The National Pulse

World News today: World News today: How are scientists going with finding a cure for Covid19? China has started the first phase of a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine. The Chinese effort began on Mar 16 and is expected to continue until the end of the year. Guest: Doctor Brett Lyndall Singh, member of the anti-epidemic team specialising on Coronavirus

Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has asked Limpopo residents who are living and working in Gauteng not return home and risk bringing the virus with them. Limpopo currently has 1 confirmed case, and Ramathuba would like to keep it as low as possible, particularly in the rural areas where it could be difficult to contain. Guest: Dr Phophi Ramathuba, MEC for Health in Limpopo

guest: Vuyo Dubese

SAA has suspended all its international flights with immediate effect following government's travel ban aimed at stopping the coronavirus spread. In a statement, the struggling state-owned airline says the suspension will be implemented until the 31st of May. Guest: SAA spokesperson, Tlali Tlali

600 pupils from a Bloemfontein school will be screened for COVID-19. Earlier on Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize confirmed that coronavirus cases in the country have risen to 202. The virus has multiplied in Africa more slowly than in Asia or Europe. However, the number of cases has started to rise more rapidly in South Africa in recent days. Mkhize was addressing the media in Bloemfontein at the B...

The Innovative Pharmaceutical Association South Africa, IPASA and its 26 member companies says it's joining the government, to help fight the spread of Covid-19. The pharmaceutical company has called on South Africans to unite in order to curb the spread of the virus. So as a science-driven industry, what is IPASA doing to develop new and improved medicines and vaccines to help respond to this pan...

Yesterday, Minister of Small Business Development, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni brief the media on the measures in place by government to support Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) following a declaration of the State of National Disaster by President Cyril Ramaphosa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the briefing, Ntshavheni assured small businesses that they will be afforded financial...

The ministry announced recently that they are going install more water tanks and standpipes in informal settlements as a matter of urgency to curb the spread of Covid-19 in these high density areas. More water infrastructure will also be made available in rural areas. Guest: Sputnik Ratau, Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitations

yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa met with religious leaders to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. Various leaders have taken the decision to cancel mass gatherings and also cancel normal weekly services, however some have refused to adhere to government plans to contain the spread of the virus. Joining us to discuss the outcomes of yesterday’s meeting is…… Guest: Rev Moss Nthla, General Secreta...

Against the backdrop of Covid-19, SweepSouth founder Dr Aisha Pandor joins us to unpack how dire the situation is for helpers today and how much worse it will get for society as a whole if we fail to protect these vulnerable workers. Guest: Dr Aish Pandor, CEO and Co-founder, SweepSouth

The DG Murray Trust is calling on mobile network operators to zero-rate data for all public benefit organisations (PBOs) to allow early learning and education to continue during COVID-19 crisis. The call follows President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement on school closures, travel restrictions, and bans on large gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The DG Murray Trust say a zero-rate dat...

The Western Cape Minister of Health, Nomafrench Mbombo will self-quarantine as a pre-caution after the French Consul-general in Cape Town tested positive for COVID-19. Laurent Amar shared the information on Twitter yesterday afternoon to alert all potential contacts. His staff will also be in quarantine. Guest: Western Cape Minister of Health, Nomafrench Mbombo

Minister of public works and infrastructure Patricia de Lille has been tasked with identifying and making available facilities that can be used as isolation and quarantine areas. So how many state-owned properties has the department identified so far and in which provinces? Guest: Patricia de Lille, Minister of public works and infrastructure

Marc Lubner tells us about Afrika Tikkun’s partnership with the ministry of social development. The partnership seeks to enhance Afrika Tikkun's work as they seek to grow their reach and impact, by empowering other civil society organisations to achieve similar outcomes. Guest: Marc Lubner, CEO of Afrika Tikkun

Since the Coronavirus crisis began, over 800 million learners from around the world have been affected, 1 in 5 learners cannot attend school, 1 in 4 cannot attend higher education classes, and over 102 countries have ordered nationwide school closures while 11 have implemented localised school closure. So during these trying times, the Global Campaign for Education is calling on national governmen...

The Tshwane city council has been dissolved after the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) voted to accept a report recommending this. The municipality has been without a mayor for close to a month after Stevens Mokgalapa resigned on February 26. Guest: Mike Moriarty, DA Gauteng provincial Chairperson

Bishop Bheki Ngcobo says congregants must continue coming to church and gather in their numbers this Easter to pray against Covid-19. This despite President Cyril Ramaphosa's ban on gatherings of more than 100 people due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Durban-based Bishop who speaks for the South African Zionist Churches says cancelling Easter services is not the solution to the COVID-19 crisis....

In the wake of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus globally, a large number of consumers have been stockpiling on items such as groceries, toilet paper and hand sanitisers. This panic-buying behaviour has led to empty shelves at local retailers. We are now in conversation with Paul Nixon, Head of Technical Marketing and Behavioural Finance at Momentum Investments, who says this irrational behaviou...

Tourism South Africa CEO, Sisa Ntshona says due to the coronavirus crisis airlines and travel agencies should refund payments made for pre-planned trips. Many people have been complaining that cancelled trips or bookings are normally rarely refundable. This poses a major loss to travelers who have been forced to cancel trips for fear of contracting the COVID-19. Ntshona says the virus is an un-for...

KwaZulu-Natal Premier joins us to outline the province's plans to curb the spread of Covid19. Earlier on today, the KZN Government Provincial Executive Council held a special extended executive council meeting to focus on the implementation and management of the emergency declaration as announced by the President to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. Guest: Sihle Zikalala, Premier of KwaZulu-Nata...

We now look at the impact of the COVID 19 outbreak on the South African media environment. The Park Advertising Group has compiled 25 points that it believes will impact media habits over the next few weeks and months. Guest: Chris Botha, Group Managing Director @ Park Advertising

Yesterday, European Union leaders agreed to immediately impose travel restrictions on most foreigners entering Europe for at least 30 days to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, and to fast-track transport lanes to keep vital medical equipment, food and goods flowing smoothly inside the bloc. Recently, the virus case count in Europe climbed to over 60,000 and with more than 2,700 people dead....

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) insists it’s going ahead with its protest on 30 March, despite the ban on gatherings of more than 100 people. Meanwhile, key ANC ally Cosatu - has voiced its support for Nehawu’s march, saying it will support a planned national strike by its public sector affiliate over cuts to the public sector wage bill. Guest: Sizwe Pamla, Cosatu...

On the 1st November 2019, South Africa became the first country in the world to implement a debit order system that requires banks to request electronic authorisation directly from their clients. It’s called DebiCheck and was instituted by the South African Reserve Bank and Payments Association South Africa (PASA), in response to an increase in fraudulent debit orders. There is a lot of informatio...

Western Cape police are hunting a taxi driver who allegedly shot and killed a traffic officer in Kensington. The officer reportedly pulled over a taxi when he was attacked and killed. For the latest we are joined on the line by the city's mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith Guest: City of Cape Town's mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith