The National Pulse

We hear from the department of mineral resources and energy on why fuel prices are going up yet again. We are told that the latest fuel price increases are as a result of higher average international oil prices during the month of June. So we just want to understand if there was no other possible solution that could have been considered before arriving to this decision.     Guest: Robert Maake, Di...

Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have lifted economic and financial sanctions imposed on Mali, after its military rulers agreed to return to civilian rule by March 2024. However, the heads of state decided to maintain individual sanctions, and the suspension of Mali from ECOWAS, until the country returns to constitutional rule. To explain what this means is…..    ...

Crime experts are warning kidnappings are becoming one of South Africa’s new criminal trends. Ransom has been one of the contributing factors to the rise, latest statistics show there were 3300 kidnap cases between January and March this year. The number was almost half of that for the same period the previous year. The Daily Maverick reported specific kidnapping of people from Bangladesh, Pakista...

Staying with our conversation on the ongoing crisis at Eskom. The power utility has spend R4 billion on diesel to keep the lights on this year and avoid moving to higher stages of load-shedding. That is more than double the amount it had budgeted for. CEO, Andre de Ruyter says the company overspent partly due to increasing oil prices globally. But is that reason good enough? We are now joined by C...

Isn’t this just one of the most South African things you have ever heard? It is back up now, but many thought the internet was broken today because Google SA was down. The search engine’s domain was suspended because it wasn’t renewed. Those who use Google.co.za had to move to Google.com while waiting for the domain to get back up.   Guest: Jan Vermeulen, editor at MyBroadband

It never rains but pours for South Africans. The latest BankservAfrica Take-home Pay Index shows salaries one of the biggest annual falls in May 2022. The average real monthly salary was R14,696 in May and it went down by 6.7% on a year-on-year basis. Disposable income is eroding as inflation continues due to rising fuel and food prices. Some good news though, the index shows more people got salar...

eThekwini municipality has announced it will reopen some beaches on Friday following high levels of the bacteria, E.Coli. The bacteria was attributed to damage to the city’s wastewater treatment plants caused by the recent floods, resulting in sewage pollution.   Guest: Dr. Siphiwe Ndlovu, Senior Superintendent at eThekwini Municipality.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali  Bennett’s resignation has sparked another political fiasco in Israel. The Prime Minister resigned a year into his 4 years term. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will become the acting Prime Minister of Israel until next elections in November. Bennet and Lapid have been in governing coalition since June 2021. One of the terms of the coalition agreement was that Bennet was...

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has launched an investigation into police conduct in the alleged cover-up of the theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm. Former spy boss Arthur Fraser, a close associate of former president Jacob Zuma, opened a criminal case against the President claiming that there was an attempt to cover up the theft of millions of US dollars from t...

THE INNERVIEW: I’m sure many of you have noticed that there is just too much negativity in the world right now. With all the talk of viruses, wars and climate disasters - negativity seems to be invading all of our lives these days. So to escape this negative vibe. Today we explain why laughter is good for you and why you should laugh more often. To help us decipher interesting facts about this tic...

FNB Your Money Series: Today we bring you yet another interesting topic, focusing on “The Concept of Family Banking”. Remember FNB is here to help you through your Money Management Journey and to share key principles to manage your money wisely. Joining us for today’s discussion is…..    Guest: Robert Gwerengwe, FNB Middle Market CEO  

The United Democratic movement is calling for an urgent parliamentary debate into the Eskom crisis. UDM member of parliament Nqabayomzi Kwankwa says heads must roll as South Africa goes through stage six load-shedding. The party has written to Parliament’s speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula asking for the House to be called back from recess for the urgent debate. Is this likely to yield any results?...

The wage standoff between Eskom and its employees continues today. The power utility increased its wage increase offer to 7%, and workers are still deliberating on it as negotiations continue. As a result, today we are back on stage six load-shedding as the power utility deals with staff-shortages. What are the implications of a strike like this on an entity like Eskom? We are now joined by Labour...

As today marks the last day of Youth Month, we discuss something that we hardly pay attention to, the issue of stress and anxiety at the institutions of higher learning and how it affects tertiary students. According to the second annual Insights and Learning Report issued by online crowdfunding platform Feenix, 43% of university students surveyed have pointed out that they need mental health serv...

As we conclude Youth Month, we tell you why Samsung continues to focus on policies designed to empower South African Youth in meaningful ways. Joyce Machaba is our guest and she is a……..  Guest: Joyce Machaba, a beneficiary of the  Samsung AppFactory hosted by Tshimologong Digital Precinct and the University of the Western Cape 

Still on NATO. In a historic breakthrough, Sweden and Finland are now expected to become full NATO members – a move that has been viewed by many commentators as a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. You may recall that Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused a sudden shift in attitudes toward joining the bloc. Rus...

Home Affairs Department reacts to the recent court action that was launched by the Helen Suzman Foundation on the decision not to extend exemptions granted to Zimbabwean nationals. Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says his department “will vigorously defend the lawful, reasonable and rational decision” to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits and he argues that Zimbabweans who hold...

Preliminary investigations into the mass death of young people at Enyobeni Tavern in East London reveal victims could have inhaled carbon monoxide. A petrol generator was found inside the venue where the youngsters died and it is suspected they could have inhaled toxic fumes from the generator. For an update on that story, Guest: SABC News Reporter, Kim Daniels

Afriforum has welcomed the return of Eskom workers to work after taking part in an unprotected strike. The power utility announced a stage six load-shedding on Tuesday. It said the absence of workers from work exacerbated the country’s power crisis. Afriforum is still going ahead with its preparation for court action against workers should there be a breakdown in the ongoing negotiations. We are n...

The provincial department of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs has threatened to close down a Limpopo initiation school following the death of a minor who was eight years old. According to the provincial department, both the parents of the boy and the initiation school have contravened section 12 (1) of the Limpopo Initiation Schools Act 2016, which states that no p...

Today, the Pan-African Parliament is expected to elect new leadership. You may recall that last year, the parliament could not elect new leadership after the proceedings descended into chaos when MPs differed on the principle of rotation in the five regions and were not able to choose the new leadership. So far, Pemmy Majodina has been elected as the Interim Chairperson of the Southern Region Cauc...

Following a two-month crime spree that occurred in Polokwane five years ago. Three men received total prison sentences of 384 years. These men reportedly identified themselves as Boko Haram gang members. They were also convicted for contravening immigration laws for being in the country illegally. For more on this, we are joined by….    Guest: Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, Police spokesperson in L...

Many have pointed to an alcohol issue in South Africa following the death of teenagers at a tavern in East London this past weekend. But is alcohol really the problem? The Royal House of Mandela is calling for the shutdown of taverns and a ban on alcohol following the tragedy. Inkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela says alcohol exacerbates social ills and the Enyobeni tragedy is one example. He’s calli...

The issue of Zimbabwean Exemption permits is back on the spotlight again, as we head towards their expiry in six months. These permits were introduced as a way to regularise the status of people from Zimbabwe who fled political and economic instability in 2008. The permits were set to expire last year, however, government gave permit holders a grace period to migrate to other permits. The grace pe...

The Council of the City of Johannesburg has recently approved the Multi-Party Government’s Hybrid Working Policy – the first of its kind for any city or government in South Africa. This policy will allow employees who are not required on the frontline of service delivery to execute their daily responsibilities with flexibility as they contribute towards Johannesburg’s Golden Repair.  Guest: Leah K...