The Daily Discourse

As the shutdown, which has left 800-thousand federal workers without pay, hit its 35th day - Democratic leaders have floated the idea of giving Trump most or all of the money he seeks for security along the Mexican border, but for items other than the 70-billion-rand wall he wants. Today, about 800,000 federal workers will start to miss their second paychecks since the shutdown began last month. A...

Independent Police Investigative Directorate boss, Robert McBride is challenging Police Minister Bheki Cele's decision not to renew his five-year contract. McBride who heads several key investigations into police corruption, particularly among senior SAPS officers, had given Minister Cele two days to reverse his decision to terminate his contract. So does police minister Bheki Cele have the power...

Independent Police Investigative Directorate, IPID Head, Robert McBride has given Police Minister, Bheki Cele two days to reverse his decision not to renew his contract. McBride says he will seek legal action if Minister Cele does not withdraw his decision. For more on this we are now joined on the line by Dr Johan Burger, a senior research consultant at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) GU...

Former Bosasa COO, Angelo Agrizzi has confirmed to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture that Sondolo IT received a tender for access control for the Correctional Services Department a company established just days before the tender application deadline. He was being questioned about various tenders which were obtained by Bosasa, through various front companies. Agrizzi says the tender whic...

During the Colonial period in Africa, the British and the French colonized an estimated more than 95% of the continent. The British colonized twenty-two African states while the French colonized twenty. France retained control of North, and West and parts of Central Africa while the British took control of East and South Africa. After our interview last week with French Ambassador, there were a fe...

Parliament's former Chairperson for Correctional Services Oversight Committee, Dennis Bloem says that he can back up former Bosasa COO, Angelo Aggrizzi's explosive testimony about bribes and kickbacks for lucrative contracts with the Department of Correctional Services. Bloem, who chaired the committee for five years between 2004 and 2009, says he is willing to testify before the Zondo Commission...

The South African Editors Forum - SANEF - says the regulations of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture criminalize journalism. SANEF has hit back the chairperson of the commission Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo, after he described as unlawful the publishing of witness testimonies prior to being heard before the commission. At the weekend, the testimony of former BOSASA boss, Angelo Ag...

Sango Ntsaluba -Executive chairman of NMT Capital says now that the political stalemate in the governing party has been resolved, Davos investment promise must be revisited, and that South Africa must once again open itself to the world as a politically stable and policy certain environment. He asks though, that amidst a promise of greater investment, in whose material benefit and comfort will the...

Under the theme Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It picks up on two major trends. One: this is a fraught time for global cooperation, as legitimate frustration over the failure of globalization to consistently raise living standards spills over into populism and nationalism. And two: a whole new wave of change is crashing on us in the...

A report released by Oxfam has accused world leaders of managing their economies in favour of the rich. According to the annual wealth check released to mark the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2018 was a year in which the rich grew richer and the poor poorer. The report shows that the rich are using their influence to pay fewer taxes. For the latest on the World Economic Forum in Davo...

Oxfam South Africa recently launched its annual inequality report, titled Private Wealth vs. Public Good, under the 2019 theme “Public Good or Private Wealth?” This, as the world’s high-profile chief executives gather at Davos ski resort in Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum. Oxfam say inequality was at record levels and called for a wealth tax to level the playing fields. Guest: Jabu...

The World Economic Forum is preparing to host its annual meeting in Davos this week, with 56 delegates from South Africa who will be in attendance. The Davos delegation to Switzerland, who will showcase the country's investment opportunities, will be led by the president Cyril Ramaphosa. GUESTS: Busisiwe Mavuso, Chief Operations Officer for Business Leadership South Africa GUEST: Leon Louw, Execut...

The annual review of human rights practices around the globe assesses progress on major human rights issues during the past year in more than 90 countries and territories, including 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting the extensive work carried out in 2018 by Human Rights Watch staff in exposing rights abuses and driving change. Yesterday Human Rights Watch’s launched its World Report 2...

The DA has threatened to approach the International Criminal Court (ICC) if President Cyril Ramaphosa fails to intervene directly to stop the ongoing human rights violations by the Zimbabwean government. The DA called on Ramaphosa on Sunday to reconsider his “quiet diplomacy ” and advise Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop the military clampdown on civilians. Guest: Stevens Mokgalapa –...

The Congress of the People (COPE) held its 2nd National Congress to elect the new leadership in Bloemfontein over the weekend. The party has in the past had its fair share of leadership battles leading to Mbazima Shilowa's expulsion from party. Talking about their readiness for the Elections this year, the latest State Capture revelations and the Congress' stance on the land debate. GUEST: Congres...

Time now for our regular Friday feature; The Friday Wind Down. This morning we are in conversation with a musical legend who has been in the industry for over 5 decades, this despite being blind. Babsy's career is still blossoming and his back with new music. GUEST: Babsy Mlangeni - Legendary award-winning musician and Chairperson of the Babsy Mlangeni Foundation

Do men care about their appearance? Whenever we talk about beauty and skincare, we generally refer to females and this is one of the enduring myths or cultural assumption, that women spend so much time worrying about their appearance. Men, however, rarely talk about their appearance or skin problems to other people, and at times they end up neglecting it. But In this age, men have become more open...

As the country prepares for the upcoming 2019 National and Provincial Elections, political parties will be launching their respective election manifestos, with the hope of convincing South Africans to vote for them. This morning, we ask: What makes a winning manifesto? What should be the key focus of a manifesto, if the parties are to win the electorate over? What would you like to hear from an el...

Jihadist movements like Boko Haram and al-Shabaab are among the deadliest extremist or terrorist groups operational in the world, given the sheer number of people the groups have killed. The two groups account for a substantial amount of carnage on the African continent. This morning we will focus on the challenges that nations face in combating the spread and effects of terrorism. We will also lo...

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, is expected to resume In Parktown Johannesburg this morning. Chairperson of the Commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo adjourned proceedings yesterday citing security concerns. Shocking allegations have emerged from Former BOSASA COO Angelo Agrizzi, who...

According to Forbes magazine in America, Nigeria has dropped from third to 14th position (out of 161 countries graded in Africa) in ease of doing business ranking. The latest 2019 listing reveals that while Nigeria’s ranking improved on the global space, it dropped 11 spots in Africa with regards to being “hospitable to capital investment.” With Nigeria’s economy being ranked the highest with the...

The South African Communist Party (SACP) says it believes convicted killer Janusz Walus does not deserve to be granted parole. They say they will continue to fight against his release. Janusz Walus was convicted of the murder of former general-secretary Chris Hani. Guest: Alex Mashilo, SACP spokesperson

Few years back FIFA, the football's world governing body, acknowledged that its own officials accepted up to $10 million in return for votes that awarded South Africa the 2010 World Cup tournament. Allegations that South Africa bribed officials to win the bid to host the World Cup first surfaced around 2015, following a wide-ranging investigation of corruption at FIFA by the US Department of Justi...

Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has intensified their operations to remove all illegal electricity connections. JMPD says Illegal electricity connection is not only dangerous but is also theft as well. For more on this were are now joined on the line by JMPD spokesperson chief superintendent, Wayne Minnaar GUEST: JMPD spokesperson chief superintendent, Wayne Minnaar

Dr Nikolaus Eberl says for the past 20 years, he has been digging through the archives, visiting the battlefields and sifting through the propaganda of the history books to uncover the true legacy of the Great Emperor Shaka Zulu. To him, Shaka Zulu’s legacy is best described by a term that has recently gained acclaim in the business literature of the 21st century: Disruptive Innovation. In his boo...