The National Briefing

Market Brief with Ntaoleng Lechela - Business Reporter FlySafair extends fuel surcharge as Middle East conflict keeps jet fuel elevated Moody’s warns of slower growth due to Middle East tensions  Market update

Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana issued a scathing letter to the City of Johannesburg declaring the city in "severe financial distress". At the heart of this distress is irregular expenditure, a liquidity crisis (creditors bill worth R25.2 billion) and a wage deal the City cannot afford. Guest: Mr. Andrew Donaldson - Research Associate at the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit...

Built in Mzansi: How a black woman-led aviation company is aiming to reshape African air travel through affordability and innovation. Guest: Neo Makgale – Founder, Neoheights Aviation Group 

The Municipal Watch: on the 1st of May, residents of Jamestown in the Western Cape held a peaceful protest march against the Stellenbosch Municipality complaining that they are being excluded on issues of development in the area Guest: Amy Levenda - Member of Jamestown Action Group and Trustee of Jamestown Trust  Guest: Cllr Otniel Jooste - Councillor for the African Christian Democratic Part...

More than thirty-two schools have been closed in the Eastern Cape province due to severe flooding. How widespread is the impact and what measures are being put in place to support affected schools and communities? Guest: Malibongwe Mtima - Eastern Cape Basic Education Spokesperson

Severe storms have left a trail of destruction along the Garden Route, with widespread flooding, damaged homes, and major road closures disrupting daily life in the region. Authorities say relentless downpours have caused rivers to overflow, including a dramatic breach at the Touw River mouth in Wilderness, while several communities have been forced to seek shelter.  Guest: Wouter Jacobs...

Guest: Prof Tshepo Madlingozi - Adjunct Professor at Nelson Mandela University and Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University. Madlingozi is also a Commissioner at the SA Human Rights Commission responsible for Anti-Racism, Education and Equality. 

Tensions rose in Tembisa, Gauteng, where community members took to the streets, calling for the permanent closure of all foreign-owned spaza shops in the area. But what’s really driving this growing frustration—and what are the broader implications for social cohesion and small business in South Africa?  Guest: Mbalenhle Mthethwa - SABC Reporter who was on the ground  &n...

China positions itself as mediator as Middle East tensions escalate 2. Novo Nordisk ramps up acquisitions to defend obesity drug dominance 3. Market update  

07 May 2026 1.    Sudan – Ethiopia  Sudan has withdrawn its ambassador to Ethiopia following tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Ethiopia and Sudan have traded accusations that each has violated the other's territory by supporting insurgencies. “Regarding Ethiopia, we have decided to recall our ambassador there for consultations, as is standard dip...

Iran heads to China for a key diplomatic meeting, marking the latest stop in a month of intensified regional and international engagements by Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. In the Canary Islands, officials have refused a cruise ship entry over fears of a deadly hantavirus outbreak onboard. Canada has named former UN Human Rights Chief, Louise Arbour, as its new Governor General. Guest: Sanus...

Built in Mzansi: Transforming STEM education through coding and robotics. Guest: Tshego Dludla - Engineer and Founder of AfriCAN Code   

The Briefing Debate: South Africa is once again at the centre of a heated public health debate, this time over the proposed Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill.  Guest: Kurt Yeo - Co-Founder and Producer at Vaping Saved My Life (VSML)  Guest: Professor Ayo-Yusuf - Executive Director: National Council Against Smoking (NCAS)

Guest: Prof Tshepo Madlingozi - Adjunct Professor at Nelson Mandela University and Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University. Madlingozi is also a Commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) responsible for Anti-Racism, Education and Equality. 

Aspen secures regulatory nod for human insulin rollout  New vehicle sales continue to soar in April Market update  

The Special Investigating Unit has uncovered what it describes as a “well-orchestrated syndicate” inside the Department of Home Affairs. High-profile religious figures like Shepherd Bushiri and Timothy Omotoso have been named in a probe linked to the alleged unlawful issuing of visas and permits, with shocking claims that applications were even processed via WhatsApp Guest: Selby...

The future of thousands of students hangs in the balance after the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was placed under administration, a dramatic move aimed at stabilising the troubled institution amid ongoing governance and funding challenges. But what does this intervention really mean for students, universities, and the broader higher education system?  Guest: Kagisho Mamab...

Motorists across South Africa are bracing for another major hit at the pumps, as fuel prices surge from today.  Guest: Robert Maake - Director of Fuel Pricing Mechanism at the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources  

Debt Rescue has sounded the alarm, warning that this latest hike should be treated as a “red alert” for the country’s already strained households. With rising fuel costs driving up food prices, transport, and everyday essentials, millions are feeling the squeeze from every direction and for many, simply getting to work is becoming unaffordable.  Guest:  Annaline van der...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has again called for colonial era reparations in what he says is aimed at addressing the impact  of colonialism and slavery on the African continent. Guest: Prof. Chitja Twala - Professor in the Department of History, University of South Africa   

Africa in Focus with Advocate Sipho Mantula, Researcher: Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs: Unisa 06 May 2026 1.    Botswana – Rwanda  President Kagame Heads to Gaborone to Deepen Rwanda-Botswana Bilateral Ties President Paul Kagame is set to undertake a two-day working visit to Botswana beginning today, in a move that signals continued...

In Asia, there is a deepening energy crisis, triggered by ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is reviving a major consumer debt relief programme as he campaigns for re-election. Guest: Khanya Vilakazi - Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Mpumalanga     

A British tourist is being treated for hantavirus in a South African hospital after testing positive for the virus on a cruise ship. Hantaviruses are primarily carried by rodents and cause rare but severe respiratory and kidney diseases in humans. Guest: Prof. Salim Abdool Karrim - Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) 

SA is losing a staggering R800 million every year, not to new projects or service delivery, but to suspended public servants sitting at home on full pay. Is this a failure of discipline processes or political interference? Or is something deeper within the state?  Guest: Prof. Somadoda Fikeni, Chair of the Public Service Commission  

The Reality Check: the imperative of resolving the National Question, two critical components of nation-building: Reparations and Reconciliation. Guest: Tshepo Madlingozi - Adjunct Professor at Nelson Mandela University, Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University and Commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission responsible for Anti-Racism, Education and Equality