The National Pulse

Human Rights Watch has warned that the draft law on associations submitted by 10 parliamentarians to the Tunisian Parliament, would violate the right to freedom of association and endanger civic space in the country if adopted in its current form. Under the draft law, international organizations would be required to obtain prior authorization to register from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and it al...

Good news is our tourism sector is booming once again. Between January and September this year, South Africa saw a significant influx of tourists, with over 6,1 million visitors arriving in the country, more than 58.4% when compared to the 3.8million arrivals to South Africa the same period last year. To talk to us about this and also to tell us more about the World Travel Market that is currently...

This week, we commemorate Southern Africa Development Community Malaria Week under the theme: Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate & implement. This comes at a time when more than 7400 cases of Malaria in South Africa this year. Our next guest will share the work he does to combat the life-threatening disease. We are joined by...   Guest: Sherwin Charles - Co-founder and CEO of Goodb...

The National Treasury has rejected a funding request made by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, totalling R1,5 billion. The funding request was made by the public broadcaster to support the coverage of the 2024 elections. Last week, the national broadcaster was omitted from the medium-term budget policy statement and the Finance Ministry has raised concerns surrounding the sustainability...

The controversy around the design of the South African flag is far from over. A senior official in the department of sport, arts and culture in Makhanda, Hastings Mqhayi has taken the legal route to force the government to recognize him as the designer of South Africa’s post-apartheid flag. Mqhayi is set to meet the office of the state attorney in Pretoria this month.   Guest: Bandile Magibili - S...

According to the latest World Security Report, chief security officers have flagged loadshedding and social unrest as the biggest disruptors to private security systems in South Africa. The research outlines the threat of social unrest is due to the contestation of public space as a response to the misuse of public resources (corruption) and fraud. The report also unpacks regional trends on the co...

South Africa's International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor has called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue a warrant of arrest for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior decision-makers for alleged contraventions of international law in relation to the ongoing war in Gaza. Pandor has also accused Hamas of violating International Humanitarian...

The City of Johannesburg has filed an application for leave to appeal the decision of the High Court in relation to the appointment of Floyd Brink. This as they believe that there are a number of legal grounds for concern in the High Court Judgement which they think an Appeal Court may reach a different conclusion. The City’s spokesperson joins us now to elaborate further on this……   GUEST: Mliman...

Defense counsel Zandile Mshololo has begun her cross examination of investigating officer Sergeant Vusimuzi Mogane in the Senzo Meyiwa Murder Trial in the high court in Pretoria. However, the state has objected to her line of questioning. Mshololo has asked Mogane to read parts of a document which police officers need to complete when interviewing a suspect - whether they are arrested or not. The...

The SA Law Reform Commission has recommended the introduction of a maternity support grant that will seek to assist pregnant women and new mothers. This move is set to cost R3 billion per year. Last week, the National Treasury announced the extension of social welfare programmes for another year during the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement. There have been discussions around policy reforms and t...

It's been a rainy Spring season. While everyone is asking when the severe weather conditions will subside, farmers may be able to profit from higher the normal rainfall well into the summer crop season in March 2024. This is according to the South African Weather Service's Season Climate Report. Our next guest believes that the El Nino conditions may set up the local agricultural sector for a bump...

The Department of Home Affairs has issued a statement to announce that Cabinet has approved the White Paper on the Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection which seeks to address the existing framework of residency and citizenship policy for foreign nationals. To tell us more on this matter, we are joined by... Possible Guest: Dr. Aaron Motswaledi - Minister at the Department of Home Affair...

10X Investments is once again rewarding all new investors with six months of zero fees if they sign up for a living annuity, retirement annuity or preservation fund during the month of November. This limited-time offer is designed to alleviate financial burdens and make retirement planning more accessible to all. Many retirement investors underestimate the fees on their investments and the impact...

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) are concerned about the comments made in an editorial written by the MEC of Transport in the Western Cape that call for the privatization of City of Cape Town's Port that is under the custodianship of Transnet. It is calling for the provincial government to stop interfering in the operations of Transnet. The Department of Transport in t...

Nurses in Zimbabwe say the country’s authorities are frustrating their efforts to migrate by failing to provide a crucial document confirming their professional status without which they cannot take up overseas jobs. They are also accusing some ministry officials of exploiting the situation by demanding hefty bribes to expedite documents. For more clarity on this, we are joined by…..   GUEST: Simb...

Earlier on today, the High Court in Bloemfontein dismissed Dr Nandipha Magudumana’s bail appeal application. Let’s now chat to SABC News reporter, Aphumelele Mdlalane who was covering the story.   GUEST: Aphumelele Mdlalane, SABC News reporter

Francesca de Gasparis from the South African Faith Communities Environmental Institute reacts to the news that the Western Cape will soon receive mini nuclear reactors. According to her, South Africa does not need new speculative and expensive technology which has already cost the country billions. Mini nuclear reactor technology has been in development for multiple decades and is currently being...

Libya has begun the deportation process of 600 undocumented Egyptians who entered the country illegally. Egypt shares a more than 1,000-kilometer-long border with Libya. Egyptian authorities have stepped up since 2016 to deal with irregular migration, setting a legislative framework to combat the smuggling of migrants. For mor explanation on this, we are joined by…… GUEST: Ebrahim Deen, Independen...

There has been a rise in criminal incidents at places of worship. In Gauteng, churches have resorted to cancelling their evening services and beefing up their security as a result. Over 1500 religious leaders met with the Department of Community Safety in Gauteng last week on the scourge and discussed how the church can work alongside community policing forums to safeguard. To understand the Churc...

Ayamnkela Mambula who was born with cleft lip and cleft palate can now smile freely, after a successful surgical procedure that was provided by a team of Operation Smile medical volunteers. This development has been warmly received, given that statistics show - a child is born with a cleft condition every three minutes globally, making it the third most prevalent congenital anomaly.     Guest: Sar...

Another food poisoning scare hits Eastern Cape pupils. Several reports have confirmed that about 20 Lusikisiki grade 12 pupils were rushed to health facilities last week Friday, after they ate chips and biscuits bought from a spaza shop. We also understand that one of the learners missed one exam paper due to this unfortunate incident. Joining us to give us more details on this, is ……   GUEST: Mal...

Earlier today, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union kicked off its tenth national congress in Durban. ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa, COSATU President, Zingisa Losi and SACP Secretary-General, Solly Mapaila are set to address the proceedings. It will also see the election of new leadership. One of the key discussions set to take place will be the rise of police killings in the past 12 months....

An investigating officer in the Senzo Meyiwa case has been asked whether one of the accused was taken to court in the prescribed 48 hours following his arrest. Sergeant Vusimuzi Mogane is testifying in the trial-within-a-trial in the High Court in Pretoria where the admissibility of Bongani Ntanzi's confession statement is being challenged. Five men are on trial for the murder of the Bafana Bafana...

Politically speaking, with Biya being one of Africa's longest-serving leaders – Is it in the interest of Cameroon to keep him in power and what more can he do for the West African nation?     GUEST (UK): Dr David Matsanga, Political analyst & Expert on East Africa Diplomatic Relations

The Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni made the announcement earlier on today when she briefed the media on the outcomes of last week’s cabinet meeting.   GUEST: Professor Andre Duvenage, Political analyst from North-West University