The Daily Discourse

Today we speak about urology. According to medical journals, it is a surgical speciality that deals with the treatment of conditions involving the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs. What sort of conditions would make one to go visit a urologist? GUEST: Dr Thami Madlala - Urologist

Since the start of the lockdown period, we have been receiving calls from small business owners about the pain they are feeling as their businesses were forced to shut temporarily. Well let’s speak now to an organization called SaveABusiness. They are a non-profit organisation that assists small businesses with financial aid and support during the lockdown. How do they operate and what size busine...

Social media has been abuzz with footage of law enforcement agencies either beating people in the streets. In some cases there was a lot of brutality while sometimes it’s just a case of scaring them off to stay in their houses. But now some NGO’s are accusing them of being selective in how they execute they treatment. Guest: Themba Masango – Secretary-General of #NotinMyName

Even though we don’t have scientific evidence on the impact that the lockdown is having on small businesses, the sector has been the most vocal. Government has promised to assist them and also getting some of them to operate. How are the different provinces assisting them? Let’s find out first from Limpopo as to what assistance they are giving to the sector… Guest: Thabo Mokone - MEC for economic...

Prof Francis Petersen who is Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State has penned an article looking at how universities as global institutions of higher learning are managing COVID-19. Institutions of higher learning have been the hardest hit with fears that the delays are causing major disruptions on top of the factor that the year started with protest action. As far as Prof...

But the Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schaeffer on the other hand has defended her department's decision to continue the school feeding scheme during the lockdown. Schaefer says the decision came after a realisation that children who depend on the meals for their sustenance will now face hunger. Guest: Debbie Schaeffer - Western Cape Education MEC

Government has raised its concerns over schools being vandalized during the lockdown period. Almost on a daily basis we’ve been receiving reports of schools either being burnt or equipment stolen. Guest: Kwazi Mshengu – MEC for Education in KZN

Another follow-up from you our callers was on issues of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. It was a question asked by Justice in Polokwane. Well the department has availed themselves to deal with all questions related to the UIF guest: Makhosonke Buthelezi - Director of Marketing and Communications for Unemployment Insurance Fund Department of Employment and Labour

In support of the President's call for unified action and in solidarity with our employees and other South African’s during this difficult time, the Board and Executive Management of Sibanye-Stillwater have therefore unanimously elected to contribute a third of their remuneration for the next three months to the national Solidarity fund. Guest: Thabisile Phumo Senior Vice President for stakeholder...

Yesterday we received a call from Giyo in the Eastern Cape about a programme which was started by the education minister Dr Kadar Asmal called post schooling access. He wanted to know what has since happened. Guest: Ishmael Mnisi – Spokesperson for Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimander

As part of the savings and investment journey, for the past weeks, Nedbank has provided advice about savings goals. Every week. We’ve looked at various scenarios which ordinary South Africans find themselves in financially. With the recent recession and COVID-19 pandemic crises, it is easy to lose focus and dilute your savings and investments. Especially because, many people find themselves worrie...

As part of the savings and investment journey, for the past weeks, Nedbank has provided advice about savings goals. Every week. We’ve looked at various scenarios which ordinary South Africans find themselves in financially. With the recent recession and COVID-19 pandemic crises, it is easy to lose focus and dilute your savings and investments. Especially because, many people find themselves worrie...

You may have heard yesterday in the news how the Chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to ignore calls from some liquor retailers that regulations banning the sale of alcohol be relaxed. He went on to say that the Ramaphosa administration's move to halt liquor sales is designed to protect people from transmitting the virus....

Since government announced financial measures to help business affected by the shutdown, some industries came forward accusing government of excluding them. One of those is the Agro dealers. GUEST: Luambo Munzhedzi - President of the Agro Dealers Association of SA (ADASA)

Many companies are now changing direction and aligning their business models according to the lockdown situation. Transport business in particular was severely hard due to restrictions around the lockdown. Well, Droppa, the digital platform that provides transport delivery solutions is shifting the focus of their business. They are an on-demand e-hailing app and will now offer its services to sect...

The Public Servants Association is calling on the health department to close the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban. This comes after reports that a nurse tested positive this. Just last week, the KZN MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu announced that the St Augustine Hospital is closed and only one ward will remain open for positive patients. Guest: Mlungisi Ndlovu - KZN manager for the P...

guest: Luxolo Matini -Reverend I the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (KWT)

If one has to confess to something, that would be fear and worry about when the Covid-19 situation is going to end. Everywhere we go there are people standing with sanitisers, now we are also required to keep a social distance. Life is we know it has changed. Fear has fallen upon us. What is all of this doing to our psychology? GUEST: Nicolette Visagie – Clinical Psychologist

In the next hour we will hear from a psychologist about the impact the lockdown is having on us all, but let’s start off on issues of accessing information. We are talking about an interactive tool that will help with our health, businesses, work, finances and anxiety levels. The tool uses mathematical models to track the spread of the virus and provide actionable insights on how to play your part...

Since the lockdown, smokers have been worried about how they are going to cope since shops are not allowed to sell cigarettes. This is one of the addictions many can’t do without. Guest: Dr Jan Chabalala – A psychiatrist with special interest in addictions

No doubt how much damage the Covid-19 is causing around all aspects of life. Business in particular is feeling it the most. Now business owners deal a lot with contracts mainly for job security and so on. Under the current lockdown, workers are expecting full wages, suppliers expect to be paid. Let’s look at the legal side of things. How does one prepare staff and labour obligation when the distur...

The Alliance for Rural Democracy has issued a statement highlighting the plight of rural communities under the current lockdown. Interestingly they trace the problem back to the days of the Bantu-stan era. They are warning of a dire social and economic result as a consequence of the lockdown. Guest: Siyabulela Manona – PHD Student in Geography at Rhodes University, He assisted The Alliance For Rur...

Ever since the outbreak of the Covid-19, we have been speaking to people in different spheres of life about how the current lockdown situation is affecting them. Today we get to understand how those who are visually impaired. What challenges are they facing in a time like this? #Covid19 #ChooseLife Guest: Ntshavheni Netshituni – CEO of Blind SA

This morning we talk issues of ideology. Often when we talk issues of borrowing money from institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, debate arises on how capitalist they are and the consequences of the transaction. Socialism is put forward as one of the solutions that will take us forward as a country. The South African Communist Party in particular raises such arguments. Well, let’s get into...

The Reserve Bank has cut its growth forecasts for South Africa, predicting the economy could shrink by as much as four-percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the national 21-day lockdown and the recent downgrades by credit rating agencies. The bank says growth was unlikely to exceed one-percent in 2021. In its bi-annual Monetary Policy Review the Reserve Bank says there is limited scope...