The National Pulse

Tributes continue to pour in for co-founder of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (NAFCOC) Dr Sam Motsuenyane who is also popularly known as "The Father of Black Business". Motsuenyane died yesterday and he will always be remembered as someone who contributed immensely into the establishment of African Bank. Joining us to pay tribute to him is….   GUEST: Lawrence Mavundla, Presiden...

The Electoral Commission has warned members of the public against misinformation doing the rounds on social media after a message encouraged voters older than 60 to apply to vote early. The commission says it hasn’t given permission for everyone over 60 to vote on the 27th and the 28th. For more on this, we are joined by….  Guest: Masego Shiburi 

ATM leader Vuyo Zungula explains why his party wants to bring back the death penalty - which South Africa abolished in 1995. He argues that under the ATM rule they will not protect people who do not respect the right to life for others. GUEST: Mr Vuyo Zungula, Leader of the African Transformation Movement  

Kenya’s President William Ruto has revealed that his country has secured Zimbabwe’s support for Raila Odinga’s bid for the African Union Commission chairmanship. In return, Kenya will support Zimbabwe's bid for readmission into the Commonwealth and help them fight sanctions. Just how significant is this partnership? For more on this, we are joined by…… GUEST (ZIM): Lenin Ndebele, Head of News24 Af...

Yesterday, the City Press newspaper reported that MK took ID numbers, names and cellphone numbers from a City of Cape Town jobseekers’ database and forged the corresponding signatures before submitting them to the IEC. The publication called 15 people on the MK party’s supporter list; 14 denied they had signed the list. Will this signature scandal have an effect on the predicted votes MK gets? Gue...

We get more reaction on our first story re SABC Head of News vs the State Security Agency. This after the Presidency’s response, refuting claims that the State Security Agency has been targeting SABC head of news, emphasising that the vetting process needs to be carried out as per the established practise with all SABC executives. Let’s now hear from ….. GUEST: Michael Markovitz, head of the GIBS...

Development agency Kagiso Trust is looking to encourage over 27 million registered voters to cast their hard-fought ballots in the national and regional elections on 29 May. The Kagiso Trust is invoking the legacy of struggle stalwarts such as Desmond Tutu, Beyers Naudé and Rev Frank Chikane, in their#RememberMe campaign. GUEST: Thabiso Ratsomo, Kagiso Trust Deputy Chairperson  

Defacing or illegally removing election posters is a criminal offence. Last week, the Electoral Commission in the Western Cape said that those found committing this offence must be reported to the police. To help us further understand the legal implications of defacing or illegally removing election posters, we are joined on the line by… Guest: Nkululeko Tselane, admitted attorney and the Legal Co...

We look at the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s brand and the IFP's decision to use his voice and image as part of its 2024 national general election campaign.   GUEST: Tshepo Matseba, Managing Director of Reputation 1st

Media Monitoring Africa says anyone who tries to undermine media freedom must be held accountable. This after the SABC’s Group Executive for News and Current Affairs, Moshoeshoe Monare was allegedly called phoned by an official from the State Security Agency (SSA) demanding that he be vetted again and undergo a top security secret test which will include taking a polygraph test. However, the Presi...

The United States and Niger are discussing plans to withdraw American troops from the West African nation, even though they are yet to announce a timeline for when it will pull out the more than 1,000 military personnel stationed at an American drone base in the Sahara desert near the Nigerien city of Agadez. Observers say this is another strategic victory for Moscow in the Sahel region as they ar...

As the 6th Administration is preparing to exit the political arena. We hear from the Speaker of the KZN legislature about how the Provincial Legislature performed under her leadership. She has listed Covid19 as the most challenging period but says they managed to rise to a new era that the parliamentary sector has been aspiring to, and that is the e-parliament era. She joins us to elaborate furthe...

The lazy makoti (the lazy daughter in-law): What’s the one thing you are lazy to do and unashamed about it and not planning to change it? Could it be cooking, ironing, etc. Call us let’s hear what you have to say……..   GUEST: Mogau Seshoene, Professional Cook, Gourmand World Cookbook Award winner & Author

With less than 40 days to go before the general elections. Today we hear from the Defend our Democracy movement. This as they are appealing to NGOs and civil society movements to join Election Watch Campaign to observe the upcoming elections. Importantly, the IEC Election observer registration is closing next week Wednesday (1 May) hence they are making this appeal.   GUEST: Andries Sibanyoni, Spo...

In an effort to assess South Africa’s global reputation in various key areas, Brand South Africa conducted extensive research on the perceptions that other countries have on South Africa. A total of 17 countries were surveyed with over 9800 respondents and focused on brand audiences related to tourism, investment, talent, exports and general reputation.   Guest: Mpumi Mabuza, Brand South Africa’s...

Tomorrow our country will celebrate 30 years of Democracy. For many who experienced apartheid, the suffering of those years remains etched in their collective memory. However, over the past thirty years, a lot has been done to improve the living conditions and to change the fortunes of the country with the aim to repair the damage that apartheid did to the citizenry. So, 30 years later – what does...

Yesterday, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) officially launched the Corporation for Deposit Insurance (CODI) which is aimed at protecting the most vulnerable depositors in our society. How it works is, it provides cover of up to R100 000 to each qualifying depositor per bank in the unlikely event of a bank’s collapse. To tell us more about this initiative is….. GUEST: Sabinah Mohamed, CEO of...

Former President Thabo Mbeki says he hasn’t changed his views about the state of the ANC. He said this while campaigning for the party in Soweto yesterday, also assuring the ANC followers that the leadership of the party will attend to the problems within the parameters of the party. Mbeki also defended his party’s handling of its stand-off with former President Jacob Zuma, saying the delay in exp...

International lawyers representing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have written to Apple CEO Tim Cook demanding answers on the sourcing of minerals used to manufacture the company’s products. They are accusing the tech giants of using illegally exploited minerals. For more clarity on this, we are joined by….   GUEST: Nixon Katembo, African affairs commentator & also works for Channel Af...

This year’s general elections are seen as the most challenging elections yet since the dawn of democracy. But can the first timers like BOSA make an impact? During its election manifesto launch, Build One South Africa, which has positioned itself as an umbrella body for community organisations across the country – made it clear that it views joblessness as the biggest problem facing South Africa t...

As part of our election build-up, today we revisit the issue of voter education with Futurelect, explaining why civic education is essential for empowering voters in South Africa. The organisation believes that making civic education easily accessible will help improve overall civic participation and increase youth engagement in the country’s political process. GUEST: Lindiwe Mazibuko, co-founder...

    Despite being critical of the current leadership at times, former ANC president Thabo Mbeki has finally answered the call for him to join party officials on the election campaign trail to persuade voters to give it another term in power.     Guest: Political Analyst, Prince Mashele

Labour Appeal Court confirms that the dismissal (of an employee) for testing positive for cannabis is automatically unfair and is discriminatory. An employee was dismissed for testing non-negative for cannabis while on duty during a routine medical check. He thought this was unfair and saw the actions of his employer as discriminatory. He took the matter to court, and he lost. On appeal to the lab...

Lawyers representing former president Jacob Zuma and the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party have asked the Constitutional Court for an extension to file answering affidavits. The MK Party and Zuma’s lawyer are of the view that the time afforded to the respondents is unreasonably short and that it would be impossible to furnish a meaningful answering affidavit within 24 hours. Do they have a point though or t...