The Daily Discourse

Today being the last Friday before Christmas, we thought to dedicate the hour to truck drivers. These are the people who transport all the goods we see in our shops over the busy weekend. Many of them cross borders delivering all types of goods to various countries. They don't see their families regularly as we do. Also how do their families feel about not being with them around the holidays. So t...

This year has been tough and it has been most distressing when it comes to our personal finances. While there has been a decrease in overdue balances for credit accounts by 12% in the past twelve months, consumers are still under significant pressure due to the increases of the interest rates. Beyond the impact of inflation, most South Africans that fall into the middle class are worried about the...

Earlier this week, two beaches in Cape Town were closed due to a sewage spill. This spill was induced by loadshedding in the Fish Hoek and Muizenberg areas. There have been sewage spills that have affected beaches in Kwa-Zulu Natal (Ballito, North Coast) and Eastern Cape (Nahoon, East London) this year. These spills compromise the quality of water leading to their closure to the public. While muni...

Guest: Herman Radali - PPF Gauteng Chairperson and the member of PPF National Executive Council Guest: Rev. Mpho George Molebatsi – Social Commentator

Guest: Sineo Perry 

Guest: Tankiso Makanka - Director of the Kasi Hero Foundation Guest: Austin Mashawana - Chief Operations Officer of the Collen Mashawana Foundation   Collen Mashawana Foundation, Kasi Hero Foundation, and SA FM are hosting a Christmas Party This morning we come to you live from the Kasi Hero Foundation Centre in Pimville Soweto. This is part of our promise to you our listeners that we will host a...

Guest: Eddie Thwabala – Founding Director of the Moboke Foundation (They deal with young people on career development) Guest: Busisiwe Dlamini - Patron of the Hope Fountain Early Learning Centre (Hope Fountain ELC was established in response to the growing number of kids left unattended on the streets of Doornfontein, Johannesburg)  Guest:  Raymond Perrier from the Dennis Hurley Centre out in Durb...

Guest: Lorenzo Davids - Chief Executive Office of the Development Impact Fund Guest: MKVA T his weekend has seen intense horse trading with provinces Limpopo, North West and Gauteng being hotly contested voting blocks on who will win the presidency of the African National Congress. Some experts have argued that the congress should not be about second term for President Cyril Ramaphosa or new era f...

This weekend has seen intense horse trading with provinces Limpopo, North West and Gauteng being hotly contested voting blocks on who will win the presidency of the African National Congress. Some experts have argued that the congress should not be about second term for President Cyril Ramaphosa or new era for Zweli Mkhize. It should have been a conference that either writes an obituary for the pa...

Earlier this week, we received a letter from one of our listeners who asked us to highlight the plight of unemployed doctors in South Africa. In this hour, we focus on the stories of doctors who have qualified for their medical degree and completed their community service programme but have not found a job since then. For some of our guests, absorption into government hospitals is critical for the...

Focus: As you’ve heard President Cyril Ramaphosa officially open the ANC’s 55th national elective conference, we thought to speak to a panel of experts to break down some of the things he had to say. The President has been under a lot of pressure ahead of the conference to step down. Also the nation is today watching the conference closely to see who will come out victorious as party president.   ...

 Our next guest is a saxophonist and flute player who started his music career at the age of 14 at the Music Academy of Gauteng under the mentorship of the late Dr. Johnny Mekoa. A prolific session performer, Mvubu has appeared on more than 20 albums, including Lionel Loueke and Shabaka Hutchings. His experience and passion for the music have brought him to record his debut album, titled The 1st G...

Antibiotics play an important role in the management of bacterial infections and have extended life expectancy by up to 20 years according to medical studies by Lancet. However,the overprescription of antibiotics may lead to drug resistance and put people at risk of more aggressive bacterial infections. There are many reasons why antibiotics are overused: over prescribing of antibiotics by health...

 A brazen matric exam cheating scandal has rocked Mpumalanga, with pupils in several schools allegedly paying teachers up to R1,500 to join WhatsApp groups on which answers were posted while exams were in session. The scandal may include five more provinces and involve 1189 learners. While the Department of Basic Education has rejected claims that the scandal has a national footprint, it will inve...

Earlier this week, the United Nations commemorated Universal Health Coverage Day calling on leaders to make smarter health investments to ensure adequate access to Healthcare services. This year's theme is building the world we want: A healthy future for all. Our next guest has written a report on how South Africa can strengthen its Healthcare system through the lessons it has learned from the COV...

On Friday last week, Dr Zulu Mathabo-Zulu gave a lecture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal entitled: Conceptualisation of Indigenous Knowledge & Historiography: African Cosmology and Philosophy. He is of the view that African knowledge systems are presently subjected to a plethora of clutches of Eurocentric treatment intended to deny; to deface and to erase the rightful indigenous historiogra...

The story that has dominated the year as we know it has been the elective congress for the governing party. Our timelines and newsfeed have followed the wall-to-wall coverage of the contenders for the top six positions. This week, a group of disgruntled delegates have challenged the nomination committee and may even take the party to court on the list. On the side-lines, the delegates will also se...

Guest: Zama Ntshona  ATM communications manager 

Last week Friday the 9th of December marked 40 years since the Maseru Massacre and we thought to reflect on it this morning. This was one of the bloodiest cross-border raids by the then South African Defence Force, year after a similar raid in Matola, Mozambique. It was in the early hours of the morning when the apartheid forces stormed the Lesotho capital targeting houses where ANC members were s...

Over the weekend, the world commemorated International Human Rights Day and our focus in this morning's Chapter Nine institution works specifically in protecting and promoting the human rights enshrined in our constitution. However, our country has faced many challenges in the new democratic dispensation when it comes to ensuring that all South Africans feeling that their rights are respected. In...

Beatenberg is a South African pop band formed in Cape Town, South Africa in 2008. The group is known for its style of pop that is influenced by jazz, classical, world and electronic music. Beatenberg became famous with their chart topping single 'Pluto (Remember You)', a collaboration with renowned house producer DJ Clock. The single 'Pluto (Remember You)' was the #1 most popular song on South Afr...

As we come to the end of 16 Days against Gender-Based Violence, we thought to look at a positive story coming out of townships in Cape Town. Heroes Academy SA is currently running workshops in local schools across Dunoon, Philippi and Khayelitsha over a 16-week period where they teach students the differences between positive and toxic masculinity. To tell us more about this and why they decided t...

 Two weeks ago, we had opened the show with the country’s well-loved retired constitutional court justice who was reflecting on his days as an activist and the South Africa that was being envisioned during the anti-Apartheid movement. In September, the Clooney Foundation for Justice honoured Albie Sachs by naming the foundation’s inaugural awards after the judge. Sachs was awarded the Lifetime Ach...

 In this hour we revisit a painful story of forced sterilization we’ve been discussing over the years on this show. The latest is that yesterday (Wed) The “Her Rights Initiative” wrote an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa asking him to institute fair and adequate compensation to black HIV-positive women, who are victims of forced sterilisation. They read the letter out during a press briefi...

While the unemployment rate dropped by a whole percentage point at the end of last month, SMMEs are still being seen as a job creator and a key contributor to alleviating unemployment. However, one in two business owners emphasised that both the lack of work experience and the absence of critical skills for the workplace, stunt the hiring of young people. Our next guest has written on the challeng...