The National Pulse

Police Minister Bheki Cele has refuted criticism that the police did not act on the mass gathering at Nkandla at the weekend. Thousands of supporters of former president Jacob Zuma gathered at his home in Nkandla, north of KwaZulu-Natal this weekend, in contravention of lockdown regulations. Speaking at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, during the vaccination drive, Cele said the police were present but...

National movement, Pastors Against Church Closure say churches are not government departments and should not be criminalized. The movement, that constitutes religious leaders, briefed the media earlier today on the organisation's stance on the ban on religious gatherings as per current adjusted level 4 lockdown rules. Pastors Against Church Closure have since pledged its support for churches who w...

The National Prosecuting Authority Investigative Directorate has intensified its efforts to extradite the Gupta family. It has confirmed that the International Criminal Police Organisation Interpol has issued red notices against Atul and Rajesh Gupta as well as their wives. The controversial businessmen and associates are wanted in connection with the Free State Agriculture Department's alleged fr...

We hear from the Aljamah political party on why they think that sending Zuma to jail is not a good idea. The party’s argument is that the constitutional court should only have done that if it was a unanimous decision. Guest: Ganief Hendricks, Al Jama-ah Party leader

The Public Service Commission has noted with concern the revelation by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu that 15 711 public servants were irregularly paid the R350 COVID-19 grants meant for unemployed citizens. According to them what is even more worrisome is the fact that officials that are supposed to promote professional ethics and act in an ethical manner are the ones stealing from the...

Why is King Mswati so reluctant to implement political reforms? We ask this question following growing reports of state violence against demonstrators in eSwatini which has been engulfed by pro-democracy protests. Guest: Faith Mabera, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue

Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu says her department are in talks with the National Treasury to get the R350 Covid-19 social relief grant extended. Giving a media update on the department's response to COVID-19 earlier on today, Minister Zulu says her department is working on ensuring that the collapse of the economy is prevented. She adds that the decision to close alcohol was important a...

 Municipal salary negotiations between the South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) have collapsed. The Municipal Workers' Union, say they will conclude these negotiations on the streets. Workers are demanding a R4, 000 salary increases across the board, while the employer is offering a 4% salary increase. 257 municipalities may...

Five men were arrested in Mayville Durban last week. Police seized dozens of arms as well as ammunition. Two men, who were accused of a knife attack at a mosque and organizing bomb scares in Durban, are reportedly among the arrested suspects. Investigations are still on-going and it's believed the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also probing the men. GUEST: KZN Police spokesperson Them...

Heavy rainfall, floods, Covid19 and the recent lockdown have wreaked havoc in the Western Cape. Five days of continuous rain in the province have left communities hungry, cold and in despair. Gift of the Givers has since dispatched teams to twenty five locations to provide aid to over 500 households which have been affected. GUEST: Gift of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman

We outline the objectives of the upcoming inaugural Imago Africa Conference that is going to take place in September and October this year. The conference will tackle topics that have relevance to most aspects of our daily existence during lockdown. Guest: Carol Dixon, one of the event coordinators, and an IMAGO therapist and psychologist

Domestic workers do so much for us - they keep us safe and in comfort but many of them still remain underpaid, overworked, harassed and exploited. According to the fourth annual SweepSouth report, domestic workers who are not on the SweepSouth platform earned between R2, 614 and R2, 916 a month in the past year, which fell below the minimum wage increase as of March 1, 2021. This then begs the que...

On World News: With the funeral service of the late Zambian President, Doctor Kenneth Kaunda currently underway in Lusaka. We are now joined by Dr Emanuel Matambo to discuss Kaunda’s legacy and his contribution to the liberation struggle in general. Kaunda will always be remembered for having played a key role in supporting African nationalism. Guest: Dr Emanuel Matambo, Research Director at...

Legendary South African musician Steve Kekana has passed away. He was 63 years old.  Kekana shot to fame in the late 1970's. The singer and song writer had recorded more than 40 albums in his career. He was also an advocate and a lecturer at UNISA. One of the musicians that Kekana worked with is Joe Nina. He joins us on the line GUEST: South African Musical icon, Joe Nina GUEST: Former Justic...

The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza has declared the district municipalities of King Cetshwayo, Umkhanyakude and Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal a Disease Management Area following the outbreak of Foot-And-Mouth disease. The Minister says this is a government effort aimed at preventing a further spread of the disease from the affected areas. GUEST: Dr Bontle Modi...

Alliance partners of South Africa's ruling ANC, Cosatu and the SACP say in as much as it is sad to see former President Jacob Zuma going to jail, his sentencing reaffirms the centrality of the constitution and the rule of law. Zuma has until Sunday to hand himself over to the nearest police station for defying the apex court's order to appear before the State Capture Commission. The court also ord...

The Jacob Zuma Foundation says the ConCourt judgment against former president Jacob Zuma is unconstitutional. Zuma was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. The foundation further states that the Constitutional Court acted with bias. Previously Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo dismissed Zuma's application for his recusal as the chairperson of the state captur...

The Private Sector Workers Trade Union is outraged by attempts to rip off security workers of their duly deserved wage increase. They say certain employer organisations in the private security industry colluded with some deceitful unions to get themselves freed from honouring the 8% premium allowance increase that was due in March this year as agreed to with the Bargaining Council.  Guest: Mz...

Today, the Chinese Communist Party marks its 100th anniversary. Since its origins in Shanghai in 1921, the party has grown to be one of the world’s most powerful political parties. But how is it perceived world-wide and does China have too much international influence? Guest: Dr David Monyae, Director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg

Former ANC Youth League leader and former member of the Nelson Mandela Bay Council in Gqeberha, Andile Lungisa has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to grant former president Jacob Zuma presidential pardon. This follows the constitutional court found Zuma guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to fifteen months imprisonment. Lungisa says Con Court judges have rendered themselves political...

Health experts have warned South Africans to stay vigilant when it comes to safety precautions to prevent a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. They say our country should only proceed with the October local government elections provided we vaccinate 80% of high-risk individuals. Guest: Dr Fareed Abdullah, Director of Aids Research at the South African Medical Research

Yesterday, the University of KwaZulu-Natal launched what they term "Boosting the use of African Languages in Higher Education through a Qualified Organised Nationwide Development Strategy for South Africa" project. Through this initiative, the university will capacitate its lectures to use the Zulu language for teaching and learning. Joining us to talk about the significance of this initiative is…...

On World News today, we are monitoring developments in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. On Monday, Ethiopia’s government declared an immediate, unilateral cease-fire in its Tigray region and many hailed the move thinking that the cease-fire could calm a war that has destabilized Africa’s second most populous country. However dissident leaders in the country have rejected this peace proposal, vowing to in...

Former President, Jacob Zuma's Spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, says Zuma believes that he is being wronged by the country's judiciary. This as the Constitutional Court is due to hand down judgment on the contempt case against the former president later this morning. The Chairperson of the State Capture Commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, has requested that the apex court declare Zuma in...

With South Africa being a water scarce country, the 30th driest in the world to be precise. We have decided to invite Dr Karen Villholth who is going to share her thoughts on how shared resources and a community-focused water management system could be the solution to a land ravaged by climate crisis. Our discussion though will focus on the resilience and the vulnerability of the Limpopo River. Gu...