The National Pulse

According to the PwC Africa Economic Outlook for 2022, South Africa may see unemployment rise to up to 40% if loadshedding continues at the current rate. There are concerns that if unemployment rates rise, so will poverty. The report has also noted that weak governance is a major obstacle to economic growth. To help us understand the findings of this report, we are joined by... Guest: Dawie Roodt...

Brazilian voters are heading back to the ballot box as elections enter a second round. Former statesman, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva failed to secure a clear majority against President Jair Bolsonaro. After votes were counted over the past 48 hours, former president Luiz da Silva only secured 48,2% of the vote and forced the run-off which is set to take place on 30 October 2022. Experts are concerne...

Some great news. Our very own Ntombhi Ya Mutsonga has taken this year’s South African Traditional Music Achievement Award for Best Indigenous Poet Artist and Group. This is not her first SATMA, last year, she won the best praise singer award last year. She started performing her poetry at family gatherings and now, she graces big stages nationally. But most importantly for us, her poetry opens our...

As the countdown begins to the ANC Elective Congress, candidates Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamaini-Zuma have joined forces to launch a joint campaign that has been backed by former President Jacob Zuma. On the slate, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will run as President and Lindiwe Sisulu will run as Deputy President despite not having support from any of the provincial executive committees. To unpack...

The Western Cape Department of Transport says it will focus its Transport Month efforts towards building and strengthening a culture of safe and responsible behavior on the roads. It will focus its efforts on pedestrian safety. The province recently dealt with a variety of issues following clashes between the taxi and the bus industry. What are some of the plans the department will be implementing...

Some great news in the startup sector. South African Tech Startup, Rekisa eCommerce Solutions has landed its first funding from American tech giant, Google. The digital platform is part of Google’s Startups Black Founders Fund. It is a platform for other businesses to create, manage and market their websites. So far, the business has 500 small businesses, but the founder has bigger plans. He wants...

On World News today, we ask – What is behind the coup in Burkina Faso? The coup has been widely condemned by the US, the African Union, European Union and the regional grouping ECOWAS. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by the force of arms and called on all actors to refrain from violence and seek dialogue...

Johannesburg Water has advised Joburg residents, particularly those residing in lower lying areas to use water sparingly in order to assist with the recovery of constrained systems. This as we are told that the bulk network is severely strained due to high water usage as well as the recent power trips at various plants. For more on this, we are joined by……     GUEST: Puleng Mopeli, Joburg water sp...

The jet fuel shortage at the Cape Town International Airport is finally getting solved. A delayed vessel carrying jet fuel has finally arrived after a 9-day delay that led to some disruption in the aviation industry. American airline, United had cancelled its flights from Newark to Cape Town. South African airlines were also expressing frustrations over the shortage. What exactly happened here and...

As the ANC continues to prepare for its much-anticipated national conference, which is due to take place in December. We get an update in terms of what transpired this past weekend as party branches convened their Branch General Meetings (BGM’s). You may recall that the process was initially expected to conclude on 2 October, but has since been moved to the 25th.       GUEST: Samekele Maseko, SABC...

The Gauteng Education Department has started sending confirmations for 2023 school placement confirmations. MEC Panyaza Lesufi announced through a media briefing yesterday. Among the issues he raised was the high demand for schools in Gauteng and said new school need to be built to meet the demand. How are school governing bodies dealing with the increasing demand for access to their schools? We a...

Abantu Batho Congress wants eThekwini Municipality to strengthen security around its leader, Philani Mavundla after the murder of his bodyguard. According to Mavundla and the metro police, the bodyguard was killed while entering his home in Umgababa, south of Durban after dropping Mavundla off at his home.     GUEST: Philani Mavundla, leader of Abantu Batho Congress & Deputy Mayor of eThekwini...

Public enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has just announced a new board for Eskom that would be chaired by Mpho Makwana. CEO Andre de Ruyter and CFO Calib Cassim will be executive members of the board. So will the new board turn things around? Let's find out from .....   GUEST: Tshepo Kgadima, Energy expert

As Brazilians are preparing to vote on Sunday. Many deem this year’s election as the most consequential since Brazil returned to democracy in 1985. This as some are worried that Jair Bolsonaro may contest the results if he loses. On the other hand, Lula da Silva, who led the nation for two terms between 2003 and 2010, is projected to receive about 47 per cent of the vote, compared with 33 per cent...

The Department of Health has announced several initiatives to assist the healthcare sector in the face of unprecedented rolling blackouts, including exempting hospitals from load shedding. This follows a call for intervention by industry leaders as hospitals across the country are unable to help patients in critical conditions due to blackouts. Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla stated that his depart...

The final investigation reports relating to improper conduct and maladministration in state affairs were released today by the Acting Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka. The reports include findings on the former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Mrs. Nosiviwe Mapisa-official Nqakula's trip to Zimbabwe, and the appointment of the chief of staff in the Department of Public Enterpris...

Following the ousting of Mpho Phalatse as Joburg mayor. We hear from Herman Mashaba, leader of ActionSA about what he makes of her sudden removal.      GUEST: Herman Mashaba, Leader of ActionSA    

Central to the country's political discourse in the last few years has been that the country's national governance is undoubtedly heading towards an era of coalition politics at a national level, and the narrative suggests that this may be a good thing. However, how true is this when coalition agreements on a local level are constantly falling apart, and ultimately impacting service delivery? We u...

SA’s National Treasury has banned Bain & Company from tendering for public-sector contracts for the next 10 years. The Treasury said the reason for the ban was that the consultancy firm was engaged in corrupt and fraudulent practices in relation to a SARS contract. To explain what this means is…..   GUEST: Khaya Sithole, Independent analyst

guest: Dr Simon Mangcwatywa, Principal Executive Officer

A more recent survey, published this month by financial information firm finder.com , put South African crypto ownership at 10%, with those aged 18 to 34 accounting for 43% of holders.    This study focuses on young people in townships who are drawn to the promise of quick riches with cryptocurrencies but risk losing money or becoming victims of scams. The study highlights that more young South Af...

In two months’ time, Sizwe Hosmed Medical Scheme will celebrate its first year in operation as a merged entity. Joining Aldrin Sampear to talk about this important milestone and also to discuss the organisation’s successes and challenges guest: Songandaba Langa

This week, Sizwe Hosmed Medical Scheme is launching its new product clusters. This launch comes in the wake of feedback from its brokers, service providers and all other business partners who have been instrumental in making 2022 a year of great success and growth for this new entity. To tell us more about the new product clusters is ……  GUEST: Dr Lebogang Maroo, Clinical and Operations Executive...

Yesterday, a UN tribunal in The Hague opened the long-awaited trial of alleged Rwandan genocide financier Felicien Kabuga - who has been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the Genocide against the Tutsi 28 years ago. Joining us to discuss the significance of this trial is …….    GUEST: Dr Etienne Mutabazi, Rwandan lawyer & former Legal Assistant and Investigator...

A 15-year-old girl allegedly held hostage and gang-raped managed to escape, only to be turned away from a Motherwell clinic and told to first go to a police station where she later died.   GUEST: Colonel Priscilla Naidu – EC provincial spokesperson