The Daily Discourse

This week the Pan African Parliament’s Fourth Parliament is sitting for plenary sessions focusing on issues pertaining to the continent. Yesterday (Tuesday) one of the subjects the committees were discussing was that of trade, customs and immigration. How can member countries enhance their borders in an effort not to burden each other and enhance trade?

President Jacob Zuma says only dialogue will help end the current political and security crisis in Burundi. Zuma said this while leading an African Union High Level Panel on Burundi aimed at breaking a deadlock on the stalled talks in the conflict ridden country. The panel met representatives from political parties, civil society organisations as well as religious groups in a bid to understand the...

The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) will next month be hosting an incubation conference where they will be highlighting the various programmes they are running to assist the SMME sector. Many of the start-up business owners who call into Morning Talk highlight the struggles they face on a daily basis especially funding. How then do these programmes run by SEDA assist the SMME sector and...

Today Joanna discusses ‘Being resilient’ and how to weather the storms during difficult times

We examine the role and place of African languages in our education system, and we also find out why the majority of African states continue to practise linguistic policies that they inherited during the colonial era.

The question on what defines happiness has been with us for decades. Some says it’s money that makes us happy, while others say love and family is what brings happiness. How then do we define happiness?

The South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum has started a three-year programme in partnership with the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller targeting township businesses. The issue of township businesses is one that many experts battle to deal with. Many argue that big business entering the township is not helping the situation. So what new thing is this programme bringing?

Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning Monitoring and Evaluation, Buti Manamela has visited the Port of Cape Town to monitor progress on the operation Phakisa oceans economy projects. The programme was launched by President Zuma in July 2014 to maximize the economic potential that the oceans possess by increasing the GDP contribution and increasing employment. What has he found on his visi...

We debate the appropriateness and feasibility of the proposed National Health Insurance scheme, a system which government says will ensure that everyone has access to appropriate, efficient and quality health services. However, the Free Market Foundation is rejecting it, arguing that given the country’s bleak economic growth forecast and chronic unemployment situation, South Africa simply cannot a...

Discussing, What is it like to be a white person in South Africa today? Gerhard Papenfus talks about what it means being white in South Africa today and he also shares his views and thoughts on whether white people genuinely have a future in this country.

Lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy were sworn into Myanmar's parliament last week, with enough seats to choose the country's first democratically elected government since the military took power in 1962. The NLD won some 80 percent of elected seats in November's historic vote, catapulting it to power as Myanmar's ruling party after decades of struggle that saw many of i...

Newsmakers and Guest Experts offer their insights and perspectives into the national and global discourse on politics, economics, education, social matters and comprehensive dialogues on cultural diversity and other essential issues of public interest like, poverty alleviation, unemployment rate and health related issues.

We are talking to Gary S Eisenberg, Immigration lawyer at Eisenberg de Saude who has written an opinion piece about how the Department of Home Affairs is not granting foreign parents the right to permanently settle in South Africa. He points out that Section 27(g) of the Immigration Act entitles a foreigner the right to permanent residence in the country on the basis of a South African permanent r...

Private forensic investigator from intelligence bureau, warns motorists not to use high tech devices to block their number plates to dodge speed cameras and e-tolls. According to him, the devices use either a ‘curtain’ or ‘hood’ to cover the number plates – at the flip of a switch.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has won the Republican Iowa caucus, beating billionaire Donald Trump, while Hillary Clinton claims victory over Bernie Sanders in the Democrat race. It was a close contest with her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, who declared it a “virtual tie”. Reports from the US say that the race was so close that Democrats flipped coins in some precincts to determine how to award an extra...

Nick Turse shares his thoughts on US military role in Africa. Nick has spent years following the activities on the US military in various parts of the world, particularly Africa. He is particularly seized with the growth of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) on the continent, and the increasing number of its secret missions here. He points out that in 2014 alone AFRICOM conducted an estimated 674 mis...

Prof Tim Noakes discusses the benefits of his latest ‘Eat Better South Africa’ campaign, a community programme where men and women are trained on a budget banting eating plan with the goal of promoting a healthy Banting lifestyle in low-income areas.

Can a woman marry two husbands – what does the customary law say to women who want more than one husband and what modern examples are there of successful plural marriage where one wife has two or more husbands? Guest: Dr VVO Mkhize, President of Umsamo Institute

On Sunday this week, the Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Lebogang Maile will launch a Bontle Ke Botho campaign. This is a clean and green campaign that will address issues pertaining to littering, waste management and greening issues. Mr Loyiso Nkwana told us about the objectives of this campaign.

Dr Nomalanga Mkhize explains why she is against “education for the elite”. Mkhize is of the view that elite education in SA leads to the emergence of economic elite with very little social literacy, and who display contempt for the idea of social intelligence.

Mzwakhe Mbuli defends the controversial bursary which provides funding for young women on the condition that they undergo regular virginity testing. He questions the critics’ selective activism, arguing that most of them kept quiet during the tragic Marikana debacle. This morning we ask, when do we speak out and when do we choose to keep quiet?

Last year the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants held an event on Sustainable Development Goals where they spoke about how established businesses have an obligation to align with these goals. The organization goes on to say that many of them have been slow in adapting these goals. What exactly do they mean by this and how practical is it?

To regulate or not to regulate witchcraft continues to be a highly contentious issue in South Africa today. The South African Pagan Council, whose members practice witchcraft as a religion, is against its regulation and argues that only people who kill for body parts or engage in other already illegal activities should be prosecuted under common law. This morning we learn more about Paganism and f...

Newsmakers and Guest Experts offer their insights and perspectives into the national and global discourse on politics, economics, education, social matters and comprehensive dialogues on cultural diversity and other essential issues of public interest like, poverty alleviation, unemployment rate and health related issues.

Newsmakers and Guest Experts offer their insights and perspectives into the national and global discourse on politics, economics, education, social matters and comprehensive dialogues on cultural diversity and other essential issues of public interest like, poverty alleviation, unemployment rate and health related issues.