The National Pulse

Concerns are growing over the shortage of neonatal intensive care units in Gauteng. Gauteng MEC for health says Chris Hani Baragwanath has 18 neonatal ICUs, but it should have 35 in order to meet international standards of care. The DA in Gauteng says many other hospitals have a shortage of functioning ICU beds, including Pholosong Hospital, George Mkhari, George Mkhari and Charlotte Maxeke. What...

How should different spheres of government respond to explosion incidents like the one that occurred at the Johannesburg CBD? We find out from Professor Ivan Turok who is of the view that maintenance and inspection programs are key to prevent explosions and also to reduce the possibility of damage.   GUEST: Professor Ivan Turok, Urban planning expert from the University of the Free State

Well you have just heard Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago announcing that the repo rates………Let’s now speak to Professor Jannie Rossouw, Visiting Professor @Wits Business School just to get his reaction on this. 

Sign Language is officially the 12th official language in South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed it into law just over an hour ago. South Africa is now the fourth African country to have sign language as an official language. There are more than 600 000 people who use sign language to communicate in South Africa.. What does this mean going forward? We’re now joined by Claudine Storbeck, As...

As many young people in our country struggle to find meaningful employment opportunities or the capital to start their own businesses. We hear from Nompumelelo Nyawo who has been assisting students and unemployed youth to acquire basic skills to enter the job market. GUEST: Nompumelelo Nyawo, Managing Director of The Atomic Group

Does the easing of the inflation rate between May and June mean we should expect some good news when the Reserve Bank announces its decision on interest rates? Data by Stats SA shows inflation eased from 6.3% in May to 5.4% in June. We are now below the 6% mark for the first time since October 2021. Most non-alcoholic beverages recorded lower inflation rates in June, but some remained high. We’re...

A nine months old baby has died at an early childhood development centre on his first day of school in Zwelisha, KwaZulu-Natal. A caregiver at Umganu Circle contacted Reaction Unit South Africa after realising the child was unresponsive. The school says he fell asleep while being fed lunch and did not wake up. We’re now joined by Prem Balram, spokesperson for Reaction Unit South Africa.

Following the Presidency’s announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the BRICS Summit next month. We speak to the Democratic Alliance as you know that they have been following this issue quite closely and they have succeeded in their quest to force President Cyril Ramaphosa to share his affidavit on why the government will not arrest Putin if he attends the conferenc...

The Presidency has announced that Vladimir Putin will not attend next month’s BRICS Summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead. Joining us to look at the political dynamics that may have influenced this decision is… GUEST: Thembisa Fakude, Senior Research Fellow at the Africa-Asia Dialogues

Meanwhile, the high court in Pretoria has heard that the first state witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial never received medical attention after she was allegedly hit by bullet sparks. State witness, Zandile Khumalo was present in the Vosloorus home East of Johannesburg where the soccer star was shot and killed in 2014. The court earlier heard of how she felt Meyiwa's body temperature drop whe...

Are there lions on the loos or not in KZN ? Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife says it cannot confirm or deny the presence of lions around the community of Umlalazi. Families in the area reported that they saw two lions on the loose. Field rangers have been deployed in the area to see if there indeed are lions in the area, however, Ezemvelo says it has not seen any. The organisation has called on residents to...

The United Nations in South Africa and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have launched a ‘Mandela SDGs Quote Book’ that beautifully aligns Nelson Mandela's famous sayings with each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The book emphasises the importance of sustainable development in South Africa. It is also a call to action for people to do their part to attain the SDGs. Nelson Mandela Day recognis...

The department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Free State today launched its food promotion programme as part of Mandela Day celebrations. It wants to enhance awareness about issues around food scarcity and security and provide government’s response to food insecurity.  What does this programme entail? We’re now joined by Free State’s MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Saki Mok...

Kelly Khumalo’s sister, Zandile Khumalo took the stand today as the first witness for the state in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial. Zandile was the last person to testify in the trial before it was restarted. The trial had to start from scratch after Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela was suspended for failing to deliver reserved judgments on time. What happened in court today? We’re now joined by SABC News Re...

The Gauteng Department of Health has initiated a series of surgical marathons to address the substantial surgery backlog in the province as we observe International Mandela Day. Currently the province, had over 18,000 patients awaiting surgical procedures, a reduction from the 32,000 patients at the beginning of the year. Responding to this call, Gauteng's health department has been performing ele...

The BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue has kicked off in Johannesburg on Tuesady hosting over 50 political parties from the BRICS Nations including various other countries interested in joining BRICS with various commissions expected to take place over the next three days. The theme this year is “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusiv...

President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled two Nelson Mandela statues today in Mthatha and Qunu in commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day. The two monuments serve as a tribute to Madiba’s legacy both in South Africa and the rest of the world. The United Nations proclaimed the Nelson Mandela International Day in 2009. How did today’s celebrations go? We’re now joined by SABC News Political Reporter, Ntebo Mok...

The Gift of The Givers says it has made its final attempt to secure the release of South African hostage Gerco van Deventer. The attempt comes more than a month since his captors confirmed his release was being considered. Van Deventer has been held hostage for over five years while he was in Libya working as a paramedic for a month. The Gift of the Givers’ hostage negotiator recently came back sa...

Gift Mabuza, PRO of Bokamoso Arts Institute: “The Bokamoso Arts Institute back in the country after winning the 12th World Choir Games”

The strike by Hollywood writers and screen stars is gaining momentum and its impact will be felt by production houses in other parts of the world. Negotiations collapsed on Thursday last week and the fight continues over the way streaming services are investing in artificial intelligence, threatening the jobs of writers and actors. What impact will artificial intelligence have in the film industry...

Are we likely to see a marriage between the PAC and Azapo as we head towards elections? The parties have done a series of joint events and project over the past few years. They met this weekend to discuss the possibility of having unity among leftist organisations in preparation for 2024. Is there a cooperation agreement? To discuss the outcomes of the meeting, Guest: Mzwanele Nyhontso, president...

The Senzo Meyiwa murder trial resumed in the High Court in Pretoria this morning, following numerous delays. The trial was postponed last month after presiding judge Tshifhiwa Maumela fell ill and was later suspended, following complaints about him delaying handing down several reserved judgements.   GUEST: Horisani Sithole, SABC reporter….  

Russia has withdrawn from the grain deal that allows food to be exported from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports,  arguing that assurances by the United Nations that it would be able to sell its own goods have not been fulfilled. Another Russian complaint is that some of the grain went to rich countries. For more on this, we are joined by…… GUEST: Brooks Spector, Associate Editor at Daily Maverick

The ANC Ekurhuleni Conference that took place in May last year has been set aside by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg. You may recall that former Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina won that particular conference by a narrow margin, however there was that controversial issue of 19 votes that were quarantined by the ANC which were ultimately disqualified. So what’s going to happen next moving f...

In conversation with South Africa's first visually-impaired tour guide, Winston Fani. Earlier this year, after hearing his story, Cape Town Tourism decided to cover Fani’s tuition costs, a move that assisted him to obtain his tourism qualification and ultimately enabled him to become South Africa’s first-ever qualified blind-tour guide.   GUEST: Winston Fani, Cape Town's first blind tour guide