POWER Perspective

Along the deeply potholed Denne Avenue on the southeastern edge of Bloemfontein, leaking municipal water pipes have flooded the area, creating a 1,500-square-meter wetland. Adding a layer of irony to the environmental damage, the waterlogged plot belongs to the Rivers of Living Waters Ministry. Roughly 2.5 kilometers down the same road, past fields saturated with raw sewage, sits the Sterkwater wa...

The Gauteng Health Department has launched an investigation into the Germiston Forensic Pathology Service facility following allegations of extortion and corruption. The probe comes after claims surfaced online that facility officials are demanding money from grieving families in exchange for expediting postmortem examinations. Colleen Makhubele spoke to Elsabé Basilio - Managing Director f...

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced at a press briefing in Centurion on Wednesday that it has received over 142,000 candidate nominations for the upcoming local government elections scheduled for November 4, 2026. A total of 546 political parties have submitted candidates to contest 10,526 council seats across municipalities nationwide. Colleen Mmakhubele spoke to Wade Manning...

Colleen Makhubele is in conversation with Advocate Leonard Tsietsi Sebelemetja, Chief Director for Legislative Development and Mining Analyst, David van Wyk   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colleen Makhubele in conversation with Prof. Oscar Koopman - Acting Dean and an Associate Professor in curriculum studies in the Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch University, Edzai Conilias Zvobwo - Mathematician & AI Engineer and Mabija Mathemba from the National Teachers Union See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the third phase of the Government-Business Partnership, renewing a joint effort to tackle South Africa's persistent economic challenges. The collaboration focuses on achieving an unchanged—and so far elusive—target of lifting economic growth above 3%. Key milestones tied to this goal include restructuring Eskom, securing private investment in the powe...

The government has yet to hire any of the 10,000 promised additional labour inspectors, leaving the expansion completely on hold as of August 2026. In a written Parliamentary reply, Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth revealed that recruitment remains paused while the department waits to secure the necessary budget from the National Treasury. Colleen Makhubele spoke to Kabelo Moalosi...

Thousands of councillors elected in the upcoming November 4 local government elections will take office to oversee municipal finances and service delivery without undergoing mandatory lifestyle audits. Despite the long-promised implementation of this accountability system, regulations governing these checks are only expected to be finalized by the end of the 2028/29 financial year. Colleen Makhube...

The South African government is actively developing a permanent Basic Income Support (BIS) grant to replace the current Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which currently serves as a financial lifeline for over 8.2 million people. Designed primarily as a jobseeker’s grant, this new framework aims to target the same vulnerable demographics while addressing the country's deep-rooted system...

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has requested that the ad hoc committee find KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi guilty of gross negligence. This request stems from Mkhwanazi's testimony before the committee, during which he initially accused former police minister Bheki Cele of accepting a bank transfer from alleged criminal Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala, only to later recant the statem...

South Africa and Brazil—the two largest economies in the Global South and fellow BRICS members—temporarily set aside their trade disputes on Wednesday to focus on shared economic pressure from US-imposed tariffs. Facing persistent threats of trade barriers from Washington, both nations expressed a strong desire to move beyond exporting raw materials. Colleen Makhubele spoke to Dr. King...

Colleen Makhubele is in conversation with SAFTU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, Dr Elijah Masubelele, Deputy Executive Director at Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) and Prof. Siseko Kumalo, Political Theorist and Higher Education Scholar whose work sits at the intersection of African philosophy, decolonial critique, and feminist theory See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) admitted in the Makhanda High Court that its decision to withhold billions of rands from public schools was both unlawful and unconstitutional. The case centers on a 2020 decision by the department to deviate from the mandated per-learner school allocation target, which forms a vital part of each school's yearly operating budget. According to calcul...

Colleen Makhubele is in conversation with Gilbert Chisenga, Civil Society Activist based in Zambia, Justin Mulenga, Zambian Correspondent at Diamond TV, Highvie  Hamududu, Party for National Unity and prosperity  and a member of the UPND Alliance and Dr Nicole Beadsworth, Politics Lecturer at Wits University    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colleen Makhubele is in conversation with EFF MP, Carl Niehous, Political Analyst, Thobani Zikalala and Corporate Governance Expert, Dr Nimrod Mbele See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twenty-eight years after the initial deadline to lodge land claims, 5,160 claims still remain to be finalised. Although a new lodging window was briefly opened between 2014 and 2016, the Constitutional Court intervened with a critical directive: all "old order" claims submitted prior to the December 1998 deadline must be completely settled before any "new order" claims can be processed. Colleen Ma...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed deep concern regarding the ongoing crisis at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). This reaction follows the decision by Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela to place the troubled student funding scheme under administration. Ramaphosa had previously appointed Manamela to the portfolio after removing the disgraced Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, who faced...

Colleen Makhubele is in conversation with Slindile Khanyile - Deputy Chairperson at South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), Colleen Lowe Morna - GL Special Advisor at Gender Links, Bongekile Macupe - Deputy Politics Editor at News24, as well as Morongwe Mary Phadi ActionSA party's Mpumalanga Provincial Campaign Manager   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Defence Industry Lekgotla, held from 20 to 22 July 2026 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, served as a crucial platform for addressing long-standing issues within South Africa's defence sector. Convened jointly by the Department of Defence and Military Veterans and the domestic defence industry, the event brought together government officials, state-owned entities, privat...

The South African Police Service (SAPS) faces an operational crisis characterized by deteriorating physical assets, systemic maintenance backlogs, and logistical bottlenecks. While frontline officers bear the public brunt of high crime rates, institutional dysfunction—amplified by administrative paralysis between SAPS and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI)—severel...

The arrival of an election period brings a bumper season for opinion researchers. While the polling industry plays an undeniable role in modern politics, growing concerns have been raised regarding its regulation in South Africa. Colleen Makhubele spoke to Jan de Villiers, DA National Spokesperson, Michael Atkins, Independent Elections Analyst, Ntsako Shivambu, Historian & Political Analyst an...

South Africa faces an epidemic of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) that President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a second pandemic. While legislative frameworks, law enforcement, and victim support services are crucial components of the national response, they primarily address the aftermath of violence. Colleen Makhubele spoke to Prof Mbulelo Dyasi - Lead At The Tradition...

Afrikan Roots is a critically acclaimed South African Afro-house music collective hailing from Tshwane (Pretoria). Established in 2010, the group has earned a reputation as one of the fundamental pillars of live African electronic music, bridging tribal roots percussion with modern deep house rhythms. Colleen Makhubele spoke to DJ Mosco (Bongimusa "Musa" Mmotsa) and Cromwell Modungwa (Daddy C) See...

While new rules under the Consumer Protection Act Amendment Regulations aim to curb unsolicited marketing, a lack of enforcement remains a persistent issue. The regulations, which came into effect on 15 April 2026, introduce strict compliance requirements for direct marketers. Businesses are now required to register with the National Consumer Commission before contacting consumers, regularly audit...

When Anton Muziwakhe Lembede died at half past five on the morning of Wednesday, 30 July 1947, he was in the middle of everything. Known fondly to his contemporaries as "Lembs" and hailed as "The Lion That Led from the Front," he was only thirty-three years old when his life came to a sudden halt. At the time of his passing, he had just built a four-room house at the Lembede homestead at Umbumbulu...