The National Pulse

Old Mutual SMEgo Feature: As SMEs struggle with the impact of Stage 6 load shedding on their businesses, SMEgo – an innovative funding platform – has seen an increase for asset and inventory finance to deal with the impact of load shedding/for funding to go off the grid. Nobesuthu Ndlovu from Old Mutual is of the view that SME owners are doing their best to stay one-step ahead of the SA power cris...

The South African Human Rights Commission on Tuesday launched an initiative called the Social Harmony National Effort at the Freedom Park Heritage Museum in Tshwane. The commission says that despite poverty, inequality, and violence, people around the world are uniting behind the pillars of dignity, harmony, healing, and social inclusion to rebuild. The South African Human Rights Commission's depu...

Former Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane appeared before the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court this morning, along with former Sahara employee Ugeshni Govender and Islandsite director Ronica Ragavan. The trio were arrested on charges pertaining to the R280 million Estina Dairy farm project. To furnish us with more details on this is…..     GUEST: Sindisiwe Seboka, Spokesperson for NPA's Inves...

The ANC in the eThekwini Region has called on police minister Bheki Cele and chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to intensify investigations into political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. Following the brutal killing of branch deputy chair in Ward 14, Cassim Phiri. Over the past few weeks, more than 5 leaders of the ANC have been killed in eThekwini region under mysterious circumstances. For...

Thousands of Congolese who have been living in Zambia after having fled political and inter-ethnic clashes in the DRC’s southeast region in 2017 will soon return home. According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 11,000 Congolese refugees are registered to go back to DRC by the end of 2022 following the declaration of improved security in some areas of Haut-Katanga province. For more on this, we...

The power of social media has seen a young South African artist share the stage with renowned RNB artist, John Legend. Mthandazo participated in the #OpenVerseChallenge on Tiktok and stitched a duet with the American RnB singer. He added a Zulu verse on John Legend’s song titled ‘nervous’. The video went viral, and John Legend loved it. It turned out he was coming to the country and he invited Mth...

Will restructuring the Eskom board yield any positive results as we navigate our way through the current power crisis. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan says he is looking at restructuring and reconstituting the Eskom board. He informed Eskom directors earlier today in a meeting where he was thanking them for their service. South Africa has been dealing with long hours of load-shedding th...

The Democratic Alliance in collaboration with some political parties, civic organisations as well as businesses have formed Western Cape Devolution Working Group. The group says it wants to protect the rights of the people of the Western Cape and improve their circumstances trough the devolution of powers and functions away from national government.  It says government has failed to perform its co...

GUEST: Dr Protus Madlala, Political analyst  

Earlier on today, ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo announced former health minister Zweli Mkhize as the region’s preferred presidential candidate for the ANCs December conference. However, he also made it clear that the nominations that they announced today are not cast in stone and that ‘as ANC KZN are open to persuasion and can be persuaded by other provinces as well’. To tell...

Giorgia Meloni, leader of Brothers of Italy, will soon be nominated as Italy's next prime minister after leading her party to victory in the general election. However, her detractors are worried that she won't be able to unite the country. So who is Giorgia Meloni and what is top of her to do list?   Guest Vito Laterza, Associate Professor in Development Studies at the University of Agder, Norway...

It is Day one of Cosatu’s elective conference. Cosatu’s president, Zingiswa Losi opened the conference earlier. She highlighted the need for the organisation to prioritise the needs of the workers it represents. Cosatu has been marred by a variety of internal squabbles. The elective congress takes place as South Africa battles with unemployment and a rising cost of living that affects their member...

A new study has found that excessive blue light exposure from smartphones, TVs and computer screens may impact basic cellular function and accelerate ageing. But what are the effects of prolonged blue light exposure on other areas of health and how does South Africa rank in terms of device usage?     GUEST: Vanessa Ascencao, Health and wellness expert  

Late anti-apartheid activist, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela would have turned 86 years old today. Madikizela-Mandela had a robust political career. She studied social work at the Jan Hofmeyr School of Social work, a qualification she finished while dealing with harassment from apartheid police due to her activism. She then studied political science majoring in international relations at the university...

A Limpopo couple is challenging labour laws on maternity leave, arguing that both parents should be entitled to the same leave. In their application to the Johannesburg High Court against the Minister of Employment and Labour, they seek an amendment to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.  GUEST: Michael Bagraim, Labour Law expert

DA’s Member of Parliament Dion George says South Africa needs to consider scrapping VAT on more food items like chicken, beef and tinned beans. According to him, this will somehow assist the country in its continuous battle to alleviate hunger.      GUEST: Dion George, DA’s MP  

Zimbabwe's justice system has once again come under the spotlight with growing calls for the release of opposition political party members of parliament who have now spent more than a hundred days behind bars. Amnesty International has accused the judiciary of not being independent and said the continued arbitrary detention of opposition members is revealing of the politicised justice system in Zi...

Guest: Thanyani Wanga

According to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, three more South Africans have made it to the world’s richest 500 list (and that’s beside Elon Musk), these are Johan Rupert, listed at 215, Nicky Oppenheimer is 235th on the list and Natie Kirsh, listed at 257. But should we be celebrating this, given the country’s high unemployment rate and extreme poverty levels? What’s your take on it? For...

As referendums on joining Russia are currently underway in Ukraine, we ask – what does Russia hope to achieve? The Kremlin-orchestrated referendums, which have been widely denounced by Ukraine and the West as shams without any legal force, are seen as a step toward annexing the territories by Russia. To explain what this means is…..  GUEST (Scotland): Musa Mdunge, Political analyst & PhD candi...

Guest: Modjadji Makoela

Boeing has been ordered by the US authorities to pay $200m following two crashes that occurred in October 2018 and March 2019 that killed a total of 346 people. This after an investigation by the US’s top financial regulator revealed that the company and former CEO Dennis Muilenburg made misleading statements about the two crashes. To react to this is…..  GUEST: Phutego Mojapele, Aviation analyst...

Guest: MEC Thabo Mokone

Companies in different parts of the world have been exploring the idea of a four day work week. The pilot project has hit our shores. South Africans can now participate in the six months trial that will look at whether or not this model could be adapted here. This is a bid to improve productivity and wellness at work. How can Could this work in South Africa? We are now joined by 4DayWeekSA Directo...