The National Briefing

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has suggested that South Africa review its alcohol laws, adding that “people are out of control”. Yesterday social media was abuzz over ‘Fake News’ of a possible alcohol ban. Guest: Professor Charles Perry - Director SA Medical Research Council On Alcohol, Drug And Tobacco Abuse

Guest: Ongama Mtimka - political analyst

The City of Tshwane Has Allegedly Recalled 7000 Workers’ Salaries, who are alleged to have not been verified as City of Tshwane employees. SAMWU and the City could not agree on a process to conduct the verification process. Guest: Mpho Tladinyane - Regional Secretary for The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU)

A rights group in India’s Kashmir has described India’s blackout following the scrapping of the disputed region's semi-autonomy last year as “digital Apartheid”. The want the international community to question New Delhi about it. Guest: Prof Alf Nielsen – Professor of Sociology at the University of Pretoria

Guest: Jacob Mbele - Deputy Director-General responsible for projects and programmes at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy Guest: Janice Foster - energy expert and power generation lead at Zutari Guest: Thembani Bukula – CEO of Power X

Guest: Chris Thurman - Associate Professor: School of Literature, language and Media at University of the Witwatersrand

COVID-19 vaccine developments, what this means for the countries recovery, what the health and pharmaceutical industry is doing to aid the countries health system, Ipasa are responsible for clinical trials innovations and contributes to direct and indirect employment in South Africa, developing local capabilities amongst other. Guest: Dr. Konji Sebati – CEO of the Innovative Pharmaceutical Associa...

Black Sash has released a research publication titled ‘Basic Income Support-A case for South Africa’, as well as a petition calling on government to implement permanent social assistance for those between 18 and 59. Guest: Lynette Maart – The Black Sash National Director

Guest: Prof. Kathy Kahn - professor in the health and population division of the School of Public Health in University of the Witwatersrand.

Trevor Manuel – Former Finance Minister, former Chair of the South African Planning Commission and former ANC national executive committee (NEC) member

It has been reported that this past weekend 740 suspects, including two police officers were arrested for drinking and driving. This followed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the country would move to level l2 lockdown where the sale of alcohol would be permitted under restrictions. Government has called for South Africans to fight alcohol abuse. Guest: Lucky Mtimane - from the n...

Independent schools have asked government for COVID-19 relief funding. According to the National Alliance of Independent Schools Association (Naisa) many parents failed to pay school fees after losing their jobs while others had taken salary cuts during the lockdown. Guest: Lebogang Montjane – Executive Director of Independent schools association of southern Africa (Isasa)

The United States says that it will ensure that Israel retains a military advantage in the Middle East. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States has a legal requirement with respect to qualitative military edge. The US brokered a deal on normalising relations between Israel and the UAE was announced on August 13. Guest: Shafiq Morton, journalist for four decades. Current affairs pr...

Ali Motala, General Manager in the office of the Chief Executive, Transnet Freight Rail Guest: Ofentse Mokwena- Transport analyst Guest: Louis Roodt – Retired Senior Lecturer in the Traffic and Transport Engineering Department at Stellenbosch University

Through satalite photography eleven new colonies of emperor penguins have been discovered in Antarctica using satellite photography. The emperor penguin is said to be the largest penguin species, and the new find brings their known population to around a half-million. Guest: Peter Fretwel - Lead author

The newly elected leadership of the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) says it wants to launch a campaign to highlight the mental health of journalists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum yesterday announced that it had awarded all journalists covering COVID-19 in the country with the 2020 Nat Nakasa Award for their brave reporting. The announcement coincided with the airing of a do...

SA to get a new political party this coming weekend - led by Herman Mashaba who has been running what he calls the people’s dialogue. Herman Mashaba wants his new political party to offer voters an alternative. He has also suggested that the government should rather hold the 2024 general elections next year to avoid a collapse of the country’s already flailing economy. Guest: Herman Mashaba - The...

Guest: Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana - Professor of politics at the University of Johannesburg

The South African Democratic Teachers Union says national treasury's decision to centralise the procurement of personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic has opened the flood gates for corruption. SADTU says it has led to an uncoordinated process where specifications of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) were ignored leading to the supply of poor quality PPE that was impo...

Request for proposals (RFP) for the new generation capacity under the risk mitigation Independent Power Producer (IPP) Procurement Programme Guest: Mr Jacob Mbele - Deputy Director General responsible for projects and programmes in the Department

President Cyril Ramaphosa write a public letter to ANC Members - saying that the party had to now properly respond to the public outrage over corruption. ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has given his colleagues 5 days to declare their financial interests and any pending police investigations. This follows a decision by the national executive committee (NEC) that the party’s officials oversee a...

The National Teachers Union, NATU, has called on parents to go to schools first and assess their readiness before letting their children return to school. It says parents will be shocked to find that majority of schools do not meet the requirements for allowing more children to return to classes. The union says the majority of township and rural schools are not ready to welcome more learners this...

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in Belarus have packed the streets of the capital Minsk despite a warning by the country's army that it would respond to any opposition unrest following this month's presidential election crisis. Demonstrators are carrying red and white flags symbolising their opposition to Alexander Lukashenko who was elected for a sixth term in the elections, the p...

Guest: PHUMZILE MLAMBO NGCUKA - United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, and former deputy president of South Africa (2005-2008)

The South African National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS) has been approved. According to Minister Greecy the strategy defines the country’s vulnerabilities, plans to reduce those vulnerabilities and leverage opportunities, and outlines the required resources for such action, whilst demonstrating progress on climate change adaptation Guest: Barbara Greecy - Minister of Forestry and Fis...