The Daily Discourse

The song you’ve just heard will take many of you down memory lane in the movie, Shaka Zulu. It’s entitled Wemsheli Wami. In this scene, she is very young, standing with other maidens in front of King Shaka which was played by the late Henry Cele. Many years later she modified it with beautiful instruments in her album entitled African child which was released in 2002. What is it about...

Many people with criminal records know just how difficult life can be especially when it comes to applying for a job. The belief is that your name stays on the data base forever. But the Justice Department says this is not true as there are categories on who qualifies and who does not. To educate us on this, we are joined on the line by…   Guest: Liana Niewoudt – Legal Administra...

Let’s turn our attention now to the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill of 2021. The part that many people are questioning is that of changes around the sale of alcohol on school premises. The department has tried to justify its existence by saying that it does not mean learners can buy alcohol on school premises. The main question for many is why it exists in the first place?...

Let’s speak now to Lorato Tshenkeng who is CEO of Decode Communications. They have been monitoring how government minister on both national and provincial structures are utilising Twitter to engage with citizens. They also question how government leaders view Twitter and how they interpret it. To help us understand why such a report is necessary and what it can do to improve relations betwee...

  Yesterday (Wed) the Glamorous Factory, an event management company and Inala Media held a fun day at the Nkosi Johnson haven that is currently housing 95 children orphaned by Aids and victims of GBV. The facility is not doing well as it was financially hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. To catch-up with them, we are joined on the line by…. Guest: Gail johnson: founder of nkosi’...

  As we are fully in holy day mood and season, experts are drawing our attention to stress levels around this period. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group say that stress can make it very difficult for those battling with mental health. The Covid-19 pandemic has also made things worse as many of us lost loved ones, while others lost their jobs. How then do we cope and deal with the...

The Khulumani Support Group has been calling for reparations for victims of apartheid brutality for many years. What is worrying them the most this time around is that many of the perpetrators like FW De Klerk have died without victims’ issues being addressed. How then do the families of the victims reconcile without compensation and can they really make peace with it? To talk to us on this,...

Cosatu says that arms manufacturer Denel needs an urgent turnaround as employees of the parastatal have still not been paid their full salaries. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks has raised concerns as reports emerge about the difficulties those employees are currently facing. He now joins us on the line to give us Cosatu’s perspective on the issue….   Guest: Matthew Parks – Cos...

The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria is today (Thursday) hosting an event entitled Mapungubwe: The Reconciliation. This is part of their Day of Reconciliation celebrations where they will be focusing on indigenous knowledge systems, ancient civilizations in Southern Africa which the then apartheid government tried to hide like the treasures of Mapungubwe. To help us understand why t...

  Xolile Mpini who is with the Langeberg Unemployed Forum has penned an article calling for an end to unemployment in the country. The organisation is pointing to the latest labour figures which it says are disheartening. What would they like to see done by the private sector and policy makers so that the situation changes for the better?  To help us understand their perspective, Mr Mpin...

The South African Breweries (SAB) has rolled out its responsible consumption programmes across the country. The campaign includes the launch of 10 Alcohol Evidence Centres. To tell us more about this campaign and why the company has decided to get involved in saving lives as they are also a  company that sells alcohol to the nation we are joined on the line by…   Guest: Sphe Vundl...

The Home Affairs Department has denied that it has reversed its directive to put an end to special permits for Zimbabweans. This follows media reports yesterday (Tuesday) saying the decision made recently by Cabinet had been changed but Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says there has been a misunderstand after a circular was issued by officials in his department. Zimbabweans were granted these documents...

As we kick off the festive season with the long weekend, many of you will be locking your homes leaving them empty as you go on holiday or visit families in others areas or provinces. With crime in the country a serious concern, how can you ensure that you avoid break-ins while you are away? At the same time, in the unfortunate event that your home is broken into, do you have insurance and is it a...

The South African Revenue Services will be implementing some tax changes from January next year. These relate to the filing of tax returns which must now be filed every year or there will be penalty imposed. Previously, penalties were imposed if more than one return was not filed. For more clarity on this we are joined on the line by…   Guest: Prof Keith Engel - correct title: ceo of t...

We speak now to Gary Allemann who is MD at Master Data Management about how retailers can keep customer data safe this festive season. He says that many businesses make the mistake of focusing on having lots of data without having an adequate concern for its quality. What does he mean by that and how important is this data for both customer and retailer? How should retailers better utilise the dat...

  On our Personal development feature this morning we talk to the CEO of Bonheur and Robusteel about his achievements. His company has just acquired the last remaining iron and steelmaking assets of Evraz Highveld  Steel  & Vanadium. This is big news as it is a strategic acquisition and restarting of South Africa’s second largest steel manufacturing facility, meaning a goo...

  As the year comes to an end, those who have money to spare and a heart to give are looking at ways to donate to worthy courses. Giving is the right thing to do especially after so many people being bashed by the lockdown. But before you do, Inyathelo, an NPO with a reputation for promoting, profiling and growing local giving has some tips on how to donate wisely this holiday season. What ar...

We all know how good and bad this time of the year can be when it comes to spending. Come January we all sing the same song of being bankrupt. Well, thankfully Fintech Floatpays has launched a new savings product to help employees avoid this situation. It is targeted at employers with the aim for them to help their employees save ahead of January with interest. To help us understand how it works a...

Acting President David Mabuza is expected to meet with the Coronavirus Command Council today (Tuesday). The number of covid-19 cases continues to increase and there are fears that this could lead to stricter restrictions which businesses in various sectors have warned against. For more on the likely economic impact of tighter lockdown laws, we are joined by… Guest: Duma Gqubule - Founding D...

The Southern African Resource Watch has called on the mining industry to implement human rights-based principles and adopt an attitude that seeks to ensure that community also benefit from projects. It says structures at various government levels have failed to protect communities from mining companies. The SARW is now working on a project titled the Development Finance for Community Environment a...

The Her Rights Initiative, together with the Women’s Resource Centre, wants redress for some 80 HIV positive women who were forcefully sterilised at public health facilities in the country. The organisation says government has taken no action yet, since a report by the Commission for Gender Equality was released last year. It also says President Cyril Ramaphosa must speak out against what th...

Experts say the best way for recovering alcohol and drug addicts as well as those dealing with conditions such as eating disorders, anxiety and depression is to be prepared so that they can avoid pitfalls of overindulgence and relapse. But how can they and their families survive this period which can be difficult? For more on this we are joined on the line by… Guest:  Des Wilkinson &nd...

Human Rights Watch says the United Nations Human Rights Council must urgently probe abuses by both sides involved in the Tigrayan conflict in Ethiopia. It has revealed that Tigrayan forces have executed 49 civilians in the towns of Chenna and Kobo in the Amhara region in the past two months. The conflict in the Tigray region started in November last year when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed or...

    Learnerships have sometimes been criticized for not leading to meaningful employment for young people who make up the highest number of jobless people in the country. However, one company believes that learnerships do play a key role in creating work for the youth. That business is TransUnion. We are joined now by…   Guest: Avesh Singh – Head of TransUnion’s S...

We continue this morning with the conversation about how corporate South Africa can help end the scourge of gender-based violence. Marcel Korth is the coordinator of Anglo-American’s Living with Dignity Initiatives and she says failure to address problems that lead to violence is hampering efforts to end violence against women. Korth, who joins us on the line emphasizes that making boys and...