The National Pulse

Former Kwazulu Natal deputy Speaker Mluleki Ndobe, who was once charged in connection with the death of former ANCYL secretary general, Sindiso Magaqa has been laid to rest at his ancestral home of Umzimkhulu. Last year Ndobe spent time in police custody along with four other accused after they were arrested in connection with the crime. The charges against Ndobe were later provisionally withdrawn...

Former Transnet Capital Projects executive Herbert Msagala will have to forefeit all his assets to the state following a court ruling in favour of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). Msagala is accused of corruption between 2015 and 2016, when he was a senior executive at Transnet. The SIU who were investigating the matter strongly believed the assets are the proceeds of crime. Speaking to Safm...

We outline the objectives of the 12th BRICS Summit, which is currently underway (being hosted virtually by Russian President Vladimir Putin). Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits – but how much have they achieved since then and what is the role of BRICS in influencing global geopolitics? Is there unity among BRICS and if there is why do BRICS countries keep quiet when...

On World News today, we unlock UKZN’s ground-breaking study on HIV exposed uninfected infants. The World Health Organization’s guidelines on the Prevention from Mother to Child programme recommends that all HIV exposed uninfected infants (HEU’s) born to HIV positive mothers receive cotrimoxazole (CTX) prophylaxis, commencing at 4–6 weeks of age and continued until HIV infection can be excluded. Ho...

Earlier on today, Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi appeared before a Parliamentary Committee to explain how Sheperd Bushiri and his wife skipped the country. The couple is now in Malawi and South Africa has started extradition processes to bring them back to face charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering amounting to more than R100 million. Guest: Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of...

The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has partnered with the world's largest registry to Improve local donor recruitment and retention. The SA Bone Marrow Registry in partnership with Be The Match - a leading NGO in bone marrow transplantation is hoping to increase their efforts aimed at recruiting blood stem cell donors in South Africa. GUEST: Jane Ward, Deputy Director for the South Afr...

One in three South African doctors have been verbally and physically abused by patients during the pandemic. This is according to a survey by the Medical Protection Society (MPS). MPS, which supports more than 32 000 healthcare professionals in the country, say the results of the survey which took place between October and November, are "deplorable" GUEST: Dr Siviwe Mila, freelance doctor and Foun...

A recipient of 150 million Rands in Covid-19 relief fund, appeared in court on charges of bribery of a UIF official. Thabo Abel Simbini, a businessman from Skinkwater, in Hammanskraal near Pretoria, made a brief appearance in Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on charges of corruption. This follows Simbini's arrest when he was caught red-handed trying to bribe an official from the Department of E...

Today marks the deadline for individual taxpayers who are required to file an income return via the online platforms, namely the SARS MobiApp or eFiling. So what this means basically is that walk-in submissions as you may recall closed last month and the online system that allows you to accept or edit and submit your tax returns is expected to close today. Joining us to discuss today’s deadline is...

World News today: Talks between Britain and the European Union resume in Brussels today as the two sides urgently try to agree a post Brexit trade deal. Under the terms of the Brexit transition, a deal has to be not only agreed by the end of December but ratified by parliaments in both Britain and the EU. Guest: Brooks Spector is the Associate Editor at Daily Maverick

Action SA leader Herman Mashaba has finally agreed to change his party's logo. Mashaba says the majority of his members have voted for him to change his party logo as directed by the Independent Electoral Commission. He joins us now to elaborate further Guest: Herman Mashaba, leader of ActionSA

Agri SA is appealing to the broader public to make their voices heard against farm attacks and crime in general. According to them, farm attacks are again on the increase, especially in the Free State and they say this is unacceptable. Guest: Christo van der Rheede, Agri SA Executive Director

ANC secretary-general, Ace Magashule, has been granted bail of 200-thousand-rand by the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court in the Free State. He will be back in court on February the 19th next year. Magashule is charged with corruption which relates to the irregular awarding of the multi-million-rand asbestos roofing and assessment tender in 2014. Some of you have taken to Twitter to ask if Magashule...

How can we promote positive contact between locals and migrants and reduced anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa? We speak to Dr Steven Gordon, a Senior research specialist, at the Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC about their recent study that Study sheds light on how South Africa can best tackle prejudice against migrants GUEST: Dr Steven Gordon, Senior research specialist, Human Sciences...

About few hours ago, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the second-quarter crime statistics for South Africa, from 1 July to 30 September. According to him, murder figures have decreased by 6.2%, with a total of 5107 people killed. This is a 339 reduction, compared to the same period last year. Cele also cautioned South Africans against irresponsible consumption of alcohol, saying it was one of...

Still on the Magashule story. Earlier on today, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule handed himself over to the Hawks ahead of his appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court in the Free State where he was expected to face fraud and corruption charges after the Hawks issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday. Magashule's supporters who have converged at the Bloemfontein Magistrate's court have call...

There are currently more than 150 vaccines being developed around the world to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and their German lab partner BioNTech, this week announced that they will have a vaccine by end-December and manage to produce 1.3 billion doses in early 2021. While it is reported that several countries have already entered into deals with the manufacturers f...

We continue looking at the surge in Covid-19 Infections in the Eastern Cape. The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in the province has become the epicentre for COVID-19 infections in the country. This is resulting in queues that are kilometres long at testing centres. Over 600 new cases are being recorded daily. Public and private hospitals are filled to capacity. To elaborate further on the situation in t...

According to Stats SA - South Africa’s unemployment rate increased by 7.5% points to 30.8% in the third quarter of the year compared with the second quarter and we are told that this is the highest unemployment rate recorded since 2008. Given the fact that our economy is under a lot of pressure at the moment – what other alternatives and possibilities are there to this situation? Guest: Mike Schus...

Yesterday, Angolan authorities were cautioned by international organizations to allow protesters to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Protestors in Angola are among other things calling for the revision of electoral legislation and reform of the National Commission of Elections, to guarantee free and fair elections. Guest on the line (UK) Dewa Mavhinga, Southern...

We hear from the FF Plus Chief Whip Dr Corné Mulder on why he believes that the Western Cape’s future lies in independence. He argues that the province has never given the ANC a majority and therefore the best option for it moving forward is to work towards an independent Western Cape. But what informs this thinking? Can South Africa afford to have an independent Western Cape? Guest: Dr Corné Muld...

Residents of Naledi in Soweto are adamant that they will not vote in today's by-election, unless electricity is restored in the area. This is despite Gauteng Premier David Makhura explaining that Eskom will only be able to get the mini substation fixed at the end of this month. Roads are still barricaded following this morning's protest. To examine the state of our municipalities, we now speak to...

November is National Diabetes Month in South Africa, with World Diabetes Day taking place on the 14th of November. Diabetes has been in the headlines more in 2020 than previous years, with research still ongoing to establish the link between the condition and Coronavirus deaths all around the world. Bridget McNulty, co-founder of Sweet Life Diabetes Community, a Type 1 diabetic herself together wi...

The ANC says it is seeking legal counsel on the issue of members stepping aside from their duties when charged with corruption or wrongdoing. ANC leaders have said at an online media conference that this is one of the reasons that party Secretary-General Ace Magashule will remain in his position. This is pending legal consultations and a final decision NEC on the matter. Magashule's imminent arres...

The Institute of Race Relations, IRR, are calling for the scrapping of e-voting from the electoral bill. The IRR says the introduction of an electronic voting system will be vulnerable to overt penetrations by actors wanting to discredit an election. They say traditional voting systems are far more transparent because they provide a paper trail and can be observed at every stage. To elaborate furt...