The Daily Discourse

The office of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi yesterday released a statement offering condolences on the passing of former leader Hosni Mubarak. He died at the age of 91. Mubarak ruled Egypt for 30 years until he was ousted following mass protests against his rule in 2011. He was jailed for years after the uprising, but was freed in 2017 after being acquitted of most charges. To get an...

Bernadine Galliver, Associate Director Tourism Specialist Unit at BDO has penned an article where she says “the time is now to get South Africans to rediscover their own country”. This is in light of the world fearing the Corona virus by traveling. Many people are now keeping it local, but how does the tourism sector capitalize on this? GUEST: Bernadine Galliver, Associate Director Tourism Special...

We continue our focus on the state of higher education which is brought to the limelight by acts of violence by students at universities. Today we turn our focus on parliament and the Universities South Africa to hear what they have to say on the issue… GUEST: Mohlopi Mapulane – Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education Guest: Professor Ahmed Bawa – CEO and Spokesperson f...

As we eagerly await Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Budget Speech, aanalysts feel say that one of the biggest challenges he is facing faces is deciding whether to increase government spending in order to stimulate economic growth or to cut spending as a means of arresting the government's growing debt. Other big worry is that he may increase the tax. Under the current economic climate how much spa...

The Black farmers Association of South Africa will be hosting what they call a 100% radical Transformation Summit on Friday where they will be raising a number of issues with some of the national retailers. Today with Finance Minister Tito Mboweni hosting his budget speech, what are their expectations and what do they mean by “Radical Transformation”? GUEST: Dr Lenox Mtshagi – President of the Bla...

As we continue the theme of black history month, we turn our focus to Haiti and its history, colonialism and the issue of reparations… Guest: Izak Khomo – Presenter/Producer of Spotlight Africa at Channel Africa

Yesterday we spoke to cconcerned parents of students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, who formed a crisis committee to deal with the worsening situation at the institution. Speaking to Bishop Rubin Phillip who is Chair of the UKZN Crisis Committee he had this to say….. Guest: Siyabonga Moses Nkambako - SRC Chairperson Westville campus

South Africans face many barriers to saving, from societal and lifestyle pressures, to servicing of debt and family responsibilities. The reality is that a large percentage of consumers are over indebted with little money to save. This morning we are joined by Nedbank to give solutions to this problem…. GUEST: Bryan Hirsch, Chairperson of Bryan Hirsch, Colley & Associates (Pty) Limited Guest: Sisa...

Several townships around Johannesburg are on shut down today and tomorrow. The protest action started in Soweto yesterday over electricity issues. Soweto residents are demanding a flat rate for electricity. To try to understand why the other communities are joining the fight, we are joined on the line by…. GUEST: Lehlohonolo Makgele – One of the organizers of the Soweto Shut Down Guest: Benjamin C...

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it is considering suing the formerly Gupta-owned mining group Tegeta Exploration and Resources for the funds already paid over to it in the now invalidated coal contract with Eskom. Yesterday, the SIU secured a high court order setting aside the three-point-seven-billion-rand contract. The agreement was signed in 2015 to supply coal for ten years to the Ma...

Protesters blocked several roads with burning tyres and rocks in Klipspruit, Soweto. A Putco bus was set alight. Some reports indicate that the residents are calling for the local councilor to step down. There’s also unconfirmed reports of calls for a total shutdown tomorrow and Wednesday. To get an understanding of some of the reasons behind the protest, Guest: Seth Mazibuko – Spokesperson for th...

Former rebel leader, Riek Machar, has been sworn in as South Sudan's first vice president during a ceremony in Juba on Saturday. On Thursday, President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar agreed to form a unity government, ending years of fighting. raising hopes that this will now see an end to six years of civil conflict that has left thousands dead and more than a million displaced. It has been a long jo...

We have seen in these past weeks how protests at universities have turned violent with students burning and damaging property. This has now led to cconcerned parents of students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, forming a crisis committee to deal with the worsening situation at the institution. The start of the academic year has been marred by violent student protests over issues such as histori...

Today on our Friday Wind Down we feature former DA leader Mmusi Maimane, the Barrack Obama of Soweto. We don’t really need much introduction on him as he’s been a major player in our national politics. Now that he is no longer DA leader, what is he focusing on? GUEST: Mmusi Maimane Former leader of the Democratic Alliance

Let’s visit the arts now and talk about movies that reflect our past history and how communities would do stuff under the nose of the apartheid regime. Here is a movie entitled “Letters of hope.” It is set in 1976 apartheid South Africa, and tell the story of 16-year-old Jeremiah, who really wants to be a policeman and can’t understand why his father won’t let him. GUEST: Aphiwe Mkefe - Lead actor...

The Portfolio Committee on Health will today undertake the last leg of public hearings on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill in Soshanguve, Gauteng. The Gauteng hearings follow nationwide public hearings in which participants contributed to strengthening the Bill. The NHI Bill is intended to achieve universal access to healthcare services in South Africa, which is a constitutional right. GUE...

Let’s focus now on issues of occupational health. What is involved and how big a role does it play in the wellbeing of workers? Also how important is it? GUEST: Dr Louis Ellis – General Practitioner and Occupational Medical Practitioner in the Northern Cape

Interested in getting into the business of real estate or property development? Or perhaps you first want to learn about some different aspects of the real estate industry? Well this morning on our business feature we are going to look at Investing in real estate and starting a rental property business. For many people, becoming a landlord is the foundation of their real estate business model. By...

National Taxi Council, Santaco, has welcomed recommendations by the Competition Commission that government should reconsider subsidies for the taxi industry. The Commission released a provisional report on public transport pricing. It found that trains and buses are well subsidized while the taxi industry gets as little as one-percent and nothing for metered taxis. To discuss this issue and find o...

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the Cape Town municipality will provide temporary accommodation for foreign nationals who will be moved from the Cape Town CBD. The verification process has begun following the recent Western Cape High Court ruling. The city will remove the immigrants from the streets and sidewalks around Greenmarket Square, in line with the court order. The foreign nati...

Westbury has been in the news for all the wrong reasons last year and the year before. The community made headlines when community members decided to stand up and do something about the crime and gangs in the area. Well today we have a good story coming out of there. A good example of making a difference in one’s community. Youngsters starting soccer team against all odds. GUEST: Brandon Morris, w...

We now speak to one of our listeners Koekie Saint-Quinton, from Pretoria, a mother who is concerned about her son, who is living in Nanyang, China, an area approximately 400km away from Wuhan, where the Coronavirus was first detected. The Coronavirus now termed COVID-19 is a virus that causes severe lung disease. The coronavirus has infected over 70 000 people in China as of 16 February, with 1,77...

Professor Adam Habib, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, has resigned and will leave the University at the end of December. He has accepted an offer to serve as the Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) based in London as from 1 January 2021. GUEST: Professor Adam Habib, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwat...

Gender activists are waiting for an apology from President Cyril Ramaphosa for government's failure to adequately address the rate of gender-based violence in the country. They are expressing anger over the manner in which accusations of GBV were raised during yesterday's State of the Nation debate - after ANC MP, Boy Mamabolo, accused EFF leader Julius Malema of abusing his wife. Malema denied it...

This morning as we mark black history month, we turn our focus on the Trans-Atlantic-Slavery. Last year mark 400 years of the dreadful slave trade. What were the dynamics involved and what should we know about it? GUEST : Izak Khomo – Presenter/Producer of Spotlight Africa at Channel Africa