The National Pulse

The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) together with the Department of Basic Education and other partners, have developed a programme to reboot the education system and prepare schools to start to recover the losses from the previous two years of Covid 19 disruptions. Also being discussed among the partners is how to Build Back Better (BBB) in the South African education system. Guest:...

World News: Zimbabwe President, Emmerson Mnangagwa wants Cecil John Rhodes remains to be exhumed and returned to the UK. Mnangagwa claims that Rhodes spirit is disrupting communication with ancestors and therefore not needed in the country. But what are the political ramifications for this? Guest: Dr William Mpofu, Researcher at the Centre for Diversity Studies at Wits

DJ Arch Junior has reached one million subscribers on YouTube. Oratilwe Hlongwane popularly known as DJ Arch Junior is the youngest DJ in the world. Hlongwane has appeared on South Africa's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, China's Got Talent, America's Got Talent, and Saudi Arabia's Got Talent. He has also won numerous awards and has also been recognized amongst the World's TOP 100 Child Prodigie...

The Special Tribunal has dismissed, with costs, an application by Hamilton Ndlovu to stop the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) from taking further legal action against him. The SIU wants the R172M Personal protective equipment, PPE tender awarded to Ndlovuand others declared invalid and unlawful, and to recover financial losses suffered by State. GUEST: Mr Kaizer Kganyago, Spokesperson for the Spe...

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has announced that the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture intends to apply for a High Court order to extend its term to the end of February. In September, the High Court in Pretoria granted the Commission’s previous application to extend its term by three months to the end of December. Guest: Karyn Maughn, Senior Legal Journalist at News24 

The South African National Blood Service says their current blood stock is critically low. The high number of road crashes during the holiday season results in blood being in higher demand than at any other time of the year. The Blood Service has urged the community to donate blood during this period. GUEST: Dr Karin van den Berg, Medical director at the South African National Blood Service,...

The High Court in Pretoria has granted former President, Jacob Zuma and the Department of Correctional Services leave to appeal in the judgment nullifying Zuma's medical parole. Judge Elias Mathojane says there are prospects of a different court coming to a different conclusion. Last Wednesday, the same court ruled that the decision to grant Zuma medical parole was unlawful. The court also ordered...

The search for a retired former Correctional Services employee who went missing after receiving millions in his retirement payout continues. Quinton Plaatjies has been missing for more than a year and police are currently investigating how R100 000 in cash was allegedly withdrawn from his bank account after his disappearance. GUEST: Jina Sammy, sister to missing former Correctional Services employ...

World News: Lesotho has informed its citizens who have been working in neighbouring countries such as South Africa to get vaccinated before they enter the country. The southern African nation also announced that citizens will also be obligated to present their vaccination cards to gain access to the workplace. Guest: Rapelang Radebe, SABC Corresponded based in Lesotho

Yesterday, Bongani Baloyi announced that he was resigning from the Democratic Alliance with immediate effect. His resignation came as a shock to the political circles as Baloyi was tipped to become the DA’s Gauteng premier candidate for 2024 national and provincial elections. But what informed his decision? Guest: Bongani Baloyi, former Midvaal mayor

Chief Executive of the Tourism Business Council of SA, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa recently penned an open letter to the Head of European Union Delegation asking for an urgent briefing meeting to discuss the critical issue of the European Union travel restrictions which remain in place despite the UK having lifted travel restrictions on the basis that “now there is community transmission of Omicro...

Substance abuse and addiction is still rife in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg. In 2013, then President Jacob Zuma visited the area when Eldorado Park mother Dereleen James, wrote a letter to Zuma about her struggle with her son's addiction and urged him to help eradicate the escalating drug problem in the township. In response to the famous letter, Zuma and some of his cabinet Ministers paid...

The Medical Advisory Council (MAC) on Covid-19 has proposed an immediate end to quarantining and tracing of contacts. In a letter to the health minister, the Council says these Covid measures are no longer viable in the current social and economic climate. GUEST: Professor Tulio De Oliveira, Virologist and director for Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform at the University of KwaZulu-Natal,...

A senior officer looking into PPE procurement was 'definitely' poisoned - his files and laptop 'removed' after his death according to News24. The publication says police sources confirmed that Lieutenant-General Sindile Mfazi didn't die of Covid-19 this year in July but that he was poisoned. The police have since dismissed the allegations and say the matter is being investigated by a specialised t...

Dr Phophi Ramathuba says she is worried about the rising number of trauma-related deaths in Limpopo. According to her, the number of deaths has reached over 5 000, surpassing that of last year at the same period by more than 500.  Guest: Dr Phophi Ramathuba, MEC for Health in Limpopo

World News: We hear from an organisation that represents South African doctors who studied abroad. In recent months, the South African Internationally Trained Health Professionals Association successfully challenged the HPCSA’s policy guidelines that essentially blocked doctors with qualifications from institutions outside South Africa from working in the country. However, the organisation&r...

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says there will be no mercy for deadly drunk drivers this December period. Drunk driving is one of the biggest contributing factors to road fatalities, both during the festive season and throughout the year. For more on this, we speak to Caro Smit, Director and Founder of the South Africans Against Drunk Driving, about why drunken driving is so prevalent during th...

Former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng says he is studying the Judgement ordering him to repay the public broadcaster R11.5m within seven days. This after the South Gauteng High Court declared the payment made to Motsoeneng was unlawful and invalid. The SABC and the SIU approached the court to review and set aside a decision by the former SABC Board to pay Mr Motsoeneng, and to recover financial losses...

Former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini's application to have her perjury charges discharged has been dismissed in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court. The case relates to her testimony during an inquiry the Constitutional Court had instituted into her role in the 2017 social grants crisis. She is accused of lying under oath. So just how serious is a charge of perjury? And how much pri...

Health authorities in the North West have raised concerns about the sharp increase in health workers testing positive for the coronavirus. They say the situation is impacting negatively on the provision of health care services in the province. Last week, 12 health workers tested positive for Covid-19 at Tigane Community Health Centre in Hartebeesfontein, while in the Klerksdorp/Tshepong...

Five people have died in a collision between a truck and a sedan in the North West. The provincial department of Community Safety and Transport Management say an investigation of culpable homicide is currently underway, following the incident. GUEST: Boitshoko Moremi, Spokesperson for the North West department of Community Safety and Transport Management

Twice as many white people compared to South Africans from other race groups, have reported experiencing incidents of racism in the past five years. That's according to results of a research study conducted by the Institute of Race Relations or IRR. The organisation presented its findings during a webinar hosted by the Government Communication and Information Systems, the Departments of Sport Arts...

We unpack the findings of this year’s South African Reconciliation Barometers Survey Report – which is a document that reflects South Africans understanding of reconciliation, their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and their views on inter-personal trust, democratic political culture, national identity and the legacies of apartheid. According to the report, South Africans are losing...

World News: An 83 per cent surge in COVID-19 cases during the past week in Africa, driven by the Delta and Omicron variants, is causing fewer deaths than previous spikes. This was revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday this week, also warning that more waves could be on the way, due to the continent’s slow vaccine rollout. Guest: Dr Thierno Balde, Incident Manager fo...

What are the Tax implications of gifts received from your employers? During these uncertain and challenging times, it's welcoming to receive a token of appreciation from your employer ahead of the festive season. However, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) may expect to share in your good fortune when your company rewards you with a gift voucher, use of company property for the holidays, or...