Pieter du Toit is assistant editor at News24, where he heads up a team of investigative reporters.

Over the last couple of years he has led investigations into large-scale corruption at Eskom, the networks around Deputy President Paul Mashatile (who is vying to succeed President Cyril Ramaphosa), and the infamous burglary at Phala-Phala, among other stories. These investigations have revealed the depth and breadth of entrenched and institutionalised corruption at Eskom. It has also exposed the sophistication of the networks that seemingly help fund the deputy president’s lifestyle and shone a light on the inner-workings of the man who wants to succeed Ramaphosa. They have also linked the burglary at the President’s farm to the family of a former spy boss.

Du Toit has worked as a journalist since 2003 and has occupied various positions at Media24 in that period, including crime reporter in Pretoria, parliamentary correspondent in Cape Town, and news editor in Johannesburg.

He has interviewed every President apart from Nelson Mandela, and remains in close contact with political and business leaders, which enables him to write about and talk with authority about South Africa’s trajectory.

He is the author of three books. The Stellenbosch Mafia: Inside the Billionaire’s Club (2019) which has sold more than 70 000 copies, occupied the number one position on Nielsen Bookscan’s South Africa bestseller list for months and delved into the complex networks among some of the country’s biggest tycoons. The follow-up, The ANC Billionaires: Big Capital’s Gambit and the Rise of the Few, traces how closely the country’s business leaders worked with the ANC before and after the transition to help establish a black millionaire and billionaire class. His latest book is due in the second half of 2024.

Pieter is a regular contributor and analyst on television and on radio.