The National Briefing

Guest: Xolani Ngwezi, Mayor of the uMhlathuze Local Municipality The KZN Eskom office has now been disconnected for not paying R500k electricity bill        

Guest: Elizabeth Biney, Head of Research at Equal Education Guest: Merle Mansfield, Programme Director for The Zero Dropout Campaign Guest: Prof. Rouaan Maarman, Deputy Dean for Research and Postgraduate Studies at the University of the Western Cape's (UWC) education faculty. The Matric pass rate is up now to 80.1% with the highest number of bachelor passes ever, while the Basic Education Minister...

Guest: Dududu Maganu – Spokesperson: National Funeral Practitioner Association of SA Funeral parlours are now concerned over load shedding as bodies decompose    

Guest: Kekeletso Khena, Azapo Deputy President Today marks day 5 of Azapo's sit-in at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) in Pretoria against the tariff increase.  

Guest: Koffi Kouakou, Senior Research Fellow at The Centre for Africa-China Studies, University of Johannesburg In France yesterday, hundreds of thousands of people went on strike in protest at plans by the country’s government to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.      

Guest: Cherene Williams - Head Nurse at the Johannesburg Veterinary Hospital: Joburg Zoo Guest: Douglas Wolhuter - Senior Inspector and Manager Wildlife Protection Unit NSPCA Guest: Justin Fernandos, Big Cat Trainer & owner at Jugomaro Predator Park Mediated Conversation: How difficult is it to look after an animal like a tiger?    

Guest: Prof. Thabo Ditsele, Associate Professor: Sociolinguistics at Tshwane University of Technology Honorary doctorates and their significance    

Guest: Nwabisa Makunga - Sowetan Editor Sowetan this week released a front page of businesses that had to close down due to loadshedding        

Guest: Gavin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Road Freight Association The local community has blockaded roads and is preventing heavy freight vehicles from moving in the area of oPhongolo, KwaZulu-Natal    

Guest: Dr. Abongile Balarane, general manager: egg organisation for SA Poultry Association The poultry industry which produces mainly chickens and eggs are warning that stage six load shedding is having a huge impact on their industry      

Guest: Zama Ntshona African Transformation Movement National Spokesperson The Western Cape High Court has set down 13 & 14 February to hear the ATM's case challenging the National Assembly’s handling of the Section 89 panel report that considered impeachment allegations against President Cyril Ramaphosa      

Guest: Patrick Kelly, Chief Director responsible for price statistics at StatsSA Guest: Dr. Sifiso Ntombela, chief economist at the National Agricultural Marketing Council Inflation is at 7.2 % but food prices were up by over 12% year on year - and particularly some foods like bread and maize meal are up dramatically  

Guest: Benoit Le Roy, CEO of the SA Water Chamber After a long period of stage six load shedding various water providers in different parts of the country are now worried they have not been able to pump enough water into the right reservoirs    

Guest: Alan Winde - Western Cape Premier The Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says he’s written to President Cyril Ramaphosa threatening to declare what’s called an inter-governmental dispute - if he does not get a proper explanation for load shedding    

Guest: Prof. Tom Moultrie, demographer at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and the director of the Centre of Actuarial Research. for the first time since 1961 - China’s population has declined  

Guest: Steven Sidley, professor of practice at Johannesburg Business School, University of Johannesburg Guest: Siphumelele Zondi, Senior Producer and Presenter of SABC Network Guest: Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, University of Johannesburg's Vice-Chancellor and Principal Mediated Conversation: Chat GPT and the rise of artificial intelligence.    

Guest: Johnny Moloto, General Manager at British American Tobacco SA British American Tobacco South Africa (BAT) says it has started a Section 189 retrenchment process which could impact 200 jobs at the company due to illicit market        

Guest: Jennifer Murray, Wits masters student at the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies. SA’s longest beach is disappearing fast, and the erosion rate recently accelerated    

Guest: Pule Mabe – ANC Spokesperson Who should be blamed for the current devastating loadshedding?    

Guest: Lebogang Montjane, Executive Director, Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) The private schools the independent schools have released their matric results overnight with a pass rate of 98.42%  

Guest: Velenkosini Hlabisa, Inkatha Freedom Party Leader Guest: Rev. Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party Who should be blamed for the current devastating loadshedding?      

Guest: Lumka Mangoejane, Director: Maternal Child Women Health at the Free State Department of Health The Free State health department to start administering the measles vaccine to all children aged between six months and 15 years in the Thabo Mofutsanyana district with immediate effect.    

Guest: Zola Majavu – Lawyer representing victim of the Tiger attack A man who was attacked by the Gauteng's escaped female tiger, Sheba is now suing the owner  

Guest: Gresham Mandy from De Deur sector 2 CPF Gauteng's escaped female tiger, Sheba has been euthanased    

Guest: Roland Henwood, lecturer at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now said that a report by Chinese authorities shows a decline in Covid-19 case numbers.