The National Pulse

A new report by British academics is proposing that children under the age of 18 should no longer be allowed to participate in sports such as rugby, where there is a risk of head contact, or boxing where blows to the skull are allowed. The academics are arguing that head injuries can contribute to developing dementia, Parkinson's and memory problems later in life. For more on this, let’s speak to...

Labour and Employment Minister, Thulas Nxesi has announced an increase in national minimum wage from R25.42 to R27.58. This increase will take effect from 1 March 2024 and includes farm workers as well as domestic workers. To share their reflections, we are joined by... Guest: Trevor Shaku - Spokesperson for the SA Federation of Trade Union Guest (17h25): Matthew Parks - National Spokesperson of C...

A new survey has revealed that the electorate has shown its interest for the opposition parties, in particular coalitions such as the Multi-Party Charter. The survey interviewed over 9000 people from across the country. Among the findings,  five provinces are likely to be led by a coalition government and one of the top voter priorities is linked to addressing unemployment. To tell us more about t...

It has been 8 years since the Lily's Leaf mining tragedy that left 3 miners trapped underground in Barberton, Mpumalanga: Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule, and Solomon Nyirenda. An inquest into the circumstances leading to the incident found that the mining company was at fault for failing to put safety measures in place. The political party, Action SA has become the legal representatives for the fam...

Several fishing companies have decided to approach the court following the conclusion of last year’s fishing rights appeals process. At the centre of their legal battle is the issue of 15-year commercial fishing rights refusal by the government. For more on this, we are joined by….. GUEST: Adv Shaheen Moola

After saving four penalties this past weekend, Ronwen Williams has made world soccer history by becoming the first goalkeeper to save 4 out of 5 penalties in a major international tournament. Let’s now hear from Brian Baloyi who was also the best keeper during his playing days. GUEST: Brian Baloyi, former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper  

Condolences and tributes are pouring in from around the world following yesterday’s death of Namibia’s President Hage Geingob who was also the country’s liberation struggle stalwart. The Government of Namibia has announced the mourning period starting from today until the date of the funeral which is yet to be announced. For more on what’s happening in Namibia right now in terms of the mood and pr...

The defense has called accused number 1, Muzi Sibiya in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial - to testify in a trial within a trial. Five men are on trial at the High Court in Pretoria  for the murder of the Bafana Bafana captain who was shot  dead in October 2014. The defence is challenging the admissibility of confession statements allegedly made by accused 1 and 2. Sibiya says he was tubed and assault...

    Focus: Our bonding session is one with a difference. As listeners tune into BTH, they would come to know and love the BTH Flight promo where Aldrin is your co-pilot from 15h00 to 18h00. The producers thought: Why don't we bring a pilot as a co-host? Our co-host is born and bred in Soweto who has gone on to become a licensed pilot since 2009. Flying our national carrier (SAA), he has also worke...

The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) held an extra-ordinary National Executive Council meeting yesterday. The meeting discussed and resolved issues surrounding the conference preparations, the pronouncements of the African National Congress on the Umkhonto Liberation War Veterans and MKMVA's position on members joining the newly formed MK party. To unpack the outcomes, we di...

Thungela, in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Education, has launched the education initiative, aiming to enhance literacy, numeracy, and educator support in grades R to 4. This dynamic programme, backed by a R160 million investment over five years, targets 45 "no-fee" schools and provides support to educators.   GUEST: Mpumi Sithole is the Executive Head-Corporate Affairs at Thungela

We reached out to the Umkhonto Liberation War Veterans to allow them an opportunity to respond. As you may or may not remember, the National Working Committee of the African National Congress disbanded the MKMVA as well as the MK National Council back in 2021. He has been listening into the conversation. We are joined by... Guest: Dan Hato - Convenor of the Umkhonto Liberation War Veterans

New U.N report on global terrorist threats warns that terrorist threat from al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and their affiliates remains high in conflict zones in Africa, Afghanistan and in Europe. Martin Ewi from the Institute for Security Studies says various governments can’t afford to underestimate the nature of this global threat as the battle against terrorism demands viable long-term solutions....

Earlier on today, the Democratic Alliance took its battle against Paul Mashatile to the Union Buildings where they handed over a dossier detailing damning corruption allegations against the country’s Deputy President. The party wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Mashatile following corruption allegations against him.   GUEST: Solly Msimanga, Leader of the Democratic Alliance in Gauteng

A dentist that examined accused number 2 in the Senzo Meyiwa trial - says Bongani Ntanzi had no gold tooth. This as police investigators were looking for a suspect that had a gold tooth when they entered the Khumalo home when Meyiwa was shot and killed. Five men are on trial at the High Court in Pretoria for the murder of the Bafana Bafana soccer captain. Dr Thomas Hlokwe did an oral examination o...

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has today opened its loan funding scheme for the missing middle students. These are students whose combined household income is between 350-thousand and 600-thousand Rand per annum. The closing date for the applications will be on the 15th this month. This comes after a meeting between the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board and the South A...

The political party proposes to address the economic conditions of the nation through skills development and education investment that addresses the shortage of skilled workers in the labour market. It also seeks to address labour market challenges such as labour brokers and seeks to address unemployment through job creation. The party also seeks to open up markets through implementing policies th...

The world's most famous humanitarian organisation, APOPO, has been at the forefront of tackling global humanitarian challenges. They have now trained African giant-pouched rats, known as HeroRats, to search and rescue for survivors in disaster zones, such as earthquakes or collapsed buildings.   Guest: Dr. Danielle Giangrasso  - Behavioral Research Scientist, APOP

Magistrate's court hear an estimated 95% of cases in the country and for the public, this is the component of the Judiciary they will encounter frequently. A new report called "Under Pressure" has been released on the challenges faced by magistrate judges internally and externally. The survey comprised 48 questions that examined themes such as work environment, sexual harassment, intimidation, cor...

As part of encouraging more people to vote this year. The department of home affairs says its offices will be open during the upcoming voter registration weekend. According to them, the services to be rendered are application and collection of IDs and applications for temporary identification certificates.   GUEST: Siya Qoza, Home Affairs spokesperson

On World News today we ask, what’s behind starvation deaths in Ethiopia? This as nearly 400 people have died of starvation in the country’s Tigray and Amhara regions in recent months. We understand that around 20.1 million people across Ethiopia need humanitarian food due to drought, conflict and a poor performing economy. But is there a political will to sort out this ongoing starvation problem?...

The uMhlathuze Municipality Mayor, Xolani Ngwezi joins us to explain why his municipality has decided to charge coal trucks a thirty-rand fee per ton of coal. According to him, they are doing this as a measure to reduce the pressure on local roads and infrastructure. GUEST: Xolani Ngwezi, Mayor of uMhlathuze Municipality

Earlier, Airports Company South Africa announced the Post Peak Season update which outlines inbound and outbound traffic volumes in the air and passenger numbers through the terminals. The Update also outlines the performance of the organization in the past year, progress on the recovery plan, and key infrastructure projects that have been earmarked for 2024. To tell us more about this, we are joi...

It's the second day of the voter registration drive for inmates in the 200 institutions around the Country. The IEC and the  Dept of Correctional Services are working together to make sure that all eligible inmates are permitted to apply for voter registration against the voting district in which their home address falls.  Guest: Singabakho Nxumalo - Spokesperson of the National Department of Corr...

In a new development, KPMG has signed a confidential settlement with VBS Mutual Bank. KPMG was linked to VBS Mutual Bank for signing off on fraudalent transactions to the tune of R846 million. KPMG was listed as the auditor of the VBS Mutual Bank. Our next guest has criticized the secret settlement and said it is a disservice to those affected by the corruption that took place at the defunct finan...