The National Pulse

The community of Langa in Cape Town and the family of a five year old child who was burnt with boiling water are fuming. Five year old Unako Kala was playing with dogs in her street when the woman poured a bucket of boiling water on him. Her family recalls Unako came home screaming with open burn wounds after the incident. A 22 year old woman remains in custody, facing a charge of intent to do gri...

Five trucks were set alight on the N4 near the Waterval Boven Tunnel in Mpumalanga last night. Truck drivers were attacked and robbed of their belongings. We understand that some of the drivers are still traumatised as they spent the cold night in the bushes hiding from their attackers.     GUEST: Eric Lubisi, SABC News reporter…..

Gabon President Ali Bongo has announced that he will run for re-election next month. Bongo has been in power for 14 years and questions are being asked about his fitness to run the nation, as it is public knowledge that he suffered a stroke in 2018 and has mobility difficulties. So what more can he offer the Gabonese Republic? We find out from ……. GUEST: Dr William Mpofu, Political analyst & R...

A rare snowfall covered the City of Johannesburg this morning, including the eastern areas of Gauteng, Heidelberg and parts of Vosloorus. The public and small stock farmers are advised that the very cold, wet and windy conditions may pose a risk to livestock, vulnerable crops and plants. GUEST: Lehlohonolo Thobela, Meteorologist from the South African Weather Services

Today we celebrate two Metro Police officers who were recently awarded the Gold Cross for Bravery. In 2013, both officers foiled a planned armed robbery and almost lost their lives as they suffered multiple gunshot wounds. GUEST: Constable Quinton Steenberg, Ekurhuleni Metro Police officer GUEST: Constable Yul Liesering, Ekurhuleni Metro Police officer  

Over 80 community service doctors in Limpopo remain in limbo after they were not placed in hospitals. The doctors were informed by the national department that they had been allocated to Limpopo and were meant to start work on the 1st of July, however they have not been appointed to hospitals. The province has a shortage of doctors, especially in rural hospitals. What is the way forward with regar...

What should the response be to the issue of young people between the ages of 15 to 24 who cannot be accounted for within the formal education, employment or training? Stats SA reported recently that 3.4 million youth out of the 10.2 million who are unemployed are not at school, and aren’t in any form of training either. The NYDA today held a status of the youth dialogue with the National Planning...

The African Transformation Movement has written to the Judicial Service Commission, raising concerns about the ConCourt’s delayed judgment on the case of suspended Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane. They are arguing that the undue delay risks rendering the judgment moot and purely academic with no real impact on the injustice faced by Advocate Mkhwebane.   GUEST: Mxolisi Makhubu, ATM Sp...

Today the world is observing World Kiswahili Language Day as declared by UNESCO Member States in its 41st Session in 2021. Swahili has for centuries been the language of commerce in East Africa, becoming a second language to tens of millions across trading routes . GUEST: Retired Major-General Gaudence Milanzi, Tanzanian Ambassador to South Africa GUEST ON THE LINE (TANZANIA): Majid Mswahili, Assi...

THE INNERVIEW: The Department of Public Works in KwaZulu-Natal wants to negotiate business forums blocking construction projects in the province. MEC Sipho Nkosi says over R3 billion has been lost due to the delays. A school in the province has not been able to go ahead with construction due to forums demanding 30% of profits or protection fees. They have stopped construction at the school at leas...

Tebogo Malope’s film, ‘Rise: The Story of Siya Kolisi’ has won an award at the The Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The documentary looks into rugby player, Siya Kolisi’s rise from the township to being the South Africa’s first national rugby team captain. It documents highlights the importance of representation in sports and looks at some of the barriers athletes like Kolisi have to jump throug...

Civil Society organisation, Open Secrets and Investigative organisation, The Sentry have released a join report shedding light into how Zimbabwean businessman and presidential advisor, Kudakwaqshe Tagwirei allegedly moved funds from the Zimbabwean Reserve Bank to London, using false invoices and offshore accounts. The report titled ‘Fronts, Fakes, and Façades: How South African and Mauritian Enabl...

Tributes continue to pour in following the death of former minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad. In remembering his contribution to the liberation struggle, President Cyril Ramaphosa says Pahad was a thinker and strategist who introduced a democratic, non-aligned and activist South Africa to the global community. For more reaction on Pahad’s death, we are now joined by …… GUEST: Fazel Randera, s...

META has officially launched Threads, a new app that many people say is designed to woo people away from Elon Musk's Twitter. What makes it a serious threat to Twitter is the fact that currently META holds almost 3 billion Facebook users and more than 2.3 billion Instagram users. But will it stand the test of time? For more on this, we are joined by….   GUEST: Toby Shapshak – Editor-in-Chief of St...

How is the situation in Nama Khoi District Municipality going following the flooding in the past week? The municipality has been declared a disaster area following the death of four people. Gift of the Givers and other NGOs have been on the ground to provide relief to affected communities. One person was still missing on Monday, have they been found? We are now joined by Dr Gustav Bock, Mayor of N...

Controversial businessman Hamilton Ndlovu’s fleet of luxurious cars has not yet been auctioned off. The cars were meant to go on auction today, however, they are on hold for now. The auction follows an investigation by the SIU that found that he pocketed about R172 million in PPE tenders from the National Health Laboratory Service during the covid-19 pandemic. Why has the auction been halted? We’r...

We hear from the Zwelethemba High School Stem club after its robotics team took part in the US Robotics Open Tournament. They came back from the US over the weekend and it wasn’t all smooth sailing as the team only managed to obtain position 50 and we understand that 96 teams took part in this year’s event. Good news though is that they will be heading back to the US again in December and hopefull...

A recent study by Pharma Dynamics showed that almost half of South Africans take health supplements to boost their health and minimise the risk of illness. Young adults are still not as aggressive in their consumption, however, the research showed that as people grow older, they start leaning towards immune boosting supplements. The dietary supplement market is surging in South Africa and it expec...

Earlier on today, the Gauteng High Court ruled that former president Jacob Zuma’s private prosecution of President Cyril Ramaphosa is unlawful and unconstitutional. Zuma was also ordered to pay the costs of his successor, including the costs of two counsels. Joining us to explain what this means is…..   GUEST: Mpumelelo ‘Bond’ Nyoka, Attorney & Legal analyst

The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has confirmed that the men who were brutally assaulted by Deputy President Paul Mashatile's protection unit over the weekend are all trainees with the South African National Defence Force.   GUEST: Pikkie Greef, National Secretary of the South African National Defence Union (Sandu)

After 12 years since the country gained its independence - South Sudan will finally go to the polls next year. The vote would be the country’s first and the culmination of the peace agreement signed nearly five years ago. For more analysis on the country’s political dynamics, we are joined by….   GUEST: Izak Khomo, African affairs commentator

IPID launch an internal investigation into the VIP Protection Unit The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has launched investigations into the VIP Protection Unit involved in the assault of motorists and passengers on the N1 highway yesterday. It has been discovered that the VIP Protection Unit is linked to the Deputy President of South Africa and it has also been established that he was...

A funeral palour has been helping struggling families in rural communities in the Eastern Cape bury their loved ones. The company recently buried a husband and his wife after they were murdered by criminals who broke into their home. Khwalo Funerals carried the costs of the funeral  after the family from Lusikisiki expressed they could not afford to bury the couple. We are now joined by Luyanda Ma...

Senzo Meyiwa’s family will have to wait even longer to find out what happened to their son if they ever will. A new judge has been appointed has been appointed to replace judge Tshifhiwa Maumela. Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng after Mauela’s suspension last week. This means this case has to start from scratch and all the witnesses who have come forward, will have to testify again. How does Senzo Meyiwa’...

Dates have been announced on the Moonshot Pact convention, it will be held on 16-17 August 2023. The convention aims to create a pre-election coalition in a bid to remove the governing party from power.  Seven political parties have confirmed their attendance. The Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance held a press briefing this morning to encourage South Africans to register to save the nation...