The Daily Discourse

This week, President Cyril Ramaphosa went on an official state visit to the United Kingdom in what was branded a reset between the nations since former President Jacob Zuma back in 2010. Despite the travel ban fiasco during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Kingdom is still considered an important regional partner and vice versa. Interestingly, the British government will be focusing on economic d...

 As we commemorate the launch of 16 Days of Activism for Violence against Women and Children this weekend, we reflect on the linkages between trauma and abuse. We want to discuss how we begin to develop trauma-informed responses to sexual violence and abuse. One of the ways in which to combat this crisis is by going to some of the hotspots and bringing the community together to identify strategies...

This week, President Cyril Ramaphosa went on an official state visit to the United Kingdom in what was branded a reset between the nations since former President Jacob Zuma back in 2010. Despite the travel ban fiasco during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Kingdom is still considered an important regional partner and vice versa. Interestingly, the British government will be focusing on economic d...

In the recent development following the myriad of corruption scandals at the National Lotteries Commission, we have seen several high-ranking officials and public figures being linked to the graft. However, we have not spoken to the whistleblowers that uncovered the irregular expenditure and fraudulent transactions within the shell companies that were masqueraded as grant beneficiaries. We have al...

 November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, aimed at raising awareness about the disease. In South Africa, lung cancer is among the top 3 cancers affecting men and women. In 2020, there were 2.21 million new lung cancer cases and almost 2 million deaths globally. People still largely believe that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease. While tobacco smoking is the main risk factor, there are other risks,...

Guest: Last week we received a call from Mashimane, one of our listeners in the Elias Motsoaledi Municipality area. He raised a very serious issue involving the role of the municipality when it comes to communal land under traditional leadership. They as a community wanted more burial land, but says that the municipality told them that there’s not much they can do as the land is under traditional...

Focus: This morning, Lionel will focus on the dangers of unplanned Black Friday… Guest(Studio): Lionel Makokotlela - Founder of Financial Wise Corner

Focus: This morning, we discuss the upcoming SA Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee meeting taking place this week, what we can expect and what are the implications of another interest rate increase ahead of the holiday season. Guest: Tony Buys - Financial Advisor at Liberty Group South Africa

 Last week, we had a listener called in and lauding the new anti-substance abuse drive that was launched by the Gauteng Premier, Panyanza Lesufi. The programme is aiming to address the prevalence of drug use within the communities. One of the components of the programme is a 24-hour helpline, providing counseling for persons at risk. Another component is the deployment of social workers to assist...

Earlier this month, civil society organizations joined forces to launch a national campaign called Moments with Men that is set to unpack topics surrounding men & identity; fatherhood and focusing on the boy child. This past weekend, a men's cafe focused on addressing stereotypes on seeking psycho-social support and masculinity. November is Men's Health Awareness Month and the focus is not sol...

Yesterday, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) hosted a policy dialogue entitled 'Macroeconomic policies for inclusive industrialisation in South Africa'. This is part of a series of dialogues by the HSRC aimed at widening debate and strengthen cooperation between stakeholders. The country is currently under severe pressure of an economic meltdown with an increasing unemployment rate especi...

Talented Afro-soul act formed in 2010 when they met while singing in the University Of Johannesburg Choir. They decided to pick up their guitars and form a band. They entered and won an open-mic competition at a local bar in Melville, reducing one of the judges to tears. Honing their skills during a club residency, four months later they had gathered a loyal following from all over Jozi. By August...

 This year, the theme for Disability Rights Awareness Month speaks to empowering Persons with Disabilities through resourceful, sustainable and safe environments. Over 28 years later, we want to assess whether the lives of persons with disabilities has changed when it comes to developing inclusive infrastructure and closing the gap on the opportunities (social, economic and political) available to...

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily has raised concerns that the country is nowhere near being ready for elections. He goes on to say that the international community must encourage Libya’s leaders to work towards the holding of elections as soon as possible. He was speaking at the UN's Security Counci...

Guest: Oscar Mabuyane, Eastern Cape Premier

Guest: Mnlungisi Mvoko, MEC Eastern Cape Economic Development

The Conference is expected to afford the Eastern Cape province an opportunity to align earmarked investments with public sector economy stimulation programmes. This is meant to bolster the transformation of the economy. To unpack the role of development corporations as partners to economic recovery, we are joined by…   Guest: Vuyani Jaagana- Acting Head: Trade, Investment and Innovation at the Eas...

This year, the Conference will be under the theme: investment, a key lever for driving sustainable economic development. With the province facing the highest rate of unemployment, the provincial government is looking at harvesting all possible benefits towards job creation and equitable economic development of the province.   Guest: Vuyo Mosana - CEO of Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Cou...

Medications such as morphine, fentanyl, and tramadol are commonly used as opioid pain relievers. Those opioids are highly addictive and has led to global crisis as the mortality rate continues to rise as a result. Overdose deaths from drugs in the United States numbered 91,799 in 2020, with opioids accounting for 68,630 (74.8%).   Our next guest says that while the South African Health Products Re...

Last week Tuesday, we spoke to the executive mayor of Buffalo City Municipality, Xola Pakati about some of the service delivery issues raised by residents under his district. Well, the mayor was nor forthcoming when confronted on air by the residents about what he’s doing to fix the problems. This morning we invited the MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs in the Eastern Cape to try an...

This morning Bryan talks to us about how to be a better saver and investor..... Guest(Studio): Bryan Hirsch, Chairperson of Bryan Hirsch, Colley & Associates (Pty) Limited

This morning, Lionel will focus on consumer rights when it comes to insurance claims and how to escalate matters to the ombudsman. Guest(Studio): Lionel Makokotlela - Founder of Financial Wise Corner

As per your request as our listeners, we have invited the people from the South African Social Security Agency about some of the problem you’ve been facing regarding accessing the grants. Many of the complaints we’ve been receiving is people not understanding why they are declined, while some say that their children’s grant is not consistent. Then there’s also the issue of the Social Relief of Dis...

Focus: In the past week at COP27, South Africa has managed to strike a deal with German and French development banks to the tune of R10.7 billion to finance their Just Transition initiative. South Africa is one of the top twenty carbon-emitting countries in the world. While President Cyril Ramaphosa has been lauded by global leaders for the model, there have been concerns raised surrounding the im...

During the World Sciences Forum, some of the key sub-themes that will be discussed are surrounding climate change, diplomacy and human dignity. Given that this will be the first in-person gathering of this Forum since the COVID-19 pandemic, we are having a discussion on how scientific research and skills can be used to respond to societal questions of our time. Science is relevant to every element...