The Daily Discourse

The SABC will this coming Thursday be celebrating Women’s day under the theme: “Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights for an Equal Future”. Let’s speak now to one of the panellists to get her views on the topic as we welcome… Guest: Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi – Chairperson of Tiger Brands

Let’s tell you now about the R4-billin fund that was set aside by government to assist businesses that were hard hit by the July unrest. The fund will be driven by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and also the National Empowerment Fund. What is it that SMME need to know and who qualifies and how do they qualify? To help us understand, we are joined on the line by… Gue...

The Special Tribunal was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa in terms of the SIU and Special Tribunals act 74 of 1996 . Their function is to institute civil recovery proceedings deriving from the SIU cases. This morning we find out how they have been doing since their establishment and what funds they’ve managed to recover. To give us an update as to the work that has been done so far, we ar...

The Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid19 Vaccines says the health sector needs to address the reasons behind the slow pace of vaccinations among men. The Health Department has expressed concern over low levels of vaccination uptake among men and has urged them to get inoculated. South Africa has administered over nine-point-three million jabs so far - with men accounting for around 40 percent...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is not creating a "super-Presidency" or instituting a move towards dictatorship by moving state security to his office. He told the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that the aim was to make it non-partisan and professional. When asked about how the ANC dealt with the issue of the Gupta family, this is how he answered….. Guest: Tessa Dooms – Di...

South Africa's arms manufacturer Denel says that it hopes to return to profitability within the next five years. The parastatal hoes to this via a restructuring plan which they say will still require significant cash injections to make it happen. Denel has been in the news with unions highlighting the plight of employees who have not been paid their salaries. Let’s find out now from them as...

The EFF is calling for tougher laws to deal with gender based violence. They would like GBV and sexual crime cases to be made schedule 5 offences so that perpetrators don’t stand a chance of receiving bail in court. This they say will to protect victims from intimidation and further abuse. Could this work in reducing the problem of GBV in our country?  Guest: Lebo Ramafoko -Chief Execut...

The United Nations Secretary General is following the unfolding developments in Afghanistan with deep concern amid a deteriorating security environment as the Taliban continues to make rapid gains towards the capital Kabul. The group claims to have captured the country's third-largest city of Herat while intense fighting has been reported in and around the second-largest city of Kandahar. The UN's...

The latest Deloitte Global 2021 Women @ Work Report has revealed that almost six in 10 South African women feel less optimistic about their career prospects today compared to before the pandemic. This they say is higher than the global average (51%). Guest: Justine Mazzocco – Director: People & Purpose Managing Partner at Deloitte Africa

Social media has been abuzz with disappointment of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffling. The concern is that young people are again excluded. But then there are those who argue that young ministers have not really made a meaningful contribution or change since taking office. Are we correct in assuming that young people bring new ideas or is it all about fulfilling the party’...

Guest: Mpumelelo  Zikalala   – Director at Zikalala Attorneys

I guess in 2021 we are not or should not be surprised as more and more women venture into sectors they historically have been deemed as male dominated. One such sector is that of wind energy. What is it exactly and what is it that attracted our guest to it? What sort of advice would she give to young women who may want to be part of it? To help us navigatethis issue, we are joined on the line by&h...

As we continue our Women’s Day special today, we turn our attention to women in the arts. Napo Mashiane, poet and playwright is a very busy women in the arts who has recently been appointed Artistic Director of the Sibikwa Arts Centre. We talk to her about her work, achievements and the current project she is busy with. How is she projecting the struggle of women through her work and as far...

We can’t talk about women advancement without touching on inequality. Our next guest is passionate about issues of potential of women and inequality and also rights and recognising the contribution women have been making over the years. On a day like this where women made history in 1956 by standing up against a brutal system, looking back, how would she describe the current state of women&r...

As we mark Women’s Month, we talk to some of the remarkable women out there in amazing professions. Science is one of those field associated with very brainy people and our guests this morning will take us through what they do and what is it that attracted them to this field. Also what do they say to that young girl who may aspire to join the profession?  Well, let’s hear it strai...

It's been almost three years since the National Minimum Wage Act was passed and came into effect in the country. The National Minimum Wage Act was adopted in order to address vast income inequalities in the country. But, now labour federation, COSATU, says the enforcement of the Act by the Labour Department is lacking. Mbongeni Muthwa reports.... Guest: Xolile Mpini - Chief Executive at the Langeb...

Experts in the property market say that the Low interest rates reaching an all-time high and a notable shift in consumer buying behaviours - makes now the perfect time for buying a home. But for consumers, which is the best option? To buy or to rent? Guest: Natasha Champion - Regional Sales Manager for Ooba Group

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor  has sadly found that South Africa has one of the highest business start-up failure rates in the world. According to this report, we rank 49th out of 54 countries. How should we interpret this and where would we say entrepreneurship goes wrong in our country? Is it a skill question perhaps? To help us understand, we are joined on the line by…. Guest:...

Social Development minister, Lindiwe Zulu has reiterated that everybody has to reapply for the reinstated 350-rand social relief grant. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the grant would be paid until March next year and will now include unemployed caregivers. The reintroduction of the grant by the president follows the looting and violence that hit KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng three weeks ago....

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s position as Traditional Prime Minister is being challenged in the courts. Queen Sibongile and her daughters Princess Ntandoyenkosi Zulu-Duma say that Buthelezi should not be allowed to engage in royal wars. They go on to say that the position is constitutionally unrecognised. To try and understand how this position exists and where it comes from, we are joined o...

Let’s tell you now about opportunities for those who may desire teaching jobs overseas. The good news is that with international borders slowly reopening South Africans can start planning to take advantage of the international demand for English teachers provided that they have the right qualifications. The other advantage is that South Africa is currently vaccinating it’s people which...

We speak now to Laura Brooks, about her report which states that registering children under the age of six at ECD centres would not only help in equipping children to reach their full potential but also be one of the most effective ways of creating new jobs in the “care economy”. Interestingly, she says that this has the potential to create more jobs for women as they are the ones work...

The IEC is this morning expected to give an update regarding the 2021 Municipal Elections.  Yesterday (Tuesday) Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said that she is bound by the constitution and other legal statutes to timeously proclaim the date of the local government elections. Dlamini Zuma was briefing the media on developments with regards to th...

Two hundred and 64 firearms have been seized from private security companies and several individuals in Phoenix, north of Durban. A total of 36 people were killed during the racial tensions that erupted during the unrest in this area two weeks ago. According to reports from police 30 of these people were shot and killed, four were burnt to death while others succumbed to their injuries as a result...

As you heard in our programme yesterday how that five of the North West Province’s municipalities are among the 45 that the national cabinet has resolved to dissolve. The affected municipalities in the province were already under administration. Some were marred by political squabbles, which led to them having two mayors and two municipal managers at the same time. This negatively affected t...