The Best of POWER Breakfast

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Professor Francois Strydom, Senior Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of the Free State (UFS), about how the university says it is moving away from what it describes as a “culture of anxiety” in higher education by introducing a new digital learning approach and discontinuing the use of AI detection sof...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Lebogang Maile, Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, about how schools across Gauteng have been left waiting for essential government subsidies that were expected to be disbursed by the middle of this month, after the provincial education department confirmed delays in the release of funds.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Ignatius Briel, LPC Gauteng Provincial Director, about mounting questions after the Legal Practice Council (LPC) reportedly stated that South African Police Service (SAPS) Head of Legal Services, Advocate Simo Chamani, does not appear on its official roll of legal practitioners.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Thamsanqa Mathiso, Chief Commercial Officer at City Power, about how City Power Johannesburg says its long-standing struggle with electricity losses is beginning to show signs of improvement following a series of interventions aimed at tightening revenue collection, improving metering accuracy, and curbing electricity theft across the City of Johannesb...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Ms Nosie Mazwi, Director: Mining & Industrial Water Quality Regulation, about how South Africa’s growing reliance on private boreholes is set to come under tighter government scrutiny, as authorities move to regulate the extraction of groundwater amid fears that the country’s underground water reserves are being exploited without adequa...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Cllr Eugene Modise, Tshwane Deputy Executive Mayor and MMC for Finance, about how Tshwane Finance Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) Eugene Modise says the 2026/27 budget tabled on Thursday reflects the metro’s recovery from past financial instability and demonstrates disciplined planning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Dr Henk Boshoff, Commissioner of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), about how the SAHRC is set to conclude its public hearings into Gauteng’s escalating water crisis on Thursday, as concerns mount that persistent water failures may amount to a systemic violation of constitutional rights to access clean water. See omnystudio.com/li...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Tebogo Motloung, spokesperson for the Thokoza Abahambe Forum, about how hundreds of unemployed residents from Thokoza marched to the Alrode industrial area in Ekurhuleni, demanding that companies operating in the zone stop employing undocumented foreign nationals and prioritise South African job seekers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Ms Fakir Farzana, Acting Commissioner of the Compensation Fund, about how auditors have uncovered missing documents, fraudulent bank account changes, cybersecurity weaknesses and more than R71 million in losses at South Africa’s Compensation Fund, raising fresh concerns over governance failures at an institution meant to protect workers injured o...

Thabiso Tema in conversation with POWER Kid Lerumo See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response Innovation at Stellenbosch University, about how he was recognised for his pivotal role in identifying major COVID-19 variants that reshaped the global pandemic response. As leader of a major genomic surveillance network, he and his teams were instrumental in detecting the Beta variant in...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng Premier, about how the Gauteng government has intensified efforts to revive deteriorating inner-city hostels in Johannesburg, with Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Human Settlements MEC Tasneem Motara conducting fresh oversight visits this week as part of the province’s ongoing Hostel Revitalisation Programme. See omnystudio.com...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Daphne Mokwena, Eskom spokesperson, about how South Africa’s electricity crisis has once again placed Johannesburg residents and businesses on edge after state-owned power utility Eskom warned that it may reduce or cut electricity supply to parts of the city over unpaid debt exceeding R5.2 billion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Dada Morero, Mayor of Johannesburg, about how the Mayor of Johannesburg has defended the state of the city’s governance and service delivery, insisting that Johannesburg is laying the foundation for long-term recovery despite mounting infrastructure failures, financial strain and growing frustration among residents. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation at DIRCO, about how the South African government has strongly condemned what it describes as the “illegal abduction” of South African nationals aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a civilian-led humanitarian mission attempting to deliver aid to Gaza...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Prof Nicolas Crisp, Acting Director-General for the National Department of Health, about how the Constitutional Court has dealt a significant blow to one of government’s key healthcare regulatory mechanisms after declaring Sections 36 to 40 of the National Health Act unconstitutional and invalid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Dr Lethukwenama Letsoalo about how she is part of a new generation of South African doctors who are quietly reshaping what healthcare looks like — not only in hospitals and clinics, but also on phones, timelines, and in everyday conversations across the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Odirile Rabalao, journalist at IOL, about how protesters gathered outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday, demanding urgent government intervention in the long-running murder case of former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, as the trial of the five accused continues at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Trish Newport, MSF Emergency Programme Manager, about how the World Health Organization (WHO) is working with national authorities to monitor and contain the outbreak, which involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Health officials say the situation remains fluid, with concerns that the true number of infections may be higher than curren...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, Chairperson of the South African Medical Association, and Adjunct Professor Alex van den Heever from Wits University, a health economics and public policy expert, about how the Constitutional Court of South Africa has delivered a major setback to government’s healthcare reform agenda after confirming that Sections 36 to 40 of t...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Selby Makgotho, spokesperson for the Special Investigating Unit, about how South Africa’s ongoing battle against corruption in the water sector has taken a new turn with the launch of a dedicated anti-corruption forum aimed at protecting the country’s fragile water supply systems and improving governance across state institutions. See omnys...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga, Head of Legal Services at the National Prosecuting Authority, and William Booth, criminal defence attorney, about how the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has suspended a prosecutor involved in the high-profile case against alleged Mpumalanga taxi figure Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, after his failure to appear in cou...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to William Sekgatja from Radasi Sekgatja Inc and Brown Mogotsi’s lawyer, about how North West businessman and alleged political fixer Brown Mogotsi says he intends suing the state for what he describes as malicious prosecution and unlawful arrest, following his dramatic detention on Friday night shortly after testifying before the Madlanga Commissio...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Ulrich Roux, attorney, and Kaizer Kganyago, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, about how corruption and attempted murder accused Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala is reportedly negotiating a possible plea agreement with the Investigative Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), a development that could have far-reaching implications for senior...

Thabiso Tema, POWER BREAKFAST host, speaks to Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Health, and Sister Juandre Watson, Health Promotion & Health Risk Assessment Programme Team Leader at the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, about how the Gauteng Department of Health has raised alarm over the growing number of young adults being diagnosed with hypertension, commonly k...