The National Pulse

  GUEST: Lerato Ngobeni, Action SA Parliamentary Chief Whip

Lobby groups AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement have announced their withdrawal from the first convention of the national dialogue set to take place at Unisa from Friday. For more on this, I am joined on the line by…   GUEST: Kallie Kriel, Afriforum CEO

Officials continued with evictions at the City of Ekurhuleni-owned Pharoe Park flats in Germiston, where many people are allegedly unlawfully occupying homes. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Cllr Kgopelo Hollo, MMC for Human Settlements in the City of Ekurhuleni

As part of celebrating Women’s Day, Brand Africa recently announced the most admired women-founded brands in South Africa, honouring the trailblazing women entrepreneurs who have built brands that are shaping the country or the continent’s identity, competitiveness and economy. Joining us to tell us more about this noble initiative is….. GUEST: Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder & Cha...

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders are due to hold urgent talks with US President Donald Trump as they want to persuade him to defend Kyiv’s interests at the bilateral summit, scheduled for Friday in Alaska with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. GUEST (Ukraine): Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has rejected what it calls an inaccurate and deeply flawed report on human rights report published by the U.S. State Department. We’ll now get an expert analysis on this report from… GUEST: Professor David Monyae, Director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg

Yesterday we spoke about three women, linked to Operation Dudula, accused of disrupting services at Soweto’s Lilian Ngoyi Clinic being released by the Orlando Magistrate’s Court. After this happened, Operation Dudula Leader, Zandile Dabula, said they will be meeting with Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi later that day. That meeting happened and the Operation Dudula Leader now join...

The latest figures by Stats SA show that women continue to carry a heavier share of this burden (of unemployment) as their unemployment rate is at 35,9%, compared to 31,0% for men. These differences reflect persistent gender imbalances in unemployment, labour force participation, and the sectors in which men and women are employed. But what informs the gender divide in unemployment? For more on th...

While the protest was happening, a 2 storey building was on fire, housing the department of home affairs in the area. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: William Ntladi, Ekurhuleni EMS Spokesperson

Ekurhuleni Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, briefed the media a while ago following violent protests in Germiston erupted in the area today due to evictions. SABC News Reporter, Puseletso Mokoena, is in Germiston and joins me on the line to tell us what the mayor had to say…   GUEST: Puseletso Mokoena, SABC News Reporter in Germiston

Stats SA has revealed that the country’s unemployment rate has increased in the second quarter to 33.2% from 32.9% in the first quarter. It’s a known fact that South Africa’s economic growth has been sluggish, which limits the number of new jobs that can be created. So what is the ultimate answer to the country’s economic woes? For more on this, we are joined by…. GU...

Negotiators from 175 countries are currently meeting in Geneva to trash out the first ever legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. We understand that the key sticking point that this meeting is trying to address, is whether it should mandate cuts in plastic production. Joining us to talk about the significance of this meeting is….. GUEST: Rico Euripidou, groundWork’s Chemicals an...

Mazibuko Jara outlines the objectives of the first National Convention and what it seeks to achieve. According to him, the dialogue is aimed at securing a society-wide consensus as a basis for stability on the social, political and economic fronts. But what about the recent side issues that we have all witnessed - will they deter those who were initially looking forward to it? GUEST: Mazibuko Jara...

Following the withdrawal of seven legacy foundations from the structures of the preparatory task team of the national dialogue, we hear from the Labour Party as some of you may recall that last month, the party went to court to halt the implementation of the National Dialogue, arguing that the entire process was unlawful and lacked proper legal and constitutional authority. GUEST: Joseph Mathunjwa...

One of the biggest news stories right now is the Daily Maverick’s explosive expose involving suspended IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka. Today, the Daily Maverick released a story involving the suspended CEO and Collen Mashawana. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Pieter-Louis Myburgh, Daily Maverick Investigative Journalist

The Democratic Alliance, which is the largest party in the GNU has opposed the ANC’s idea of expanding the Government of National Unity, arguing that such a move will not strengthen the current political arrangement but will only complicate things. The party has also reiterated that a statement of intent makes it abundantly clear that if new parties are to be added to the GNU this has to be...

Earlier today, members of Operation Dudula staged a protest outside the Orlando Magistrate’s Court. This after three of the group’s members appeared in court after allegedly storming a Soweto clinic last week and demanding that patients produce their identity documents to prove their nationality. But it didn’t end there as some of their members did it again this morning. We also...

Today we are joined by Dr Makhosi Khoza who is widely known for her fearless voice in the country’s political circles. Some of you may argue as well that she is perhaps one unstable politician, having ditched the ANC, ActionSA and most recently the Abantu Batho Congress???? Khoza firmly believes that corruption has a destructive effect on governance and state institutions hence she was once...

In a statement released earlier today, the Malaka Family Trust has dismissed the allegations against Independent Development Trust CEO, Tebogo Malaka, saying it is a politically motivated campaign aimed at removing her from her position. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Ayanda Jele, Malaka Family Trust Spokesperson

The rot at the Southern African Music Rights Organisation appears to be deepening, with allegations of nepotism and power abuse now surfacing against its board chairperson, Nicholas Maweni. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Dr. Sibongile Vilakazi, SAMRO Board member and chair of the social and ethics committee

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ruled that the body of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu be repatriated to his home country for burial. You will recall that following Lungu’s death from an undisclosed illness, the family wanted to be in charge of the funeral arrangements but the Zambian authorities sought to take control. To help us understand the political dynamics around Lungu&rs...

As the issue of child labour continues to be a challenge affecting millions of children globally, including in South Africa. Today, the department of employment and labour is commemorating the 2025 National Day Against Child Labour in the North-West province. The event seeks to raise awareness of the adverse effects of child labour on children’s education, health and development. Joining us...

South Africa’s seven well known legacy foundations have withdrawn their participation from the structures of the preparatory task team and the first national convention of the national dialogue that is due to take place next week Friday. They say their withdrawal is informed by the fact that core principles meant to underpin the whole national dialogue have been violated in the rush to host...

The South African Human Rights Commission conducted a community engagement in Stilfontein today in preparation of the National Inquiry into Policy Framework around Artisanal Mining in South Africa. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Zamantungwa Mbeki, Acting Head of Legal: South African Human Rights Commission

South Africa’s automotive sector is particularly vulnerable (that is if we don’t mention agriculture) to the tariffs imposed by the US. According to the country’s automotive business council, the Trump’s tariffs as they are popularly known, will have a devastating and immediate impact on trade performance as they will put more pressure on original equipment manufacturers, w...