The National Pulse

We are broadcasting to you live from the Mapungubwe National Park where the mighty Limpopo River and Shashe River meet. The Mapungubwe National Park is home to the Big Four and is rich in biodiversity including the magnificent Baobab tree. This is a trans-frontier Park sharing the park parameters with neighboring countries, Zimbabwe and Botswana. To tell us more about the wildlife that can be foun...

The Democratic Republic of Congo has begun a month-long election campaign with over 20 candidates running for president. Interesting developments is that the country’s former prime minister, Matata Ponyo Mapon, dropped his presidential campaign and will back businessman Moise Katumbi. But who is likely to emerge victorious during the elections in December? For more on this, we are joined by….. GUE...

Today we celebrate Taariq Hendricks who designed the victory plane artwork that flew South Africa’s Springboks all over the country during their World Cup victory parade. Hendricks is a matriculant at Pinelands High School which is based in Cape Town. Guest: Taariq Hendricks, a Grade 12 student at Pinelands High School.

Today, a state-owned entity's annual general meeting was disrupted after environmental activists called for Sasol to account for the slow rate of progress in achieving its climate change commitments. Sasol is releasing a statement on the matter and will not be taking interviews at this time. To help us understand their concerns and what call to action they made during the meeting from the executiv...

Earlier today, the Minister of Police released the crime statistics for the period of July to September 2023 in Parliament. These crime statistics account for the second quarter between July to September 2023. In the period, 6945 people have been murdered indicating a slight decline in the same period the previous year. However, firearms still remain the leading weapon used in administering a murd...

Some of the drivers for murder have also been attributed to the rise in vigilantism in this quarter. To help us unpack this further, we are joined by...  Guest: Dr. Simon Howell - Research Associate at the Centre of Criminology at the University of Cape Town

Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has announced austerity measures that are aimed at stabilising the country’s ailing economy. As part of the measures, the president has cancelled all international trips for public officials and we understand that the measures will be in place until the end of March next year. Joining us to explain what informed these changes is….. GUEST: Moses Kunkuyu, Malawi G...

The Bela-Bela magistrate's court in Limpopo has granted bail to two of the three accused who were arrested in connection with the break-in at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Limpopo farm. The court found that it was in the interest of justice to release both accused on bail. However, the formal bail application of accused one Imanuwela David will be heard next month. GUEST: Justice Shipalana, SABC New...

As we build up towards the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. We are joined by Merrishia Singh Naicker who will tell us more about the Interfaith Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide that is currently underway in Benoni. At this summit, a joint Statement of Commitment to concrete actions to end GBVF will be launched, which is a symbol of commitment by the faith sector to ta...

One in four children suffer from stunting due to malnutrition in South Africa. One of the challenges of combatting malnutrition is that there are no feeding schemes for early childhood development centers. National Treasury has allocated funding for a pilot programme for nutrition. Our next guest has written a series of reports on malnutrition, the impact it has on the ECD sector and what urgent i...

Parliament is holding a mini-plenary on the closure of the Israeli Embassy this afternoon. Leading up to the meeting, the ANC and EFF have shared their support of the motion. The official vote on the closure of the closure of the Israeli Embassy takes place at the National Assembly next Tuesday. To share the position of their political party, we are joined by...   Guest: Commissar Sinawo Thambo -...

A new report by Harvard's Growth Lab has found that South Africa is performing poorly, exacerbating problems such as inequality and exclusion. It also found two broad classes of problems that undermine inclusive growth in the country, namely; collapsing state capacity and spatial exclusion. According to the report, these two key issues have caused the South African economy to lose its historic sou...

Gift of the Givers has confirmed that its regional head in Gaza Ahmed Abbasi was killed earlier today as he was returning from morning prayer with his brother. According to the organisation, Abbasi served the people of Gaza with distinction since 2013 as the head of the organisation’s office in Gaza. Let’s now speak to……. GUEST: Hanin Barghouti, Head of the Gift of the Givers office in Ramallah  

As Israeli forces have entered the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza and the compound that surrounds it. We hear from Dr Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian physician, humanitarian and activist who has spent 16 years as a volunteer at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Gilbert is currently visiting South Africa to share his account of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and he says the West, including US President Joe Biden an...

An investigative report into the death of a learner in Thokoza on Gauteng's East Rand has recommended that the principal, deputy principal and educators be charged for the flawed manner in which they handled the matter. The report has found that this contributed to grade six learner Sibusiso Mbatha taking his own life. Mbatha died by suicide last month after he was allegedly bullied for his sexual...

Malians are celebrating after the country’s army claimed capture of the northern town of Kidal that was occupied by the ethnic Tuareg rebels for nearly a decade now. We understand that Kidal holds particular significance for Tuareg rebel groups who have long complained of government neglect and sought autonomy for the desert region they call Azawad. For more analysis on what this means, we are joi...

Concerns have been raised regarding the health and safety risks posed when it comes to overcrowding in prisons. In Kwa-Zulu Natal, the awaiting trial section of the New Prison is currently holding 650 inmates which is double the designated number with new inmates still being onboarded. Earlier this year, Judge Edwin Cameron facilitated an oversight visit and described the facility as "crumbling an...

University of Pretoria (UP) Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education vice principal Professor Sunil Maharaj has received an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Sweden’s Malmö University’s Faculty of Technology and Society. Maharaj has been recognised for his pioneering and innovative work in 5G and rural broadband communications, particularly research contributions on reliable communication...

The Competition Commission has reached a settlement with Standard Chartered Bank for currency manipulation on the Rand and US Dollar pairing after 8 years of litigation. The settlement agreement has been filed at the Competition Tribunal today and the fine is estimated at R42 million. In a statement, the Commission has been investigating 28 financial service providers who have been linked to fixin...

The former Speaker of the City of Johannesburg broke her silence two days after her membership to the Congress of the People (COPE) was terminated due to her affiliation with the South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA). In a press briefing held this morning, our next guest addressed this matter and outlined the involvement of COPE in the formation of SARA. She also took the opportunity to officially...

The Economic Freedom Fighters have made allegations against the IEC ahead of the voter registration weekend and have alleged that members of the South African Democratic Teachers Union are being employed despite their affiliation to the ANC. To share their perspective, we are joined by... Guest: Commissar Sinawo Thambo - National Spokesperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters GUEST: Masego Shiburi,...

Another former employee from Mediclinic has stepped forward and confirmed that the private hospital group has been manipulating patient bills for financial benefit. The whistleblower said that at one hospital, the coding of a patient account had been altered to reflect Intensive Care Unit (ICU) billing, knowing that fixed fees for the ICU are higher than for the emergency room which has a differen...

The South African Police Services worked alongside US Department of Homelands Security to arrest three sexual predators who were involved in the possession, distribution and downloading of child pornography. The trio have made their first appearance before the Springs, Benoni and Krugersdorp Magistrates Court were the matters have been postponed pending further investigations. The children were al...

Holly Rey shares insights into the numerous difficulties that individuals with diabetes experience as part of their diabetic journey. This as we raise awareness about diabetes, its prevention and management - as today marks World Diabetes Day. GUEST: Holly Rey, SA’s award winning artist