The National Pulse

With the world today marking Mandela Day, we tell you more about Chefs with Compassion’s fifth annual 67-thousand-litres for Mandela Day campaign. The initiative is mainly driven by chefs, cooks, corporates, and individuals who volunteer their time to cook 67-thousand-litres of soup to mark this special day. For more on how the day is progressing, we are joined by….   GUEST: Chef Coo Pillay, found...

    Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, used his department’s budget vote to warn of the rising deficit that the South African fiscus faced, using the occasion to pledge that the National Treasury would work to narrow the deficit significantly in the medium term.   GUEST: Professor Daniel Meyer, Policy Expert

Earlier today, the Progressive Caucus held a media briefing ahead of the Opening of Parliament this evening. SABC News Reporter, Ntebo Mokobo was at the press briefing and he joins us on the line… GUEST: Ntebo Mokobo, SABC News Reporter  

As we celebrate Mandela Day, we hear from the Department of Health in Gauteng as they are embarking on the second edition of their Surgical Marathon initiative as part of observing Nelson Mandela Day. We understand that this year’s edition will focus on fast-tracking surgical operation for patients who are currently on the waiting lists across key specialities. To give us more details on this, we...

We unpack the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development’s budget for 2024-25. Yesterday, Minister Thembi Simelane announced the creation of an Anti-Corruption Academy that will specialise in training individuals in the latest methods of detecting, investigating, and preventing corruption, thus equipping our public servants and law enforcement officers with essential skills to combat cor...

The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to keep the repurchase rate at its current level of 8.25%. To explain what this means is….    GUEST: Xhanti Payi, Senior Economist @PwC South Africa

Wimbledon women's wheelchair doubles champion Kgothatso “KG” Montjane says her success will inspire her to do well at the Paris Paralympics from August 28 to September 8. Montjane and her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji beat Dutch duo Diede de Groot and Jiske Griffioen 6-4, 6-4 to clinch the title at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Sunday. The 38-year-old Montjane is now a th...

Earlier on we spoke to the SA Prisoners’ Organization for Human Rights about a viral video of an inmate bragging about living soft life in prison.    GUEST: Singabakho Nxumalo, Department of Correctional Services Spokesperson

This afternoon, Parliament Presiding Officers briefed the media on the state of readiness to host tomorrow’s Opening of Parliament Address (OPA). To furnish us with more information on tomorrow's event is….   GUEST: Moloto Mothapo, Spokesperson of Parliament  

South Africa is heading towards the formation of a state-owned enterprise for water which is expected to be established in the first half of 2025 – with some skeptical about its promised effectiveness. In March 2024, Parliament passed the consequential National Water Resources Infrastructure State-owned company Bill. Broadly, the bill aims to create the South African National Water Resources Infra...

Yesterday, SARS Commissioner, Edward Kieswetter expressed, his sincere gratitude to all taxpayers who interacted with SARS over the past two weeks. This includes people who were part of the Individual Tax Filing Season 2024 that commenced on the 15th of July 2024 and will run until 21 October 2024. Some of our listeners had issues trying to file their tax return so we invited the commissioner to c...

The Public Service Commission and the North-West University recently signed a pivotal Memorandum of Understanding that will contribute towards a capable state. Joining us to explain the significance of this MOU and how it will help shape the future of this country is….. GUEST: Professor Somadoda Fikeni, Chairperson of the Public Service Commission

We unpack the disciplinary hearing of former president Jacob Zuma that is currently underway. Zuma has been charged with contravening the ANC rules, including contravening the party's constitution, following his decision to support and be the face of the MK party for the general elections in May. If the ANC’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) finds against him, Zuma would be the first former A...

This past weekend, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched what is known as a process of reconciliation that will see his administration compensate the victims of a notorious 1980s Gukurahundi massacre that took place when former president Robert Mugabe was in power. To react to this is…..   GUEST (Kenya): Prince Ayanda Manala Sibindi of Manala Royal Family Ndebele Kingdom: Human Rights a...

A Zimbabwean detainee, Bornface Banks, has sparked outrage after a video of him boasting about having a good life in a South African prison went viral. Reacting to this, the department of correctional services has vowed to take strong action as they are deeply incensed by Banks’s behaviour. Joining us to share his thoughts on this is….     GUEST: Miles Bhude, National spokesperson of the South Afr...

Mandela Day is an annual global celebration that takes place on 18 July to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. This day is a call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to take time to reflect on Mandela's values and principles and to make a positive impact in their own communities.   GUEST: Gushwell Brooks, Nelson Mandela Foundation: Head of Mandela Day

We tell you more about the upcoming special Mandela Day event that is supported by the United Nations, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). The event will also be used to give an update on the progress that has been made so far regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more on this, we are joined by….   GUEST (Studio): Nelson Muffuh, United...

In recent years, AI has dramatically reshaped numerous industries, and PR is no exception. From data analysis and sentiment tracking to content creation and media monitoring, AI's capabilities are indeed transformative.   GUEST:   Ethel Ramos, Managing Director of Avatar PR

Earlier on we spoke to MK Party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela about the MK party’s urgent court application to stop the SABC from referring to the seventh administration as a government of national unity on its platforms. Let’s hear what the South African National Editors’ Forum makes of this matter… GUEST: Makhudu Sefara, SANEF Media Freedom Chair  

Rand Water commenced an extensive infrastructure maintenance project on 22 June 2024 and anticipate completing it on 29 July 2024. This maintenance is part of Rand Water’s Asset Management Strategy which includes asset construction, conserving, planning, constantly enhancing reliability and preserving integrity and quality of our infrastructure. GUEST: Makenosi Maroo, Rand Water Spokesperson  

The University of Johannesburg has expelled 50 students for transgressions that range from producing fraudulent medical certificates after being absent during exams and using unauthorised notes during examinations. GUEST: Professor Bettine van Vuuren, University of Johannesburg registrar

US Elections   Former US President Donald Trump has picked JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate for the upcoming election that is due to take place in November. But who is Vance – what does he stand for and can he help Trump win the November election?   GUEST (US): Sherwin Bryce Pease, SABC’s UN/US Correspondent

Cancer Alliance, represented by SECTION27, has filed an application against the MEC for Health in Gauteng, after the department failed to utilise the allocated R784 million set aside by the Gauteng Treasury last year to address the radiation backlog and other surgical backlogs in Gauteng. GUEST: Salome Meyer, Director at Cancer Alliance

    We ask this question as Rwandan President Paul Kagame is getting ready to rule for another five years as he continues to lead with an astounding 99.15 per cent with over 7 million votes tallied so far. According to the electoral commission, 98% of the more than 9.5 million eligible voters took part in the elections. Our guest Dr David Matsanga argues that Kagame is the only one who can manage...