The Weekend View

Next week The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is hosting the 25th International Conference of the African Languages Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) in collaboration with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). The conference will focus on exploring how African languages can unlock new opportunities in various sectors, including education, business, and technology. 

The youthful looking 48 year old award-winning multidisciplinary artist Robin Rhode has been working in South Africa in Florida West of Johannesburg for about two months in an abandoned park. The old tennis court that has been cleaned up and it's cracked floor is now a canvas for Robin's creations. He's known for his wall art but he is now shifting away from walls to work on the ground. 

The Springboks end their losing streak against Ireland which dates back to 2016. 

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says government priorities are still based on the Medium Term Strategic Framework even under the Government of National Unity. Ntshavheni has hit back at criticism of the size of the cabinet saying other factors like the demographics of the country, geographic spread, youth- and gender representation were also considered.

An alliance of advocates for equitable cancer care in South Africa is calling on the new Government of National Unity to make cancer a political priority, with a dedicated National Cancer Institute to close legislative and policy gaps that are driving life-threatening treatment disparities.  The group says South Africa faces an impending cancer prevention and control crisis, with at least 3000 pat...

The International Federation of Christian Churches (IFCC) welcomes the formation of Government of National Unity (GNU),which officially ushers in the 7th Administration. This is after what has been proven to be a historical election on the 29th of May 2024, where no political party was given a majority mandate to govern by the Electorate. The IFCC pleads  with the ministers to rise above party pol...

The latest  Consumer Default Index report from Experian has put the spotlight on the financial health of young consumers.  The report has revealed that loan defaults have decreased for young South Africans but that access is still a hurdle. Jaco van Jaarsveldt, Experian's Head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation says this positive trend doesn't necessarily mean their finances have drastically im...

The High Court in Pretoria on FRIDAY  found that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's (NERSA) decision to consider municipalities' applications for electricity tariff increases without the required cost studies is unlawful and invalid. According to Afriforum this means that the regulator may not consider any applications for electricity tariff increases from municipalities unless the re...

University of Pretoria (UP) scientists have contributed to discovering how the naked mole rat is able to withstand heart attacks and fend off bowel cancer, two of the most fatal human ailments in the developed world. Their findings were published recently in two Nature Communications papers. Prof Nigel Bennett and Dr Daniel Hart, co-authors on both papers and experts in mole rat evolution at UP's...

Online dating and dating apps are powerful connectors in the dating landscape. Since the first dating site launched in the 1990s, online dating has grown in popularity and become normalized around the world.  Millions of people use it to find love and companionship – but as well as the rewards of finding a partner, there are also risks, including online scams and unwanted or threatening behavior....

According to non-governmental organization, Nguvu collective, lack of awareness the stigma that is associated with menstruation is increased exponentially in prisons where women face intersecting discriminatory practices because of their gender and  incarceration. 

South African man's senior national team will be playing in the exciting final of the ICC T20 world cup at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados this afternoon for the very first time since rejoining international sporting community in 1992. The Proteas will be playing against India, who are the favorites to lift the trophy. It's going to be a difficult game, however if the Proteas bowling a...

In the latest developments, the ANC and the DA have yet to reconcile their differences over Cabinet positions. Wil this threaten the unity in government of national unity talks?  To unpack this we are now joined on the line by Dr Ongama Mtimka  political analyst at Nelson Mandela University. 

The Democratic Alliance is one of the major partners of the proposed Government of National Unity. The party has been governing the Western Cape since 2009. It retained the province with an outright majority in the May 2024 elections. We visited Houtbay, a traditional fishing town and economic hub, surrounded by impoverished communities. Mercedes Besent spoke to some of the people of Hangberg abou...

South Africa has one foot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, and remain unbeaten so far in the tournament. But their game against England yesterday was a close one, as they scrambled to a win by 7 runs. The match went down to essentially the last ball, as a bit of wayward bowling near the end of the match came close to up-ending them. To look at the match, and their chances of reaching the s...

South African consumers across the board find themselves increasingly under pressure due to the high cost of living and other factors outside their control, such as the increasing food and petrol prices. What's also concerning, is the shrinking budget allocation on essential items, such as education, healthcare and savings.  Where consumers do have a say though, is in how they spend their money, o...

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to appoint his deputy president, ministers and their deputies soon. Ramaphosa has begun consultations on the appointment of a new cabinet after agreeing to form a broad coalition with opposition parties. The Government of National Unity (GNU),  includes parties such as the DA, IFP, Patriotic Alliance (PA), GOOD Party, the PAC FF Plus and on Friday the UDM beca...

As we celebrate Youth Day, it's a sharp reminder that South Africa has one of the highest youth unemployment rates globally, with 61% of those aged 15-24 and 40% of those aged 25-34 being very vulnerable. Young people face unique challenges when it comes to finding their place in the world.  Some of the challenges youth in South Africa face include high levels of unemployment, limited access to qu...

The Healthy Living Alliance - HEALA - is warning that the obesity epidemic facing the youth of South Africa, inadvertently places them at risk of major non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, pulmonary diseases, strokes, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. According to Discovery's 2023 ObeCity Index, more than 20 million South African adults (20 years and older) are obese, with 13...

Research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council in 2022 found that 30% of South Africans between the age  16 and older consumed alcohol. However, 90% of these drinkers engaged in binge drinking, meaning they sometimes consumed four or more drinks in one sitting. Meanwhile, non-profit organisation,  Aware.org says 50% of teenagers in South Africa drink alcohol.  One of the organisation's...

A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has revealed that elephant poaching is on the decline.  The reduction of cases has been linked to the closure of key domestic ivory markets which has significantly reduced demand . On the supply side, the conviction of high-level traffickers across Africa and Asia has limited the flow of illegal ivory.   Wildlife organisation - Wild Af...

For some analysis  on the new Cyril Ramaphosa GNU , Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  political analysts Sandile Swana and Dr Fikile Vilakazi...

Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected President of South Africa. He beat EFF leader Julius Malema by 283 votes. Malema received 44 votes and was nominated by the UDM. Ramaphosa was nominated by the IFP. The win paves the way for Ramaphosa to lead an ANC led government of national unity. The leaders of parties that constitute parliament following the 29 May have also congratulated Cyril Ramaphosa on...

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will TODAY preside over the swearing in of the permanent delegates in the National Council of Provinces - NCOP. This follows YESTERDAY's swearing in ceremony of  the hundreds of Members of Parliament at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during the first sitting of the National Assembly of the seventh Parliament. To walk us through today's process Bongiwe Zwa...

The Don Consultancy Group Chief Economist, Chifipa Mhango says the South African 2024 Election results have transformed the political landscape, and the challenge remains on transforming the economy.   The new South African government faces enormous domestic challenges, which are stimulating economic growth, job creation and confronting structural inequality. To unpack this Bongiwe Zwane spoke to...