The National Pulse

A few hours ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly signed the National Health Insurance Bill into law at the Union Buildings at 14:00, despite pushback from business groups, healthcare professionals and unions. Guest: Damian McHugh, Chief Medical Officer of Momentum Metropolitan Health    

Guest: Marketing manager Greg Hoffmann

Coalitions have generated a great deal of debate ahead of this year’s national and provincial elections. Just yesterday President Cyril Ramaphosa shared his thoughts on the subject saying that the ruling African National Congress wants to “avoid a coalition government for South Africa”, referring to it as a danger zone. However though, our guest is of the view that coalition governments can work a...

    The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial continues at the High Court in Pretoria. Data analyst Gideon Gouws returned to the stand for cross-examination. On Monday, the case was delayed after the defence complained about the introduction of additional evidence.  

We look at the legalities of the National Health Insurance Bill. This as several organisations have made it clear that they are going to launch a legal action against it, arguing that through this bill, the government will force healthcare in the country to its knees with the ratification of the bill. But do they have a point?   GUEST: Mpumelelo Bond Nyoka, Attorney & analyst

The Global Watch: Chinese leader Xi Jinping will welcome Vladimir Putin to China tomorrow in what will be the Russian president's second visit in less than a year. During his two-day trip, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common concern. But how significant is this visit, considering the ongoing war between Russ...

    Despite doom-and-gloom stories emanating from the Johannesburg CBD, all hope is not lost. In the heart of the inner city, thanks to the private sector, are pockets of vibrant, flourishing blocks of redevelopment that compare favourably with those of any first-class overseas city.   We’ll be doing a series of interviews on the revival of the Joburg CBD.   First we focus on the Walkable Network,...

    South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.9% in the first quarter of this year, up from 32.1% in the previous quarter, data showed earlier today. The increase is the second quarter in a row that the official unemployment rate has risen, taking it closer to the record high above 35% reached in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.   GUEST: Duma Gqubule, Independent Economist

The Innovation Hub: Video sharing platform Rumble is suing Google, arguing that the tech giant has monopolised the advertising technology space. This is the second lawsuit filed by the video company against Google. In 2021 they sued Google for illegally favouring YouTube videos in Google search results and within its Android mobile operating system. To shed some light on this is…….   GUEST: Brando...

In the run-up to the 2024 elections, we’ve seen and I’m sure we’re going to continue seeing polling data emerging from all sides. The SA Voter Sentiment Report comes out of a survey that is more nuanced and multi-dimensional than typical polling research. According to Brandon de Kock, WhyFive’s Director of Storytelling, “The SA Voter Sentiment Survey is a fascinating deep dive into the perceptions...

    In case you missed it, President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to sign the National Health Insurance Bill (NHI) into law tomorrow. According to the Presidency, the move will transform South Africa’s healthcare system and ensure universal coverage for health services.   Through this, the country will overcome critical socio-economic imbalances and inequities of the past.   GUEST: December Mavuso,...

    The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, has accepted and acted on recommendations from the National Prosecuting Authority-to re-open inquests into the deaths of Chief Albert Luthuli, Mr. Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge and Mr. Booi Mantyi.   GUEST: Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson: Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services

Following the Presidency’s announcement that President Cyril Ramaphosa will sign into law the National Health Insurance Bill tomorrow afternoon. Business Unity South Africa says (BUSA) it is deeply concerned by the announcement as they believe that the legislation, in its current form, is unimplementable and damaging to the country’s healthcare sector and to investor confidence. Joining us to elab...

The International Union of Muslim Scholars has called on all Muslims in the country to vote for the ANC in the upcoming national and provincial elections. But was this a wise call considering the fact that we have several political parties in the country who are in support of the Palestinian people’s struggle for justice? We find out from….   GUEST: Ibrahim El Zayat, Executive Member of the Intern...

Earlier on today Statistics South Africa released its latest data which shows that unemployment increased by 0,8% in the first quarter of this year. The number of unemployed persons increased by 330 thousand to reach 8,2-millon in the first quarter, while the number of employed persons increased by 22-thousand to reach 16,7-million in the first quarter of 2024. But where are we going wrong and why...

The Global Watch: Reverend Frank Chikane joins us to discuss the outcomes of the Global Anti-Apartheid Movement conference which ended on Sunday. We understand that during the conference - discussion workshops included a focus on boycotts, divestment and sanctions; interfaith activities and campaigns; and actions in the legal spheres.   GUEST: Rev Frank Chikane, Chairperson of the South African An...

The last time we checked the death toll in the tragedy stood at 24. Earlier on today, officials at the Garden Route District Joint Operations Centre indicated that the focus continues to be on rescue efforts. So what’s the latest now? We find out from…… GUEST: Sagree Chetty, SABC News reporter who is covering the story…..

The Innovation Hub: Frans Kalp in partnership with paper giant Mondi has been making a huge difference in rural schools through their Ligbron e-Learning System, which is a distance-learning project. It connects schools all over South Africa to an online learning network, whereby Ligbron co-ordinates the live streaming of clear, concise maths and science lessons to schools that would otherwise not...

    Earlier on we spoke to Chief Economist of the Efficient Group, Dawie Roodt about a piece he wrote on possible social unrest in South Africa.   GUEST: Zakhele Ndlovu, political analyst based at UKZN

The Election Watch: As we continue with our voter education campaign. Today we continue to unpack the Kagiso Trust Remember Me initiatives which encourages millions of South Africans to cast their ballots on the 29th of May.   GUEST: Reverend Dean Zwoitwaho (Zwo) Nevhutalu, Kagiso Trustee

    GUEST: Gareth Newham: Head of Justice and Violence Prevention at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

Earlier today, the electricity minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa stated that Eskom’s Energy Availability Factor has breached the 70% mark, while just over R53.4 million was spent on burning diesel to power the Open Cycle Gas Turbines last week. Eskom has consistently defended its use of Open Cycle Gas Turbines’, saying it was only being used during morning and evening peaks to meet high electricity...

As the general election approaches, there are concerns about potential violence. Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist of the Efficient Group says he is worried that South Africa’s systemic challenges such as deep inequality, poverty, social polarisation and high unemployment rate may used to ignite violence. Roodt joins us now to elaborate further on this….. GUEST: Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist of the Effi...

    The Senzo Meyiwa trial has adjourned until Wednesday. The state has submitted bank transactions which prove that accused number one, Muzi Sibiya, was in Gauteng the year the Bafana Bafana captain was murdered. Sibiya is part of five men who are on trial at the High Court in Pretoria for the murder of Meyiwa who was shot and killed in 2014. Sibiya initially claimed he was not in Gauteng when Me...

So it appears that certain political parties are not complying with the Political Parties Funding Act (PPFA). Recently, the Electoral Court ordered several political parties to pay fines for failing to provide audited financial statements to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). We understand that non-compliance by registered political parties is aggravating because these parties receive...