because it reminds us of last year, let’s find out though... how are your eyes doing? And what should you be concerned about when it comes to taking care of them? Dr Rob Daniel, Chief Specialist Ophthalmologist, chats to Gareth about a new eye surgery, the impact on our eyes from our cellphones and laptops, and how to better protect them. www.cliffcentral.com