The National Pulse

What is dexamethasone, the new drug being used to treat COVID-19 and why should we be optimistic about it? We ask this as it is not the first time during the coronavirus pandemic that a drug has been touted as a treatment for COVID-19 but only to find that it is not. Guest: Professor Yunus Moosa, President of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society and Head of Infectious Diseases

Staying with matters VBS. Last year we spoke to Freelance Journalist, Nomatter Ndebele who spoke to many of the victims of VBS, who were scared of speaking out due to fear of being killed. People who lost thousands in the VBS scandal when the bank collapsed were reportedly fearful that exposing VBS looters in public could lead to them being killed. This afternoon we continue our discussion with No...

Seven of the eight suspects arrested in the looting of the VBS Mutual Bank between 2015-2018 will appear in court tomorrow, according to the Hawks. The arrests come nearly two years after two-point-seven billion was looted from the Bank. Guest: Pauli van Wyk, an Investigative Journalist from the Daily Maverick's investigative unit Scorpio

The South African Society of Psychiatrists is calling on public and private healthcare providers to maintain the availability of beds for psychiatric patients as they work to build a large hospital bed network to cope with Covid19 outbreak. They say the long-standing critical situation in state mental health hospitals is exacerbating the crisis, while psychiatric patients are far more at risk of c...

Social Development Minister, Ambassador Lindiwe Zulu joins us to outline the objectives of the newly launched ministerial advisory committee on social change, which is aimed at driving social behaviour change in communities. Guest: Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Social Development

Time now for Both Sides of the Story: This evening we will look at who is in really in charge of the Congress of South African Students (cosas)? There seems to be leadership squabbles within the student body. On both sides of the story we will look at who is really at the helm of Cosas. 1. Tumelo Sebopela, Member of Cosas's National Task Team 2. Thabang Mamaila, Cosas NEC member (part of the Makga...

What should the future of youth activism look like in South Africa? As we commemorate the 1976 Soweto Uprising - during this hour, we focus on the struggles and challenges facing South Africa's youth, and lessons that other young people from other countries can learn from South Africa. 1. Guests: Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research 2. Gu...

About a few hours ago, the Public Protector, Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane released a number of investigation reports and she joins us now to discuss the findings of some of the reports Guest: Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, The Public Protector

Equal Education and the school governing bodies of two Limpopo schools have launched an urgent court application against the Department of Basic Education and the provincial education department. The application challenges the Department's failure to roll-out the National Schools Nutrition Programme to all learners Guest: Roné McFarlane, who is the Co-Head of Research at Equal Education

Civil rights Organisation, AfriForum, last week Friday filed a complaint at the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues. They are requesting the UN to investigate the manner in which, they say government is abusing the COVID-19 pandemic to enforce racial ideology on society Guest: Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum

World News today: Who is Ali Kushayb, a Sudanese war crimes suspect? Kushayb, a former commander of the Janjaweed, a militia that worked alongside the Sudanese armed forces in their campaign against the Fur, Massalit, and Zarghawa people in Darfur, Sudan, in the early 2000s — is charged with 50 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity arising out that campaign. But will his arrest bring cl...

Brandon Pillay explains why parents in the Bayhaven area, in Chatsworth are refusing to send their kids to school. According to him the school governing bodies strongly believe that their schools should remain closed until the virus has reached a peak Guest: Brendon Pillay, Spokesperson for the Combined School Governing Bodies, Bayhaven

Today on Beyond Innovation we learn about Phytomedicine and Cosmeceuticals. We speak to Prof Namrita Lall’s - she is one of the founders for the development of a new specialized field, called “Medicinal Plant Sciences” at postgraduate level in January 2007 at the University of Pretoria, South Africa which is one of its kind in South Africa. She argues that Africa has tremendous plant diversity tha...

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has petitioned the national government to reinstate the ban on the sale of alcohol. Premier Mabuyane today met with liquor trader associations to discuss how they can fight against alcohol abuse in the province Guest: Lucky Ntimane, National Convener of the Liquor Traders' Association of South Africa

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, NEHAWU's national leadership is at the Livingstone hospital in Port Elizabeth to assess whether the hospital is complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and if their members are not recklessly exposed to the virus. Staff at the hospital has raised concerns over a lack of PPE and a shortage of staff at the facility. Livingstone...

State-owned freight logistics group Transnet has fired three senior executives for wrongdoing during the State Capture years. The move has been seen as efforts by CEO Portia Derby, in cleaning up the SOE... Guest: Political Analyst, Writer and Activist, Dr Dale McKinley

In conversation with Thuli Zikalala who has just become the first person in the country to do a sign language podcast. As one of only eleven (11) interpreters in South Africa who are accredited with the South African Translation Institute (SATI), Thuli is passionate about finding creative ways of making the language and skill accessible to a wider audience Guest: Thuli Zikalala, Sign language inte...

A new report released by Friends of the Earth U.S and Oil Change International reveals that South Africa has not been aligned with a job-rich, clean energy future. The report urges South Africa and other G20 governments to stop using public money to prop up the fossil fuel industry, and instead invest in a just and sustainable recovery Guest: Glen Tyler-Davies, South African team leader @350Africa...

On World News today we look at South Africa – Lesotho Bilateral Relations: Our discussion is informed by the fact that the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho Dr. Moeketsi Majoro is currently visiting South Africa following his swearing in ceremony that took place last month. The two leaders we are told will discuss bilateral cooperation, regional and continental issues of mutual interests am...

We hear from the Progressive Student Movement on why they want Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to resign. They are accusing her of incompetence saying that she has long overstayed her welcome and its time the minister considered having an early retirement. Guest: Kabelo Nthekiso, President General of the Progressive Student Movement

Thirty-one schools across the Eastern Cape, mostly in Buffalo City, have been closed after twenty people tested positive for coronavirus. 15 teachers, three learners and two non-teaching staff tested positive. Guest: Loyiso Pulumani, Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Education

The Constitutional Court has declared the Electoral Act unconstitutional - meaning independent candidates are allowed to contest for national and provincial elections without being member of a political party. The case was brought by civil society organisation the New Nation Movement and others. Parliament has 24 months to remedy the Electoral Act. Guest: Pule Mabe, ANC National spokesperson Guest...

Still on the Constitutional Court ruling, we now hear from the New Nation Movement as they are the ones who took this matter to court to challenge the current Electoral Act 73 of 1998, arguing that it infringes on the right to exercise individual political choices. Guest: Bulelani Mkhohliswa, National Coordinator of the New Nation Movement (NNM)

Will today’s ruling affect next year’s elections? Lawson Naidoo explains the significance of the ConCourt ruling and what it means for our young democracy moving forward. Today’s ruling will certainly change South Africa’s political landscape, with the country expected to head to the polls again next year for the municipal elections Guest: Lawson Naidoo - Executive Secretary at the Council for the...

We look at the political implications of today’s Constitutional Court ruling – assessing as to how will this ruling affect different political parties and different political movements in the country. Guest: Professor Sethulego Matebesi, Political analyst from the University of North West