The National Pulse

    As I’ve been saying all week, I’m sitting in for Ashraf Garda because he is in Canada attending the annual One Young World Summit. Today we figured we should check in on him and find out what is happening at the summit.   GUEST (Canada): Ashraf Garda, SAfm Presenter

September being Tourism Month, it is encouraging to note that the tourism industry has been on a gradual recovery path after the Covid-19 pandemic. While average occupancy rates at accommodation establishments have not quite reached their pre-Covid levels yet, the outlook for the sector seems rosier following the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates by twenty-five basis points. Absa is al...

    Malusi Mthuli, Executive of Ithala Development Finance Corporation Properties joins us to discuss the role of his Ithala unit within the province of KwaZulu-Natal and how they can be of service to entrepreneurs or investors seeking commercial property space. He will also briefly share milestones reached during Ithala Properties Rebuild Programme of properties that were damaged during the 2021...

The remains of 16 South African freedom fighters buried in Zimbabwe will be exhumed for repatriation and reburial in South Africa. This will commence in the Zimbabwean Capital Harare and the mortal remains will be repatriated ahead of the Heritage Day commemorations on September 24. The freedom fighters had sought shelter in Zimbabwe during the apartheid era. Most lost their lives in exile and wer...

The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to cut interest rates by 25 basis points. To explain what this means is…..   GUEST: Elize Kruger, Independent Economist

Today we are joined by Sue Krawitz to talk about the amazing work being done by her organisation called Impilo Child Protection and Adoption Services. Impilo gives hundreds of abandoned children a chance for a better life as they assist them to find new homes across the globe.   GUEST: Sue Krawitz, founder and Operations Director @Impilo Child Protection and Adoption Services (Impilo)  

After Business Unity South Africa refused to sign the Presidential Health Compact last month, the Business Unity South Africa leadership met with top government officials which included the President, the minister and deputy minister of health and senior officials from the presidency and the department to discuss the National Health Insurance Act. Business Unity South Africa CEO designate, Khuleka...

Energy analyst, Tshepo Kgadima believes that electricity tariffs must be dropped to R1.16 per kilowatt hour and only increase to R1.22 per kilowatt hour in 2025 so that electricity consumption can increase from current 2.7MWh per capita per year to 3.8MWh per capita per year by end of 2026 for GDP growth to increase to 3.4%. Tshepo Kgadima joins me on the line…   GUEST: Tshepo Kgadima, Energy Anal...

The Department of Employment and Labour has unleashed an intensive four-day multi-departmental blitz inspections of restaurants across South Africa, following reports of endemic exploitation in the sector. The inspections started today with some officials being spotted in the Sandton area earlier. What does the Restaurants Association make of this? The Association’s CEO, Wendy Alberts joins me on...

  Workers in South Africa are preparing to participate in a National Strike on the 7th of October 2024 across all provinces against high joblessness, income inequality, poverty. This National Strike is organized by COSATU and the federation’s National Spokesperson, Zanele Sabela joins me on the line to tell us more   GUEST: Zanele Sabela, COSATU National Spokesperson

In conversation with the Mayor of Cape Town about the Democratic Alliance’s National Day of Action against Eskom's unreasonable 40% tariff increase. Eskom has come under fire with this proposal which it plans to implement next year.   GUEST: Geordin Hill-Lewis, DA Member & Mayor of the City of Cape Town

Zimbabwe and India are dominating South Africa’s critical skills list that was recently released by the department of home affairs. Out of the 4,913 visas issued since 1 January 2020, 1,794 were issued to Zimbabwean nationals for hundreds of different jobs. To share his thoughts on this list, we are joined by… GUEST: Dr Vusumuzi Sibanda, Chairperson @African Diaspora Global Network  

Sex workers’ killer, Sifiso Mkhwanazi has been sentenced to life imprisonment, along with an additional 10 years for obstructing the course of justice and 15 years for rape. Mkhwanazi was found guilty on various charges, including six counts of murder, rape, defeating the ends of justice, possession of ammunition, illegal possession of a firearm, and theft. It is public knowledge that Mkhwanazi ad...

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says President Cyril Ramaphosa should have fired Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube for boycotting the BELA Bill signing ceremony. Malema said this in an interview with Clement Manyathela last night on SABC’s channel 404. Take a listen to what he had to say….   GUEST: Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, Director of the Center for Security, Peac...

Today we chat to the founder of the Upliftment Programme and Co-creator of High 5 Series, Nikki Jackman. High 5 which is described as a groundbreaking series, celebrates individuals and organisations that are doing good on the African continent.   GUEST: Nikki Jackman, founder of the Upliftment Programme and Co-creator of High 5

    Convicted murderer and rapist, Thabo Bester, approached the High Court in Pretoria today requesting access to a laptop in order to prepare for his upcoming deportation case. Bester, who is currently facing charges of escaping from the Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein in May 2022, fled to Tanzania with his girlfriend Nandipha Magudumana. They were arrested and deported to South Afri...

  Action SA Joburg Concerned about On-Going Water Crisis at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. The party strongly believes that Johannesburg Water should be an agile entity, with capacity to tackle water crisis head on, especially in the institutions of health, where every drop counts.   GUEST: Vhangani Munyai, Action SA

Newly released research from the Gordon Institute of Business Science Entrepreneurship Development Academy, Township Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The Entrepreneurs’ Lived Experiences reveals the unique characteristics of the entrepreneurs in South Africa's townships. GUEST: Lerato Mahlasela, the Managing Executive of Corporate Education at GIBS Business School  

    SECTION27 launched a social media campaign on the first of this month urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the Copyright Amendment Bill by the 21st of September 2024. A Constitutional Court order handed down in 2022 stated that Parliament had until 21 September 2024 to finalise the Bill, leaving the President with 4 days to sign it. Blind SA is hoping the Bill will be signed as the Copyrig...

Today, the global healthcare industry commemorates World Patient Safety Day. The theme for this year’s World Patient Safety Day’s is focused on improving diagnosis for patient safety, using the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”, putting more emphasis on correct and timely diagnosis in improving patient safety. GUEST: Bada Pharasi, CEO of the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa...

A delegation of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is in Gauteng from today until Friday as part of their oversight mandate. But are they doing their job in terms of holding those deployed in our provincial legislatures accountable? To help us understand the work dynamics of the NCOP in Gauteng is….   GUEST: Jane Mananiso, NCOP Gauteng Provincial Whip

    New research by Just Share has revealed that the CEOs in South Africa earn on average 597 times what lowest paid workers earn. Surely this is staggering. Joining us to react to this is….   GUEST: Matthew Parks, Cosatu Parliamentary Coordinator  

The U.S has announced that the withdrawal of its troops from Niger is now complete. Some of you may recall that earlier this year, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the country. Still in the West African region, Mali announced earlier today that their military camp was attacked. So what can we read into these developments?   GUEST: Nixon Katembo, Africa...

Today we chat to Vicky Abraham who received the Nat Nakasa Community Award this past weekend for her compelling series on blind students at PCD College in Pretoria who were subjected to inhumane conditions, including being forced to eat food crawling with ants. Some of you may recall that on the 26th of June this year, Ashraf my colleague spoke to Vicky about this disturbing story, and this is how...

A couple of days ago, the Gauteng Provincial Government in partnership with the Department of Water and Sanitation as well as Rand Water hosted a water imbizo with municipal councilors in Boksburg to address water challenges in Gauteng. Rand Water spokesperson, Makenosi Maroo joins me on the line to talk about the water imbizo as well as level 1 water restrictions Gauteng municipalities will be im...