The Daily Discourse

The University of Wits yesterday (Tuesday) bestowed an honorary Doctorate in Literature to Professor Molefi Kete Asante who was born Arthur Lee Smith. He was honoured for his life-long commitment to Africa-centred scholarship and philosophy. He is also credited for his influence and intellectual thought on Africa and the African Diaspora We thought to catch-up with him today before he leaves the c...

Having a baby is a big life event. It's natural to experience a range of emotions during pregnancy and after giving birth. If any difficult feelings start to have a big effect on your day-to-day life, you might be experiencing a perinatal mental health problem that may affect your pregnancy. It affects up to 20% of new or expectant mothers and covers various conditions like depression and anxiety....

An online crime-tracking initiative, NEWS24 CrimeCheck, recently released the top 10 police precincts where women were at the highest risk to become a victim of gender-based violence. The precincts featured on the list were based in the Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape. Activists have challenged the list and point out that due to low rates of reporting GBV, crime data for the period i...

To commemorate Nelson Mandela Day, the IDC shares the humanitarian work that it does within its corporate social initiatives. It also shares how it has played a role during the pandemic and after the July Riots, showing us that they are a Funder with a Soul.   Guest: Tshepo Ramodibe – IDC Head for Corporate Affairs

Focus: Tshwane’s regional office of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union is the City of Tshwane for causing the municipality to be labelled the worst metro in Gauteng. One of the things they point to is the absence of a permanent City Manager among the issues bringing the municipality down. To try and understand why they say this and also why the City is delaying, we are joined on the line b...

 Lionel Makokotlela is joining us this morning to talk about all things consumer related. When it comes to laws and institutions that are meant to help consumers, we are often not understanding where to report if one is unhappy with any issue. This morning he will explain all things around the Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman and what sort of issues they deal with with….. Guest(Zoom): Lionel...

Yesterday, 16 civil society organizations raised their concerns with the Independent Electoral Commission on the aspects of the new Electoral Amendment Bill that were still unconstitutional. Seven aspects of the new Amendment Bill have been challenged, including the allocation of seating in the National Assembly and the ballot provision at provincial legislature. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee f...

South Africa has a long history of mobilising communities to stand together in the fight for human rights. That mobilisation also involved the development of communities in integrated spaces that ran social clubs, exchanged ideas and empowered communities in the 1980s. However, the transition into the 1990s saw civil society organisations operate to defend those needs on a national scale. We ask t...

Last week Thursday, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola praised the Special Investigating Unit for what he says is government's "success stories" in the fight against corruption. The SIU was celebrating 25 years of fighting corruption. So far the unit is said to have recovered R2,6-billion of public funds and assets between 2013 and 2021. To look at some of the successes and challenges over the years, ...

Tributes have been pouring since the passing of the former Deputy Secretary-General of the African National Congress, Yasmin "Jessie" Duarte. She passed away after a long battle with cancer at the age of 68 (yesterday). She served as Deputy Secretary-General of the African National Congress for 12 years until she took medical leave in November 2021. Oppositional leaders have described her as a for...

Ignite Fitness in partnership with the MENstruation Foundation lead by Siv Ngesi and Marius Basson, are shining a spotlight on and HIIT’ing the topic of Period Poverty – a reality a lot of South African school girls face daily. And to tell us more on this,  Guest: Siv Ngesi – Actor and TV presenter who is also co-founder of the MENstruation Foundation

Security guard salaries are back in the spotlight this week as trade union SATAWU has rejected the 3-point-5 percent wage increase that the employers' organisation Security Private companies has proposed. The negotiations which started on the first of April until last week remained deadlocked, with the sector threatening to embark on a strike. The union is demanding a 16 percent basic wage increas...

 Afro-soul artist ZolaSoul takes us to the weekend with his soothing sounds. He has worked with some of the musical giants like Nduduzo Makhathini and McCoy Mrubata just to name a few. Where did it all begin for him? He now joins us in studio to share his journey with us… Guest(Studio): ZolaSoul, real name Zola Futshane – Afro-soul artist

 We continue with our coverage of the launch of the establishment of the Border Management Authority being launched by the Department of Home Affairs. This time around, we wrap-up with Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to talk to us about the policy processes leading up to the establishment of the Border Management Authority, the importance of the border guards and the broader role of this unit….   Gue...

Let’s wrap the show now by talking about the Africa Walk Investment Fair Powered by Platform Capital which will be taking place at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton this weekend. It aims to build bridges between Africa and the world by creating a platform for international companies and investor to engage with local companies, investors, policy makers and academia to build the Africa of the future. To t...

 The Department of Water and Sanitation in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality are on a public water saving campaign in what they say is to ensure that there is adequate water for everyone in the area. The municipality was facing day zero of water as the dams were drying up. To tell us what this partnership entails and what it is that the affected residents should kno...

Focus: We are coming to you live from the Beitbridge border post where the Department of Home Affairs is launching the Establishment of the Border Management Authority (BMA) through the BMA Act 2020. It is intended to tighten border control through the implementation of an integrated and coordinated approach to border management and security through the establishment of a single authority at ports...

Social grant recipients are being urged to use alternative payment methods to receive their grants. The South African Social Security Agency has provided additional payment points for beneficiaries to access their grants. Grants in July 2022 will be paid on the following days: 4 July for Older Persons, followed by Disability Grants on 5 July, with all other grants being paid from 6 July.   Guest:...

Focus: Over the weekend, the world commemorated Panic Awareness Day. Panic Disorders are episodes of intense fear that come without warning or apparent reason. It can occur anywhere and may prevent the individual from leaving home, going to work, or carrying out errands. People who experience a panic attack may feel that they are having a heart attack, losing control, or dying. The average panic a...

This past Monday, the section 194 inquiry into the fitness of office of the Public Protector. The first witness, Hassen Ebrahim, outlined the gravity of removing a sitting official from office, the integrity of the chapter nine institutions and what kind of the precedence being set for future Public Protectors. To unpack the first two days of proceedings,    Guest: Karyn Maughan - NEWS 24 Journali...

**THIS FEATURE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE IDC**   Focus: IDC’s drive to create Black Industrialists, as a catalyst to transforming SA’s economy. Who is a black industrialist, how much has IDC approved to date towards BI initiatives and in which sectors? How can aspiring BI access funding from IDC? Guest: Lucretia Khumalo - Divisional Executive for Client Support and Growth at the Industrial Developm...

For more than a month now, resident of the different parts of Ekurhuleni have been staging protest action against poor service delivery. They are complaining about power outages, road infrastructure and dealing with crime and corruption. Many of them say that they’ve had enough and want answers from the municipality. Well, to understand what exactly is going on there, we are joined on the line by…...

 Many people often get notifications that they have been pre-approved for a home loan, but never understand what it means exactly. Does it mean you can afford? Does it mean you automatically getting the bond? Does it mean that your offer will be approved? As someone looking at buying a house, what should I understand what the benefits of pre-approval are and also what should I be looking out for?...

As promised last week, please have your pen and paper ready as Bryan will be teaching you how to save for retirement. We didn’t get to it last week due to time constraints.  Guest(Studio): Bryan Hirsch, Chairperson of Bryan Hirsch, Colley & Associates (Pty) Limited

Ever heard about the construction mafia? Well over the years reports have been doing the rounds of people who organized themselves into groups known as ‘local business forums’. They are said to invaded construction sites across the country, demanding money or a stake in development projects in what the industry says can be described as systemic extortion. Some blame the state for its weak response...