The National Pulse

Have you ever wondered as to what causes lingering symptoms of long Covid? Well, according to scientists from Stellenbosch University, the lingering symptoms that occur in patients with long Covid might be due to the presence of persistent circulating plasma micro clots that are resistant to fibrinolysis. Guest: Professor Resia Pretorius, head of Stellenbosch University’s Physiological Scien...

Eastern Cape police have arrested a 49-year-old grandfather after his grandson was shot and killed by his cousin. The seven-year-old boy was killed after he and two of his cousins found a gun under their grandfather's bed. One of Kwanele Zide's cousins, an 11-year-old boy, was allegedly fiddling with the gun when it went off, fatally wounding Zide in the head. Police have since arrested the boy's...

The Constitutional court has declared the decision by the Gauteng Executive Committee to dissolve the Tshwane City Council in 2020 as unlawful. The DA has welcomed the judgement saying they have always maintained that the decision to dissolve the city council was politically motivated. GUEST: Professor Dirk Kotze, Professor of political studies at Unisa

ActionSA has threatened to take legal action against the IEC after the party's name was left out from the ballot list ahead of the local government elections. This after the IEC presented final draft ballot papers for wards in Gauteng at the weekend. The party gave the IEC until 10am this morning to address the absence of ActionSA's name on ballot paper designs it had produced for the elections bu...

Signatories of the ANC in eight provinces are calling for the ANC disciplinary committee to take action against President Cyril Ramaphosa for taking money from private funders to campaign for his presidential election campaign in 2017. Onica Maphisa, the co-ordinator of the signatories joins us now to elaborate further on this……   Guest: Onica Maphisa, the co-ordinator of the si...

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been sworn in for a second five-year term. His inauguration comes as a nearly year-long war in the northern region of Tigray spreads into other parts of the country and watchdogs warn that repressive government practices are on the return. Guest: Colleta Wanjohi, Channel Africa’s correspondent based in Addis Ababa

Former Free State Police, Roads and Transport MEC Sam Mashinini has been fired. Mashinini says his relationship with the provincial premier Sisi Ntombela has broken down. GUEST: Former Free State Police, Roads and Transport MEC Sam Mashinini 

City of Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina was reportedly involved in a high-speed crash after curfew hours. According to AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, the accident happened in August last year. It's believed Mayor Masina was driving a luxury state vehicle without permission, when he rammed into the back of a large goods truck driving down the N12 West highway near Alberton, In J...

There have been recent reports about transgressions at schools relating to the care of children and according to The Guardian, “South Africa has some of the best reactive, but poorest proactive legislation around sexual abuse in the world, contributing to excessively high incidents of rape and related crimes”. Guest: Marc Hardwick, MD of The Guardian

Earlier today, several political parties who are going to take part in this year’s local government elections pledged their commitment to the Electoral Code of Conduct. Joining us to discuss the significance of today’s signing ceremony is….   Guest: Commissioner Mosotho Moepya, is a member of the Electoral Commission of South Africa

Yesterday, Malawi’s former deputy speaker reportedly shot himself in the head inside parliament, where he had gone to discuss vehicle benefits entitled to him when he left office in 2019. Following this unfortunate incident, Malawi parliament released a statement saying that the incident was linked to frustration with the implementation of his conditions of service. Guest: Jack McBrams, Jour...

We examine the controversial deal, this after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, NERSA declined to give details on the figures related to the cost of emergency power generation in the country. However the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has estimated that the gas-to-electricity project could cost taxpayers more than R200-billion over 20 years. Several weeks back NERSA ap...

The International Air Transport Association's new Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East Kamil Al Alawadhi was in Johannesburg South Africa today. He held a media briefing to discuss the current challenges facing South Africa's air transport and travel sectors and on interventions IATA is proposing to government to rebuild the industry, promote economic activity and create jobs. T...

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) today held a webinar to address issues around the safety of doctors and what it believes needs to be done to protect healthcare workers. A survey by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) earlier this year showed that one in three South African doctors have been verbally and physically abused by patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. GUEST: The Vice-Chair...

Tomorrow marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as such we have decided to invite Professor Jackie Smilg – who joins us now to discuss the significance of this annual campaign that is aimed at raising awareness about the impact of breast cancer. In case you didn’t know, breast cancer accounted for more than a quarter of new cancer cases in South African women last year a...

Post the conclusion of Ethiopia’s recent general election. The country is currently preparing for the formation of new government under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. However, Ahmed and his government are facing growing accusations of human rights abuses, mass rape, extra-judicial killings and the use of starvation as a tactic in Tigray. So in light of this, the Human Rights Watch organisat...

Staying with the Special Investigating Unit, SIU's report into the multimillion rand Digital Vibes Covid19 communication contract, which has revealed damning findings against the country's former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, his family and close associates, we speak to Dr. Kenneth Leonard Jacobs, Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Health   GUEST: Dr. Kenneth Leonard Jacobs, Chairperson...

The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA have referred the Special Investigating Unit, SIU's report into the multimillion rand Digital Vibes Covid19 communication contract to the Hawks for Investigation. This after former Health Minister, Dr. Zweli Mkhize and other senior officials were implicated for corruption in a report released by the presidency. GUEST: Mr Kaizer Kganyago, Spokesperson for the...

An alleged middleman in the Gupta-linked Regiments Capital and Trillian corruption has made his first appearance at the Specialised Crimes Court in Palm Ridge, Ekurhuleni today. Fraud accused, Kubentheran Moodley's was applying for bail after his arrest at OR Tambo Airport last night. Moodley is facing charges of fraud, theft, corruption and money laundering, relating to his dealings with state ow...

The Presidency says it had sent third-party notices to all persons or entities referred to in the Special Investigating Unit's report into the Digital Vibes matter. This was done so that they could have an opportunity to object to its publication or part thereof. GUEST: Tyrone Seale, Acting spokesperson in the Presidency

As the standoff continues between Eskom and Soweto residents, we hear from King Sibiya on why he thinks residents have the right to refuse Eskom workers entry to their homes. It’s public knowledge that Soweto residents are unhappy with constant power cuts and many of them are refusing to settle their Eskom debt. Guest: King Sibiya, President of Lungelo Lethu Human Rights Foundation   Gu...

World News: In a week’s time, Nigeria is going to become the first country on the African continent to launch a digital currency. Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele believes that this will set the tone to tell Africa that his country is ready to lead. Guest: Dr Terfa Abraham, Economist & International Finance analyst

Residents from eleven villages from Ga Rasai Traditional Area in the North West held a protest march to Assen Iron Ore mine near Brits. The community delivered a memorandum regarding royalties to the mine and to also raise grievances of unemployment. GUEST: Zebilon Maine, SABC senior reporter in the North West

A court In Kenya has declared that being a housewife should be considered a full-time job. High Court Judge Teresia Matheka ruled that being a housewife is a full time payable job and that carrying a 9-months pregnancy is equivalent to working. We now speak to Waikwa Wanyoike, a Kenyan Constitutional lawyer, who says this ruling falls under the Matrimonial property division, which examines how a s...

“We learn more about Ithala bank’s role in driving SMME development and economic activities in KwaZulu-Natal” Guest: Ms Tozi Mthethwa, Group Corporate Support Services Executive & Acting Business Finance Executive Ithala Development Finance Corporation