The National Pulse

World News: Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has been detained by mutinous soldiers who are demanding the departure of the army chiefs and appropriate means to fight insurgents who have struck the country since 2015. Kabore has led Burkina Faso since being elected in 2015 after a popular uprising that led to the ousting of long-time strongman President Blaise Compaore, who wa...

Police in Holand found a stowaway alive in the wheel section of a plane that landed at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport from South Africa. However many people are asking, how did he make it – considering the fact that it is very unusual for stowaways on long flights to survive, due to the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes. Guest: Phuthego Mojapele, aviation analyst

We continue to celebrate some of the country’s high achievers from the class of 2021. One of those is Innocent Mathonsi – from DD Mabuza Comprehensive School in Mpumalanga. He now joins us on the line to talk about his achievements…..   Guest: Innocent Mathonsi – Former matriculant at DD Mabuza Comprehensive School

Guest: ERIC NTABAZALILA - NPA SPOKESPERSON IN THE WESTERN CAPE

The National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape has announced that charges against Parliament fire accused Zandile Mafe have been reformulated. Mafe now faces charges of housebreaking with intent to commit terrorism and arson, arson, terrorism and theft. According to the NPA, prosecutor Advocate Mervyn Menigo, has restudied the docket and felt that the charges needed to be reformulated. To...

Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has issued another statement, clarifying the outcome of her meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. In the statement Sisulu has accused the Presidential media team of deliberately being mischievously in its account of the meeting. Earlier the Presidency said Ramaphosa had admonished Sisulu for her comment on the judiciary. It also said the Minister had regretted her...

To look at how the communication around this issue is being handled as one commentator described it as a PR nightmare. How should the presidency be dealing with an issue of this magnitude? To help us understand, we are joined on the line by…   Guest: Tshepo Matseba – MD at Reputation 1st, a boutique strategic communication and reputation management consultancy

The ministry of finance has welcomed the World Bank's approval of South Africa's request for a more than 11-billion-rand loan in support of government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the IFP has warned that the national treasury cannot afford to take on a loan and they are arguing that South Africa runs the risk of losing its sovereignty since we cannot service our debt. Guest: Inkos...

We get more reaction on the World Bank loan and to give us a breakdown in terms of what this loan means for the country’s economy and how it’s going to be used to ease the burden caused by Covid is…. Guest: Isaah Mhlanga, Chief Economist at Alexander Forbes

According to a new multicenter study that was published recently. Children in sub-Saharan Africa who are hospitalized with COVID-19 are dying at a rate far greater than children in the U.S. and Europe. The study examined outcomes in 469 children who ranged in age from 3 months to 19 years who were hospitalized in the DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. To enlighten us on this...

Following the suspension of ANC MP Mervyn Dirks. We now get the other side of the story as we speak to Mkhuleko Hlengwa, Chairperson of Scopa in Parliament – as you know by now that Dirks wrote to Hlengwa asking him to act against President Ramaphosa over misuse of state funds after a recording of an ANC NEC meeting was leaked where President Ramaphosa spoke about the use of state money for...

One South Africa Chief Activist Mmusi Maimane has urged government to invest its largest resources in  school education. As the country prepares for the announcement of the matric results for 2021, Maimane says the country needs to get the basic right. Maimane now joins us on the line to share his views on the state of education in the country and what he is expecting from the minister’...

An association of school governing bodies is accusing the Eastern Cape Department of Education of violating pupils rights to education for failing to supply stationery and textbooks in time for the reopening of schools in the province. In trying to get to the bottom of this, the organisation has asked the SA Human Rights Commission to intervene.   Guest: Andre Gaum, Commissioner @ the SA...

The ANC in the Western Cape has pulled out of its coalition with ICOSA in the Kannaland Municipality and in the process has ousted that party's Mayor and Deputy Mayor, claiming both those positions for themselves now. This follows a vote of no confidence in ICOSA leader and former Mayor, Jeffrey Donson and his deputy Mayor, Werner Meshoa. There were several calls for their removal from office afte...

As you’ve heard in the news that ANC Member of Parliament Mervyn Dirks has confirmed to SABC News that he has been suspended. He is expected to face disciplinary action after he wrote a letter to SCOPA for President Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before the committee. Dirks wants the President to share information about his alleged knowledge of the misuse of public funds for party...

Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that government is currently weighing its options on whether or not South Africa should continue with the National State of Disaster. The national state of disaster was initially introduced in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we have always had organisations like trade union Solidarity arguing that the current state of disaster...

Following yesterday’s announcement by the British Prime Minister to end Covid19 restrictions. We now speak to Professor Tulio De Oliveira who is going to share his thoughts on this major decision and also discuss South Africa’s state of affairs in relation to Covid19.     Guest: Professor Tulio De Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation (CERI)...

The General Workers Industrial Union of South Africa says that it is distressed that their members were shot at earlier in the day allegedly by Clover’s private security guards. This they say happened at the company’s Clayville plant in Gauteng. The union alleges that their striking members were busy distributing food outside when the shooting happened. To tell us more on this, we are...

Today marks the commencement of the 2022 Academic Calendar for coastal schools and as such we speak to KZN Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu about the province’s state of readiness. You may recall that the province has decided to delay by only one day the reopening of 11 schools that fall under uMkhambathini circuit, uMgungundlovu district because of an ongoing legal dispute in the local tradition...

We look at the controversy around six Muslim students of a pre-university college in Udupi district in India's Karnataka state who were barred from attending classes for wearing hijabs. Apparently this issue has been going on since December last year. So is this Islamophobia or is the college within its rights to ban the students, given the fact that they are being accused of defying the...

Let’s continue bringing you some of the bring young people who scored high distinctions in their matric exams. Mohammed Zidan Cassim is from St David's Marist who scored 10 distinctions. He now joins us on the line to tell us how he did that….   Guest: Mohammed Zidan Cassim – Class of 2021 matric learner