The National Pulse

    Zimbabwe’s telecommunications regulator has approved the licensing of Elon Musk’s Starlink. President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a statement. The decision “is expected to result in the deployment of high speed, low cost, LEO (low-Earth-orbit) internet infrastructure throughout Zimbabwe and particularly in all the rural areas,” A World Bank report in 2021 said only 34.8% of Zimbabwe’s populatio...

    Earlier we spoke to a political analyst about the MK Party and DA taking action against President Ramaphosa over Sunday night’s address to the nation. We take a second bite at this with a legal analyst.   GUEST:  Melusi Xulu, legal analyst and attorney from Donda Attorneys

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will once again be part of the South African elections, utilising its election night prediction model for the 2024 national and provincial elections. This model was first introduced by the CSIR during the 1999 general elections. During the last 10 South African elections, specifically the 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 national elections,...

Ahead of tomorrow’s national and provincial elections. Former Treasury Director General, Dondo Mogajane is calling on business leaders to rally behind the new administration, irrespective of political affiliations, arguing that the size and complexity of our country's issues requires collective effort to address.   GUEST: Dondo Mogajane, Chairman of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and...

The Global Watch: As South Africans will be heading to the polls tomorrow. Some top scholars are concerned about the xenophobic rhetoric that was used during campaigning. Professor Jonathan Jansen is one of them and he says xenophobia “is targeting our top scientists, particularly the ones from the African continent”. He joins us now to elaborate further on this….   GUEST: Professor Jonathan Janse...

The Democratic Alliance has filed an application in the Electoral Court against ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, arguing that he has violated the Electoral Code of Conduct post his state of the nation address this past Sunday. The party says Ramaphosa abused the highest office in the land for flagrant electioneering. For more analysis on this, we are joined by…..   GUEST: Professor Ntsikelelo Breakf...

My Vote Counts and civil society and community-based organisations have collaborated to produce a detailed analysis of the major political parties’ 2024 election manifestos. The analysis focuses on several key issues and was developed through the lens of social justice and progressive politics that seeks to position people’s rights at the centre of our politics.   GUEST: Keamogetswe Seipato - My V...

Yesterday we spoke to Jack Devnarian from the South African Guild of Actors about issues that were brought to light relating to background actors, popularly known as extras, being placed in what the production company, Bomb, called unauthorized camps. Bomb productions released a statement on this matter.   GUEST: Thabo Boom from Bomb Production

We look at how political parties marketed themselves ahead of tomorrow’s general elections. Our guest helps us understand the importance of political campaign messaging and the impact of political ads during the election season.   GUEST: Tshepo Matseba, Managing Director of Reputation 1st

GUEST: Mawethu Mosery, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer at the Electoral Commission

As we all get ready to vote today, tomorrow and Wednesday, the shady world of social media influencers on platform X is revealed, where paid campaigns by political parties and interest groups distort public discourse, leaving voters swiping through a maze of manipulated endorsements without a clue.   Guest:  Kyle Findlay, Social Media Researcher and co-founder of Murmur  

Still on the KZN vote rigging allegations, asking should we be worried that violence may ensue given what MK members did yesterday? For more on this we speak to Dr Johan Burger, Independent Crime and Policing Consultant. You may recall as well that yesterday members of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) briefed the media on the state of readiness by the South Afr...

Professor Pierre De Vos wrote a piece that was published today on Electoral fraud. The main point is; There may be glitches during the 2024 elections, but South Africa has safeguards to prevent large-scale cheating.   Guest: Professor Pierre De Vos, Constitutional law expert based at the University of Cape Town

The Border Management Authority tighten its detection systems at South Africa’s ports of entry.   The Border Management Authority has intercepted 28 Bangladeshi nationals who had landed at the OR Tambo International Airport on a flight from Dubai over the weekend. The Border Management Authority said it will continue to tighten its detection systems at South Africa’s ports of entry.   Four hundred...

The Eastern Cape's OR Tambo District Municipality has called for the communities to be on high alert as a violent protest continues to cause havoc in the area. The protest, allegedly by taxi operators, has seen numerous roads closed since this morning. The affected roads include the N2 between Mthatha and Qumbu as well as the R61 between Mthatha and Ngcobo. Scores of minibus taxis and trucks have...

Following some disturbing media reports that the background actors working at ‘Shaka Ilembe’ have reported living and working conditions that are inhumane and dangerous. We hear from the South African Guild of Actors – this as they have confirmed receiving several verified reports on this issue.   GUEST: Jack Devnarain, Chairperson of the South African Guild of Actors

The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial continues at the High Court in Pretoria today. Joining us to give us an update in terms of what’s happening there is……   GUEST: Pearl Magubane, SABC News reporter…..

Burkina Faso coup leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore will remain in office for another five years following the signing of a new charter that was boycotted by most political parties we understand. According to the new charter. Traore will be able to run in elections at the end of the five-year transition period.   GUEST: Dr David Matsanga, Political analyst & Expert on Diplomatic Relations  

The Independent Electoral Commission’s Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Masego Shiburi, says legal action will be taken against members of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party for illegally interfering with operations in one of its warehouses at Hammarsdale, west of Durban. This comes after videos circulating on social media showing MK members citing irregularities in the delivery of voting material be...

    As our country is getting ready for its most tightly contested general election since 1994. Today we hear from an independent candidate Anele Mda. According to her campaign, Mda is very committed to upholding the values of integrity, transparency, and service to the people of South Africa. She says if you vote for her – she is dedicated to bringing much-needed change to our national parliament...

Today’s court ruling marked the third time this year the 15-judge panel has issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza. For more reaction we speak to…. GUEST: (Germany): Ibrahim El Zayat, Executive Member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars & member of the Council of European Muslims

The Electoral Commission has assured the nation that it has stringent security measures in place to prevent vote rigging and voter fraud. They join us now to elaborate further on this as there are those who are concerned that the upcoming election might be rigged.   GUEST: Mosotho Moepya, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission

    Last week South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to instruct Israel to stop its military operation in the city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population has sought shelter.   GUEST: Nomvula Mokonyane, 1st Deputy Secretary General of the ANC

    Earlier today, the international court of justice issued a new ruling on Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza, as the US expressed concern over Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation among countries that have traditionally supported it.   GUEST: Sophie Mokoena, International News Editor for the SABC

    Appearing before the ICJ last week, Gilad Noam, co-agent of Israel, refuted South Africa’s claims of genocide, terming it an “obscene exploitation” of the “most sacred” Genocide Convention. What next for Israel post today’s court ruling?   GUEST: Arsen Ostrovsky, Attorney & CEO of The International Legal Forum, and Senior Fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security