The Daily Discourse

Time now for our regular Friday Music Wind Down feature. Today we profile local songstress Titi Luzipho, who was born and bred in the windy city Port Elizabeth. Titi Luzipho, a jazz sensation started singing at the tender age of 5. GUEST: Titi Luzipho, songstress and jazz sensation

The #MeToo movement has prompted many women to share their own experiences with sexual abuse and assault Unfortunately not many male survivors have come out, in part because of cultural stigmas that prevent men from men speaking out. There is no doubt though, that the trauma from sexual assault affects victims, even far later in life. This morning we try and understand to what extent, does sexual...

The DA's Parliamentary Operations Director, Louw Nel has taken DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard to the court for "discriminatory utterances" made at a workshop programme. In his affidavit, Nel alleges that in a workshop setting in 2018, Kohler Barnard made comments that were "xenophobic, racist and sexist in nature". GUEST: Louw Nel, DA Parliamentary Operations Director

SARS workers will continue with their nationwide strike today. The Head Negotiator of the union Public Servants Association of South Africa, PSA, Stefan Viljoen, says the tax collector didn't come back to the negotiating table today. This after tens of thousands of SARS workers downed tools across the country at SARS offices, boarder posts and harbours. Workers want a once off 11.4% increase and S...

Leading Zimbabwean scholar and activist Professor Brian Raftopoulos will this morning deliver the annual Archie Mafeje Memorial lecture titled, State and Politics in Zimbabwe: Lessons for Post-Settler Colonial Politics in Southern Africa. The event taking place at the University of South Africa is hosted by the Africa Institute of South Africa in the Human Sciences Research Council in collaboratio...

This morning the Talking Point is coming to you live from the Durban International Convention Centre, where the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, is hosting the Inaugural Radical Economic Transformation Summit. The Summit will be attended by over 1000 delegates from Government Institutions, Members of the media, Social Formation (Amadela Ngokubona...

This morning the Talking Point is coming to you live from the Durban International Convention Centre, where the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, is hosting the Inaugural Radical Economic Transformation Summit. The Summit will be attended by over 1000 delegates from Government Institutions, Members of the media, Social Formation (Amadela Ngokubona...

This morning the Talking Point is coming to you live from the Durban International Convention Centre, where the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, is hosting the Inaugural Radical Economic Transformation Summit. The Summit will be attended by over 1000 delegates from Government Institutions, Members of the media, Social Formation (Amadela Ngokubona...

The Minerals Council has taken the Mining Charter to court. The Council says certain clauses in the third charter prompted their decision to take the matter on judicial review. Richard Spoor who is an Activist and human rights attorney, says he is shocked by this decision. GUEST: Richard Spoor - Activist and human rights attorney

As many of you know by now, charges against KwaZulu-Natal mayor Mluleki Ndobe in connection with the murder of former ANC Youth Leader Sindiso Magaqa's were provisionally withdrawn. Ndobe appeared in the UMzimkhulu Magistrate's Court last week Tuesday in connection with the murder. The Harry Gwala District Municipality mayor and Kwazulu-Natal ANC heavyweight was in police custody along with four o...

The South Africa Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) has strongly condemned all incidences of intimidation and alleged “construction mafia” activity related to projects and construction sites that have plagued the sector with alarming increase as of lately. This follows the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors’ issuing of a letter to the Minist...

The International Monetary Fund recently released a paper titled ‘Struggling to Make the Grade: A Review of the Causes and Consequences of the Weak Outcomes of South Africa’s Education System’. The paper, which reflects their views and not those of the IMF, aims to provide a data-driven, evidence-based approach to inform the national debate as to what works and what doesn’t when it comes to improv...

Why did a Flight distant for Germany ended up in Scotland? A British Airways flight from London City Airport was supposed to head to Dusseldorf in Germany but ended up in Edinburgh, Scotland. Just imagine being a passenger stunned to learn that the plane you are travelling on had not only landed in the wrong city, but also in the wrong country. So what led to the incorrect flight plan? GUEST: Karl...

What is at the core of the Western Sahara-Morocco conflict? We look at the decades-old conflict in Western Sahara, this as South Africa hosts the SADC Solidarity Conference with the People of Saharawi, while in the same breath, Morocco hosts the African Ministerial Conference. South Africa and SADC have been at the forefront of calling on Morocco to allow Western Sahara to achieve self-determinati...

A global health ranking has identified South Africa as the unhealthiest country in the world. The ranking is based on 10 measures: healthy life expectancy, blood pressure, blood glucose (diabetes risk), obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity (too little exercise), and government spending on healthcare. The statistics show that South Africans, between the ages of 30 an...

This morning we are going to discuss the different strategies which best suit investors in terms of their short- and long-term financial plan. GUEST: Bryan Hirsch, Chairperson of Bryan Hirsch, Colley & Associates (Pty) Limited

Yesterday South Africa’s Minister of Justice Minister John Jeffery launched a 67-page document, known as the national action plan (NAP). This is a tool aimed at dealing with racism, xenophobia and discrimination in general. The National Action Plan launch comes as we commemorate human rights month , and three days ahead of the second anniversary of apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada's death. Accord...

Recently South Africa has had two high-profile murder charges dropped against alleged suspects. Yesterday charges against Harry Gwala District mayor Mluleki Ndobe and UMzimkhulu municipal manager Zweliphansi Skhosana were provisionally withdrawn. The state cited insufficient evidence as a reason for the withdrawal of charges. In addition to being disgruntled by the increase in the crime rate, Sout...

Gambia’s truth and reconciliation commission recently began in the country to investigate alleged rights abuses during the 22-year-long rule of Yahya Jammeh. Created under an act of parliament, the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) aims at using openness and a court-like approach to investigate, over two years how abuse began and became systemic and the impacts it had on the...

Professor Karl von Holdt says Corruption in South Africa isn’t simply a matter of bad morals or weak law enforcement. It’s embedded in processes of class formation – specifically, the formation of new black elites. This means corruption is primarily a matter of politics and the shape of the economy. GUEST: Professor Karl von Holdt is a Senior Researcher (former Director) of the Society Work and Po...

The Public Servants Association has confirmed that employees South African Revenue Service, SARS will proceed with a national strike on Thursday. Trade union NEHAWU and the PSA are demanding an 11 percent wage increase, while SARS is offering between six and seven per cent. GUEST: Takalani Musekwa, who is the Executive for Remuneration and Benefits at South African Revenue Service, SARS

Not all students' organisations are happy that Higher Education Minister Naledi Pandor has allocated almost a billion-rand to settlement of the historic debt to universities. The issue has been one of the causes of protests at different universities. Yesterday, Pandor announced that an additional 967-million-rand had been set aside to settle historic debt owed by over 52-thousand NSFAS-funded cont...

Black First Land First (BLF), President Andile Mngxitama has blamed Tropical Cyclone Idai on the West saying it is "a direct consequence of the white, Western system of ecological assault for profits”. The BLF want the African Union to demand reparations and relief from the West for the disaster. GUEST: BLF president, Andile Mngxitama

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has responded to the testimony of ANC head of Elections Fikile Mbalula at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Mbalula told the commission last week that when he raised the issue of the Gupta family during an NEC meeting he was attacked. Speaking while on a campaign trail at Kathu in the Northern Cape Mantashe said the party was doing something rega...

South Africa-based Congolese musician Tresor. Nostalgia, as the title suggests, induces feelings of nostalgia. The album combines the sound of ’80s pop as well as disco, house and Afropop; all while maintaining an African sensibility. This morning we get to know the man behind the album, while also playing for you some sounds from the Album. Guest: Tresor – Musician