The Daily Discourse

Focus: The issue of child abuse is still a major problem in our country. Some of the cases go unpunished or unresolved due to system failures. Well a newly established organization called the Advocacy Against Child Abuse promises to deal with these loopholes in the system. What is their approach? Guest: Sonja Carstens – Spokesperson for Advocacy Against Child Abuse

Focus: The issue of whether the church should take part in politics has been argued for many years without real clear answers. The South African Council of Churches has been vocal on political issues in the country which has become normal. Under the apartheid system it was again the church that was vocal in speaking against it while on the other hand the apartheid system was pushed in the name of...

Focus: This past weekend saw one of the biggest Lotto draws which many people may fantasize about especially in these hard economic conditions. There has not been a winner announced though. So we use this opportunity to talk to Ithuba who are running the lottery about how they prepare winners and also a winner about how they managed to keep a straight mind after winning…. Guests: Sandisiwe Gugushe...

Focus: In December last year, the ANC conference agreed to make amendments to the Constitution and Land Restitution Act that will pave the way for the State to expropriate land without compensation. So this morning we ask, what lessons can South Africa learn from Zimbabwe? Guest on the line (UK): Dr Admore Tshuma, UK based Social Scientist

The UK’s Economist newspaper has selected South Africa’s Nkosi Sikelel’Afrika as the best national anthem in the world. This is the good news, but what makes it stand out from all the rest? In case you didn’t know, our national anthem is unique; it is the only one in the world to contain verses in five different languages.

Are we coexisting with other races, celebrating our differences or is it every man for himself? Focus: Nomfundo Mbeki explains why she thinks “the idea that we live in a Rainbow Nation is a pseudo sentiment”. She says in order for us to build a Rainbow Nation, we need to feel equal to each other.

Focus: Post the ANC’s 54th National Congress, we assess the party’s decision to fully decriminalise sex work. The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has voiced its support for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa. Their view is that the current legal regime harms the interests of sex workers by denying them their human and constitutional rights to protection as well as preventing ac...

Focus: Like they it’s the season to be jolly where everybody is expected to do good deeds and just be loving. We use this opportunity now to talk about the fulfillment in giving. How important is it for all of us to get involved in giving and also create this culture in our everyday lives for the rest of the year? Why do we wait for days like International Nelson Mandela Day or Christmas?

On our Living with it feature today we speak to someone who lost a lung due TB. Even though they have been cured of the disease, how is everyday life like for them and how severe was the TB which led to her losing a lung? Guest: Bernice Morotlolo – TB survivor who lives with one lung due to the disease

December is the birth month of Robert Sobukwe, iconic leader of the Pan African Congress who would have turned 93 last week. He has been honoured by different institutions to mark his birth month. We use this opportunity to talk about whether his ideologies would still be relevant today and also look at what it is that young people can learn from what he stood for….. Guests: Professor Sipho Shabal...

As the country is facing a water crisis and experts coming up with different solutions, how then do they take what is coming out of this conference and apply it solving the problem? Guest: Nomvula Mokonyane- minister of water and sanitation

Over the years we have been discussing issues of poverty on the African continent and what the reasons behind it. Aid keeps pouring in, but the poverty continues. An article written by Yves Engler, a Canadian writer and political activist is pointing the finger at Canadian firms. He says that the world economic system sucks more out of the continent than it puts in. Guest: Prof Mammo Muchie - Rese...

Many of our cities are very old with an ageing infrastructure most of it collapsing. How do we save it by bringing young minds who may come up with innovative ideas? Guest: Thami Hlongwane- acting CE at umngeni water and sanitation

The Department of Water and Sanitation in conjunction with the Water Research Commission is today hosting the Water Infrastructure Investment Summit which is aimed at promoting investment in all aspects of water infrastructure. As far as they are concerned, where is the starting point? Guest: Dr Snowie khoza- executive chair person of BIGEN group Guest: Sfiso Mkhize- director general in the depart...

With 9.3 million mainly young people unemployed, South Africa’s labour market is dysfunctional and benefitting only a few in skilled jobs. Chris Hatting is of the view that “fixing the labour market is critical as the supply of workers vastly exceeds existing demand to hire them”. Guest: Chris Hattingh, researcher at the Free Market Foundation

We hear from the Finland delegation that is currently visiting South Africa with the aim of establishing relations with our educators and health professionals. They will tell us more about what they’ve been doing on teacher education and on learning environments. Guests (studio): Ms Roseanna Avento, Coordinator for Global and Transnational Education at the University of Eastern Finland Mr. Markku...

Often members of the public get very angry at anyone who is showing sympathy to those who are in prison. The feeling is that they deserve to be in there as they committed crimes. Well the International Association for Human Values in partnership with the Art of Living Foundation have implemented the Prison S.M.A.R.T programme in South Africa which they say is aimed at making a life transforming di...

South Africa’s Afrikaner community – what kind of country they envisaged post ’94? And what is their contribution now in moving South Africa forward? ‘Tapping into minds and hearts of the Afrikaner community in South Africa’. Guest (studio): Dr Dan Roodt, Afrikaner Author and Activist, he is also Director of Praag (Pro-Afrikaanse Aksiegroep)

Today (15 November) is marked as the ‘Day of the imprisoned writer’. On this day writers gather to highlight and campaign on behalf of their counterparts who face unjust imprisonment, attacks, harassment and violence for their free expression work. What would they say are some of the reason why writers are being targeted and in 2017 why are we still seeing writers being persecuted? Guest: Nokukhan...

Nceku Nyathi is of the view that the principles of Ubuntu are being eroded more and more every day, when they could be used to bring people together and unite them towards a common goal. Guest: Dr Nceku Nyathi, Senior Lecturer at the Allan Gray Centre for Values-Based Leadership at the UCT Graduate School of Business

The Soweto Theatre will be paying tribute to one of South Africa’s legendary playwrights, Gibson Kente. He is known as the father of township theatre. Why have they decided to the honour him now in 2017 and how is the theatre capitalizing on his legacy to draw the crowds? Guest(Studio): Makhaola Ndebele - Artistic Director at Joburg City Theatres

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson may be dead and buried, but his spirit lives on in Michael Jonathan. He has traveled internationally performing as Michael Jackson which left many audiences astonished. He is in the country now to show us what his made of and also to tell us why he is keeping Michael Jackson alive….. Guest(Studio): Michael Jonathan – French Michael Jackson performer

November being about men’s health, we use the opportunity to get a man’s perspective on cancer. Dale Clarke is someone who was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Being a sports loving person who used to train four times a week and play different types of sports, how has this affected him and how does make it through the day? Guest: Dale Clarke – Diagnosed with testicular cancer

How do we address the historic and still existing imbalance between black and white students, and what role should universities play in this? Dr Gideon Nomdo explains how participation in development programmes profoundly affects black students’ sense of identity and their feelings of self-worth. Guest: Dr Gideon Nomdo, Course coordinator: Language in Humanities at the University of Cape Town

Child Welfare SA has raised serious concerns about the state of the abuse of children in the country. For the past few months, the media was dominated by stories of sexual abuse of children at schools and at home. They are now calling on the public and celebrities to help raise awareness on the issue. As far as they are concerned, what is behind this scourge and what can we do as a nation to help?...