The National Pulse

Following his announcement that he will be leaving the St Geroge’s Cathedral at the end of this month. Today we celebrate Reverend Michael Weeder and also looking at his contribution to activism in South Africa and how he has been fighting for equality and for human rights in general. In 1984, Weeder was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his activism.   GUEST: Rev Michael Weeder, Dean of St George...

Earlier on today, the High Court in Johannesburg ruled that Boy Mamabolo’s case against the ANC is not urgent. Mamabolo was challenging the party’s decision to remove his name from the parliamentary candidate list. At the centre of this issue is Mamabolo’s qualifications. The ANC is arguing that Mamabolo never submitted documents to prove he has a matric certificate, nor the legal qualifications l...

Following the release of MyBroadband Insights Q1 2024 Mobile Network Quality Report. We speak to the company’s director Marius Hollenbach. The report evaluates the performance of South Africa's leading mobile networks, offering insights into which network provides the best service across the country. MTN has been declared as this year’s best mobile network in South Africa.   GUEST: Marius Hollenba...

The inquest of the deaths of 21 teenagers at the Enyobeni tavern which was supposed to have started today in the Mdantsane Regional Court in the Eastern Cape was postponed. Seven witnesses were supposed to testify in the inquest of the deaths of 21 teenagers at the Enyobeni tavern. The aim of the inquest is to establish if anyone should be held accountable for the deaths which took place in at the...

DA Leader John Steenhuisen has labelled new political parties as nothing more than “mercenary” parties who want to destabilise the Western Cape province. He asked why parties like the Patriotic Alliance (PA), Rise Mzansi, GOOD Party and the National Coloured Congress (NCC) are not focusing their attention on the real enemy of progress in South Africa, which according to him is the ANC. But what ma...

Guest: Qondile Khedama - Spokesperson for the Mangaung Metro Guest: Nana Radebe-Kgiba - Spokesperson for the Johannesburg Emergency Services Guest: Colin Deiner - Head of the Western Cape Disaster Management

Bad weather conditions are wreaking havoc in some parts of the country. According to the South African Weather Service, South Africans should expect cold and wet weather across much of the country this week. An intense low-pressure system is expected to bring widespread showers and thunderstorms across the country. For more on this, let’s speak to….   GUEST: Lehlohonolo Thobela, South African Weat...

The uMkhonto we Sizwe party's legal representative Advocate Dali Mpofu says declaring the former president Jacob Zuma ineligible to stand for public office is a violation of his rights. Advocate Mpofu says according to the constitution every adult citizen has the right to stand for public office. Mpofu is representing the uMkhonto Wesizwe party in the Electoral Court. The party is appealing the de...

As Rwanda continues to remember 1994 genocide. Rwandan President Paul Kagame recently spoke to our international news editor Sophie Mokoena and one of the key things that he raised is how the international community failed Rwanda during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. President Cyril Ramaphosa also attended the event in Kigali and yesterday, he addressed the media on various issues, including...

The South African rand is facing significant volatility as the country approaches its general election which is due to take place next month. Apparently, political instability fears are driving market concerns and impacting bonds. This as several surveys indicate a possibility that the African National Congress (ANC) might receive less than 50% of the vote for the first time since 1994.  GUEST: Is...

Schools in the Western Cape are said to have cut teachers due to budget constraints. Parents are reportedly in panic mode as they worry about the strain this could cause on their children. The Provincial Education Department says that the budget cuts come from national. To explain what is going on and the impact it’s having on the schools, we are joined by..  Guest:  Sibongile Kwazi – SADTU’s Prov...

Bronagh Hammond – spokespersons of western cape department of education 

The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution calling for a global ban on weapons sales to Israel, because of its conduct in the war in Gaza. Twenty-eight countries voted in favour of the non-binding resolution, six against, and there were 13 abstentions. To unpack what this means, we are joined by......    GUEST: Zeenat Adam, Deputy Executive Director at the Afro-Middle East Ce...

Eskom has announced that loadshedding will remain suspended until further notice, following nine consecutive days of non-implementation. According to the power utility, this decision is a result of sustained available generation capacity and adequate emergency reserves.     GUEST: Daphne Mokoena, Eskom Spokesperson      

Amid geopolitical tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia. We look at the latest developments surrounding these two nations, after Somalia decided to expel the Ethiopian ambassador from the country and also recalling its ambassador from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Tensions have been growing between Ethiopia and Somalia since January when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a memorandum o...

The Department of Home Affairs says that their offices will be open for five hours on Saturdays as of tomorrow, the 6th of April to the 25th of May for collecting IDs, handling new applications, and issuing temporary Identity certificates. As you may know that we are in an election year and it’s very important for all citizens of voting age to have the ID documents ready. To tell us more on this,...

Is the concept of ‘pretty privilege’ a fact or fiction when it comes to opportunities in South Africa? Also have you ever lost an opportunity to get your dream job or any other job for that matter and felt like you were overlooked simply because of your looks?   GUEST: Phumzile Zonke, former SABC1 presenter and currently works as a public broadcasting consultant and a founding Executive Producer a...

Today we unpack the United Democratic Movement’s Election Manifesto (UDM). Last month, the party launched its election manifesto and its leader General Bantu Holomisa proposed several interventions should it be voted to become government. Among other things, the party promised to ensure that there are significant consequences for those found guilty of corruption and it also made it clear that if y...

As more countries will be heading to the polls this year, including South Africa. Professor Steven Friedman warns that democracy is under threat in many countries from elites who are threatened by the idea that we should all enjoy equal rights. Professor Friedman joins us now to elaborate further on this....    GUEST: Professor Steven Friedman, Research Professor, Humanities Faculty at the Univers...

Some hawkers in Polokwane, Limpopo, have removed their merchandise from the streets saying they don't feel safe. This follows a shutdown that has affected the delivery of basic services in the CBD including public transport which left many commuters stranded. A message calling for a total shutdown in Polokwane was circulated on various social medial platforms in the past few days. Our reporter in...

Meanwhile, the executive mayor of the Polokwane Municipality, John Mpe, says although residents' demands for basic services are justified, he believes today's shutdown is politically-motivated. He now joins us on the line to give his perspective….     Guest: John Mpe – Executive Mayor at the Polokwane Municipality  

We look at the state of SOE’s that report to the ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies, following Minister Gungubele’s press briefing which took place earlier today. During the press briefing, Minister Gungubele made several key pronouncements and confirmed that progress has been made to turnaround the fortunes of the SABC. One other key issue is that Postbank is on track with its ba...

Today, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)  hosted the signing ceremony of the Electoral Code of Conduct by political parties and independent candidates contesting the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. According to the Commission, today’s event allows contestants to publicly pledge to adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct.    GUEST: Janet Love, Electoral Commission’s Vice Chairp...

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster which in the main is caused by the lack of rain induced by the El Nino global weather pattern.   As a result of this more than 2.7 million people in Zimbabwe will not have enough food to put on the table this year. The unfortunate part as wells is that Zimbabwe is already grappling with high inflation driven by food prices. S...