The National Pulse

According to Dr. Oscar Van Heerden, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe's support for power ships can give Eskom the reprieve it needs to help address the country's long-term electricity crisis.  Van Heerden wrote an op-ed that discusses the investment implications of these power cuts and why the minister's idea could be the solution the country needs. He joins us to unpack furthe...

Tens of thousands of people were present in St. Peter’s Square today for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a leading theologian of the 20th century and the first pope to resign from office in nearly 600 years. So post his funeral we ask - how should the world remember Pope Benedict XVI? Joining us to talk about his legacy and also to share thoughts in terms of how former Pope Benedict XVI...

The African National Congress’s 55th conference continues today after the party failed to conclude its business at Nasrec last month. The virtual conference will be held over two days ahead of the party’s January 8 celebrations on Sunday. But what kind of policies are likely to be adopted, given the country’s enormous socio economic challenges?      GUEST: Xolani Dube, Political analyst from Xuber...

Zambia's power utility - Zesco Ltd - has announced crippling 12-hour electricity blackouts until further notice. Power rationing officially started on Tuesday with some areas being hit by up to eight hours of power cuts. ZESCO says the measure is needed because of a lack of water in the Kariba dam, which is used for hydropower. Joining us to look at the political ramifications of this is….     GUE...

The Sibambisene Foundation has launched a BackaBuddy crowdfund to provide additional assistance to the affected Boksburg blast community. According to the foundation, many homes still require assistance with installing new windows and other electrical needs. More than 30 people were killed and 50 were injured in the tragic explosion. We speak to the foundation to find out more on the work being do...

While the matrics of 2022 anxiously await the release of their results, anxiety is at an all-time high for some. To be quite honest, when you’re waiting for your matric exam results, you can feel stressed out because the waiting is the worst part of the whole process. So how can learners stay calm while waiting for matric results? Joining us for this conversation is …..  GUEST: Maano Ramadwa, Educ...

The Road Freight Association has called on the government to secure roads and ports against organised crime. This was one of the primary findings of the association's report on the industry, which provided an overview of the previous year as well as a forecast for what 2023 holds. Joining us for a conversation to discuss the report findings and the industry's challenges is...    GUEST: Gavin Kelly...

The Cape Winelands District Municipality's fire services have been battling a fire that has emerged in the mountains above Waverly Hills on the R46 between Ceres and Wolseley, rendering the peaks inaccessible. We find out more from the spokesperson on the progress of containing the fire and the challenges met by the team...    GUEST: Jo – Anne Otto – Deputy Director of Communications at Cape Winel...

We are pausing this question following Eskom’s announcement that Stage 3 loadshedding will be implemented starting from 16:00pm this afternoon until further notice. According to the power utility, this is due to the breakdown of two generating units and the delay in returning to service three generating units from planned maintenance.   GUEST: Dr Chuma Mangisa, Leadership expert

Still on loadshedding. Let’s now hear from the Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde on how he intends to end loadshedding in the Western Cape. This as the province is trying to move away from relying solely on Eskom’s unreliable electricity supply.   GUEST: Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape  

For the first time in nearly a century, the United States House of Representatives has failed to elect a speaker in the first rounds of voting. This as Kevin McCarthy failed to overcome opposition within his caucus in the three rounds of voting yesterday. For more on this and also to explain what it means for McCarthy’s political career, we are joined by….  GUEST: Dr John Stremlau, Honorary Profes...

Over the past two years, we’ve witnessed an acceleration of technology adoption across society, propelled by the COVID -19 pandemic. As normality returns some technology adoption is likely to slow down, there are some technological developments that will probably evolve and change our everyday reality, this is according to Wesley Diphoko – the editor-in-chief of Fast Company. He takes us through t...

The Department of Health says it was worried about the high number of teen pregnancies in South Africa. Of the total mothers who gave birth on both Christmas and New Year’s Day, over 100 of them were underage, with the youngest being only 13-years-old. So is South Africa capable of reducing teen pregnancies?   GUEST: Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, Deputy Minister of Health  

The City of Mangaung (Bloemfontein) in the Free State says it has fixed all the issues at Dr Molemela stadium and the venue is now suitable and ready to host the ANC’s 111th birthday celebration on Sunday. The doubt over the suitability of the stadium surfaced around Dec 21, when a letter addressed to the ANC to consider using an alternative venue made the rounds. We find out more about the city’s...

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to shake up his cabinet this year as he needs to replace certain ministers who can no longer fulfill their responsibilities as cabinet ministers. The National Freedom Party says President Ramaphosa needs to be bolder when reshuffling his cabinet. The party is of the view that Ramaphosa must remove all the pensioners, and replace them with the youth. GUEST: Can...

Malawi is currently experiencing one of the worst cholera outbreaks in years and this has led to the country suspending primary and secondary schools opening in two major cities. The cholera outbreak began in March last year but has become acute lately. To give us an update in terms of what’s going on in Malawi is….    Guest on the line (Malawi): Gospel Kazako, Malawi's Minister of Information and...

Earlier on today, the newly elected Secretary General of the African National Congress Fikile Mbalula addressed the media on the party’s state of readiness regarding the continuation of the 55th national conference that was not completed in December last year due to time constraints. Mbalula also gave an update regarding the January 8 statement celebrations. SABC News senior reporter, Ntebo Mokobo...

At least 260 people have been arrested in Gauteng for alleged illegal possession of firearms and ammunition throughout December with the police confiscating over 500 unlicensed firearms and more than 6000 rounds of ammunition during the crime sweep between 1 and 30 December. We speak to Gun Free SA on the alarming illegal firearm figures and their circulation…      GUEST: Adele Kirsten – Gun Free...

As most people will be returning to work this week, there is no doubt that there are those even after a December break, who are finding it difficult to get excited about the new year. According to Anja van Beek, the shocking reality is that nearly one in every five employees worldwide says they are likely to switch jobs in the next 12 months, indicating that the so-called "great resignation" is no...

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) had a busy New Year's Day, arresting seven speeding motorists and recording over 6 000 speeding violations. The Department increased its efforts to crack down on speeders as holidaymakers returned home following the festive season, resulting in an increase in traffic volumes. These follow the recommissioning of speed cameras with Syntel (Pty)...

Afrikaaans magazine, Vrye Weekblad has named Gif of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman as the ‘Person of the Year’ due to his excellent work of serving the people that his organisation Gift of the Givers continues to do. His teams have responded to the needs of countless people affected by a wide range of natural disasters, such as floods, famine, tsunamis, earthquakes and wars.    GUEST: Dr I...

According to the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva – this year is going to be a tough year as the main engines of global growth, the United States, Europe and China, are stalling, which is bad news for the global outlook. But what about South Africa - how will the country’s economy look like this year?   GUEST: Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist of the Efficient Group  

The Department of Labour's National Minimum Wage Commission is proposing a minimum wage hike of more than 8% in 2023. At current inflation rate, the adjustment will raise the minimum wage to up to R25.13 per hour. That means minimum wage for those working nine hours a day, will increase to around R4 750. Up from R23.19 per hour. It was hiked by almost 7% in March this year, from R21.69. We’re now...

We now look at Pele’s legacy, his global status and contribution to the beautiful game in general. He won a record three World Cups and was widely regarded as one of his sport's greatest players. His majestic and galvanizing presence set him among the most recognizable figures in the world.   GUEST (UK): Mark Perryman is the author of Ingerland: Travels with a Football Nation  

Was 2022 a good year for the working class? We hear from Zwelinzima Vavi as SAFTU is calling on all components of the working class to abandon all previous prejudices and do everything to enhance principled unity for the sake of workers and the marginalised poor majority.     GUEST: Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU)