The National Pulse

The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in Gauteng has also called for an investigation into the provincial Health Department's awarding of tenders. This after a 125-million-rand tender was awarded to Royal Bhaca, a company owned by the husband of the presidential spokesperson and Gauteng ANC PEC member, Khusela Diko. Meanwhile the ANC in Gauteng will meet today to discuss alleged ir...

How do we solve South Africa’s youth unemployment conundrum? Jake Willis joins us to discuss youth unemployment during Covid19 and he will also share possible solutions on how to go about tackling this problem. This as youth unemployment continues to rise in the country as over 3 million young people have been unemployed since the beginning of February this year. Guest: Jake Willis, CEO and Co-Fou...

Time now for Beyond Innovation. Today we speak to Keneilwe Sebola, a PhD student with the Centre for Biological control at Rhodes University. Keneilwe's PhD research was key in helping to clean up the Hartbeespoort Dam, in the North West Province, which for years has been plagued by Water Hyacinth - one of the world's most invasive aquatic weed. Keneilwe now joins us on the line to elaborate furth...

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) say natural deaths have increased by 59% against historical trends. The council's Burden of Disease Research Unit partnered with the University of Cape Town's Centre for Actuarial Research to examine the deaths trends that had been exacerbate by Covid-19. The Research Council's report also found that there is a 'huge discrepancy' between reported...

Smokers' hopes are up in smoke this as the Pretoria High Court has dismissed the Fair Trade Independent Association's (FITA) application for the unbanning of tobacco products. FITA had applied to appeal the court's earlier judgment against the sale of tobacco products. Guest: Sinenhlanhla Mnguni - Chairperson of the Fair-trade Independent Tobacco Association (fita)

The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has informed the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality of its intentions to place it under administration. Currently, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality without a permanent executive mayor is in a dysfunctional state. Joining us to discuss the municipality’s state of affairs is Guest: Joleen Steyn-Kotze, political analyst

The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) in Tshwane says its members were promised increases prior to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Workers demonstrated outside Tshwane House this week - with some calling for the head administrator Mpho Nawa to vacate office. Nawa has reiterated that the City cannot afford pay-outs due to the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemi...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Border Management Authority Bill of 2020 into law, which came into effect on Monday. The Bill aims to strengthen border control and give authorities effective functions at ports of entry. Guest: Home Affairs Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi

The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) in Tshwane says its members were promised increases prior to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Workers demonstrated outside Tshwane House this week - with some calling for the head administrator Mpho Nawa to vacate office. Nawa has reiterated that the City cannot afford pay-outs due to the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemi...

eBundu Lodge – a business transaction went wrong? We speak to the co-owner of eBundu Lodge, Sbusiso Shabalala about the ongoing legal tussle that threatens the stability of their business. Apparently, the previous owner is not happy about the acquisition of eBundu Lodge and all its properties and investments. However, the current owners succeeded in all legal battles that went right up to the Supr...

On World News today we discuss Tanzanian politics focusing on Tundu Lissu who has declared his intention to return to the country three years after surviving an assassination attempt. Tundu has vowed to campaign for the presidency of the United Republic of Tanzania in the forthcoming general election that is due to take place in October this year Guest: Robert Amsterdam, Tundu Lissu’s lawyer

BSS: The Central University of Technology, Free State Alumni Executive Committee is calling upon all universities to stop with-holding of certificates of unemployed graduates with outstanding tuition fees. The Committee says although Universities are struggling to keep up with widening debts of their alumni, society must and should question the fairness of refusing these graduates access to their...

The government has extended its Covid-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) benefits by 6 weeks. The COVID-19 TERS benefit is to assist employers and workers during Coronavirus lockdown. Guest: Mr Teboho Maruping, Commissioner of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF

As tributes continue to pour in for struggle stalwart and the last surviving Rivonia Trialist uBaba uAndrew Mlangeni – we now speak to another ANC stalwart Aziz Pahad, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Guest: Aziz Pahad, former deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Guest: Sophie De Bryn, anti-apartheid activist, best known for leading the 1956 Women's March to the Union Buildings

Do South Africans have a culture of entitlement? And is this sense of entitlement becoming an epidemic in the country? I am asking these questions after I read an article where a group of protesters torched six municipal vehicles and a building in Lamontville, a town in EThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal after their illegal connections to the municipality's electricity grid was cut off. Why do we fail to...

Earlier on today, Corruption Watch released a report titled X-Ray: The critical state of the health sector in SA. The report captures the voices of hundreds of people who have reported corruption in the health sector to Corruption Watch in the eight years of the organisation’s existence. It sheds light on the recurring trends across all the provinces. It also highlights the devastating impact of c...

BSS: The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, POPCRU, says the steering committees for the police and correctional services need to ensure that the COVID19-regulations are adhered to at police stations and facilities across the country. POPCRU alleges that some station commanders and high-ranking officials are not ensuring that officers adhere to the prescribed quarantine period and are also gro...

91% of South Africans are concerned about being able to pay bills and loans due to the Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey by TransUnion. TransUnion says the majority of households have been forced to change their budgets in response. Guest: Lee Naik, chief executive officer of TransUnion Africa

In conversation with Professor Corné van Walbeek about the findings of the University of Cape Town’s study which has shown that the average price of cigarettes has increased by nearly 250% compared to pre-lockdown levels. The study, which was based on more than 23 000 respondents, was conducted by the Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP), an independent research unit based a...

On World News today we look at Zimbabwe’s state of affairs through the eyes of the opposition and ask - Why is the country’s economy in such a bad shape - Is there a political will to turn things around? Guest: Tendai Biti, Member of Parliament for Harare East Constituency and the second Vice President of Movement for Democratic Change

Last week Friday, the Democratic Alliance filed an urgent interdict application in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to prevent government from using emergency funding to bailout SAA. The party also wants Finance Minister’s decision to rescue SAA to be reviewed and set aside. Guest: Geordin Hill-Lewis, DA’s Shadow Minister of Finance

BSS: South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) has lashed out at COSATU for threatening to strike over full taxi load capacity. Cosatu wants government to change the decision and not allow taxis to load on full capacity amid the covid-19 pandemic. SANTACO says when about 70% of workers in the taxi industry stayed home for two months without salaries, COSATU remained mum. It says Cosatu's decis...

The husband of President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson Khusela Diko is reportedly among the beneficiaries of the government's multibillion-rand Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts. This according to reports by the Sunday Independent, who allege that Khusela Diko's husband King Madzikane Diko, reportedly scored a multi-million rand contract to supply PPE's for the Covid-19 pande...

Following recent revelations by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu that government was discussing the possibility of implementing the basic income grant for the poor. We speak to political analyst Xolani Dube who is against this idea and he says this is another reckless use of state resources by the ruling party aimed at achieving political objectives. Guest: Xolani Dube, Senior Researcher a...

MEC for Health in the Western Cape, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo outlines the objectives of the province’s behavioural change campaign. The campaign comprises coronavirus messaging that is aimed at influencing and reinforcing appropriate behavioural patterns and safety protocols. Earlier on today, MEC Mbombo visited Mitchell's Plain to assess the community's adherence to lockdown regulations. Guest: Dr No...