The National Pulse

The Umkhonto We Sizwe party has welcomed the Electoral Court’s decision to uphold its registration by the Independent Electoral Commission. While on the other hand, the ANC says it has noted the court’s decision, stating that all South Africans have rights to certain fundamental freedoms, among which is the right to join or establish a political party of once’s choice. GUEST: Nhlamulo Ndhlela, MK...

Earlier today, Statistics South Africa released its Quarterly Employment Statistics report. According to the latest report, between September and December last year, total employment in the country decreased by 1,8% and this was largely due to several industries witnessing declines in full-time employment. Joining us to elaborate further on this, is…..   GUEST: Risenga Maluleke, Statistician-Gener...

Congratulatory messages have started pouring in for Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye after winning the country’s hotly contested presidential election. Though the final results are yet to be announced, preliminary results show that Faye enjoys an unassailable lead against the ruling party's candidate Amadou Ba. It is also important to mention that Ba has already recognised Faye's election win and o...

The Electoral Court has confirmed that judgement in the ANC's application challenging the registration of uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party has been delayed. The ANC cited irregular procedures in the registration of the newly formed party endorsed by former president, Jacob Zuma. The MK Party submitted that the ANC did not follow internal IEC processes to have the registration process reviewed. The IEC...

The NPA in the Western Cape says it remains resolute in opposing bail for four persons accused in the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith at Saldanha. The fourth accused, Lourentia Lombaard, appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrate's Court earlier today. Lombaard was remanded in custody after she abandoned her bail application. The state indicated that Lombaard had made a confession linking he...

Gunmen suspected of carrying out the Russia concert hall attack which left more than 130 people dead were all charged with terrorism, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment. The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State, was the deadliest on Russian soil in years. Our guest Tembisa Fakude is of the view that the attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall suggests a new ma...

The Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA)  held a media briefing to outline the accelerated security control measures at the ports of entry during Easter period. The BMA, which is the third law enforcement service in the Republic, will also announce border control issues and deployments, requirements for travellers as well as adjusted operational hours at the ports. To tell us more...

We outline the objectives of the upcoming Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Prevention Policy Dialogue that is scheduled to take place on Monday next week. Our guest will also assist us in terms of assessing the effectiveness of the National Strategic Plan on GBV. GUEST: Shoki Tshabalala, DDG for Social Transformation and Economic Empowerment at the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Dis...

Today, we commemorate World Water Day under the theme: Leveraging Water for Peace. Access to safe drinking water, sanitation services and failing infrastructure are some of the challenges facing communities. One of the biggest contributors to South Africa's water shortage challenges is rising and unsustainable levels of non- revenue water. According to the latest ‘No Drop Watch’ report, non-revenu...

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed the escape of 69 undocumented foreign nationals who were awaiting deportation at the Lindela Repatriation Centre. The undocumented deportees represent the following countries: Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe Mozambique, Lesotho, Burundi, DRC and Nigeria. Since the incident, the Department has taken over the access control and security functions of the Centre...

    The US government has begun a landmark lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of monopolising the smartphone market and crushing competition. The Justice Department alleges the company abuses its control of the iPhone app store to "lock in" customers and developers. It accuses the firm of taking illegal steps to thwart apps seen as a threat and make rival products less appealing. The l...

After weeks of back and forth, Senegalese will finally be heading to the polls on Sunday to elect a new leader as President Macky Sall’s presidential term comes to an end after 12 years in power. Of course, who can forget that the elections were originally scheduled for February 25, but on February the 3rd, President Sall decided to postpone elections over concerns with the candidates list, and we...

Several political parties have rejected Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s decision to take special leave from her post amid allegations of corruption against her, arguing that the option of special leave is not provided for by the rules of Parliament. We also understand that Mapisa-Nqakula has applied to the NPA for more information regarding the charges against her. For more reaction on this, let’s speak...

Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at different election manifestos, focusing on various economic proposals advanced by various political parties ahead of this year’s national and provincial elections. So today we hear from the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, which is one of the oldest liberation movements in the country, popularly known as the PAC. During its recent election manifes...

The Tshwane Metro Police has arrested a former electrical contractor for their role in illegal reconnections in the City of Tshwane. The City of Tshwane has opened a case against the contractor and he has been charged with meter tampering and soliciting a bribe. A resident reported the incident and forms part of the #TshwaneYaTima initiative to eradicate corruption rings in the delivery of electri...

Earlier today, the sixth edition of the Human Rights Festival got underway at Constitution Hill under the theme: Seize the Power. The Festival will host three days of exhibitions, art, live performances and workshops that promote the importance of active citizenry and advance the principles of the Constitution to equality, dignity and justice for all. The festival also commemorates heroes who took...

The Department of Basic Education in the Free State has launched an investigation into incidents of racism at Hoerskool Trio in Kroonstad. This follows an altercation at the school between two boys where one hurled the K-word towards another pupil earlier this month. Since the incident, two protests have taken place outside of the school gates in the last two weeks of the school term.    The Depar...

A survey conducted by African Response just after the national budget was delivered shows that the government is not doing nearly enough, despite its valiant efforts, to alleviate the dire situation that so many low- and middle-income South Africans find themselves in. Joining us to explain where government short-falls are is…..   GUEST: Mamapudi Nkgadima, MD of African Response  

As we mark Human Rights Day, we look at the issue of food insecurity and how it can be adequately addressed moving forward. This as we understand that up to 20 million South Africans are severely food insecure, with millions of children going to bed hungry each night. Our guest is of the view that South Africa lacks comprehensive regulation and there's not enough action to address this problem. Re...

The National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities has voiced its concern surrounding the slow progress in the renovations for the Ikhwezi Lokusa School after the Department of Education promised to set aside R11 million. NCPD says that the school's conditions have deteriorated even further since it made headlines in November last year and renovations have halted due to non-payment of contr...

As we prepare to observe Human Rights Day. Let me also remind you that tomorrow marks World Down Syndrome Day, an internationally observed event which raises awareness about Down Syndrome, while also assisting in creating a culture of diversity. To celebrate this day, the Olesego Kalushi Foundation will embark on a 3km walk to raise awareness regarding children with Down syndrome. Joining us to te...

As part of the commemoration of Human Rights month, the FW de Klerk Foundation launched the Human Rights report card which has shown that the right to equality, right to life and right of human dignity have deteriorated in the last two months. These rights form the preamble of the Constitution and are considered inalienable rights. The report unpacks the degree to which ordinary citizens enjoy con...

Eyewitness account of the October 7 Hamas attack: Millet Ben Haim shares her story of how she survived the October 7 Hamas attack. Ben Haim was present at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, which was held in celebration of the Jewish holiday Sukkot. She and her friends ran across open fields for two hours and had to dodge bullets while watching others being murdered mercilessly. Fortunately for...

Former president Jacob Zuma's arms deal corruption case has been adjourned to May the 17th in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg. The aim of the postponement is to allow the pre-trial conference between the state and defence teams on when the trial should resume. Earlier, Judge Nkosinathi Chili dismissed Zuma's application to have lead prosecutor - Advocate Billy Downer - removed from the case. Ch...