The National Pulse

Statistics released by Stats SA show that HIV/Aids is the leading cause of death among the 2.3 million young people aged 15 to 34 in the Western Cape. This is worrying considering the fact that South Africa’s youth population constitutes approximately 35.1% of the total population of 58.8 million. But what can this be attributed to and what can be done to prevent the situation from getting worse?...

The Congress of Traditional Leadership of South Africa in the Eastern Cape has volunteered to intervene in the impasse between AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo and his son, acting King Azenathi Dalindyebo. This in an attempt restore stability among the AbaThembu. Tension between the father and son started when King Dalindyebo forcefully entered the Bumbane Great Place armed with an axe and a...

The Economic Freedom Fighters have kept their promise to tackle former president FW de Klerk over his infamous apartheid comments. The party is pressing hate speech charges against De Klerk for his denial that apartheid was not a crime against humanity. Guest: Marshall Dlamini, EFF Secretary General

Today, the Human Sciences Research Council announced that they are going to conduct a public survey, via social media and some follow-up qualitative studies, to better understand what the South African public knows about Covid-19, state of readiness to deal with this global pandemic and how they feel about it. To outline their objectives with regards to this announcement, Guest: Professor Priscill...

The Strategic Dialogue Group (SDG) and Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) say it's practical solutions and actions that can rescue state-owned entities. SDG and PARI held a joint interactive dialogue session over the weekend aimed at improving public discourse about how to address South Africa's poverty and inequality through SOEs. During the dialogue it was recognised that progress had been...

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the number of people infected by the coronavirus in South Africa remains 61, while four are being investigated. He's among the 14 ministers who were briefing the media in Pretoria, on the details of government's interventions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, earlier today. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last night that all schools would be closed from W...

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola's spokesperson Crispin Phiri says a number of factors were taken into consideration in arriving at the decision to deny Walus parole. Guest: Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson for the department of Justice and Correctional Services

The Ranch Resort in Limpopo has commenced its operation as a Covid-19 quarantine facility. You may recall that many Limpopo residents have raised concerns about the virus spreading in the province following the announcement that the returning citizens from Wuhan would be quarantined in the province. Guest: Paul Shearer, General Manager, The Ranch Hotel

In a global first, three UCT researchers have visualised – at a resolution close to that of individual atoms – the intact active site of a commercially important biological molecule. The breakthrough research holds the potential for long-lasting and widespread impacts on everything from manufacturing better medicines to cleaning up pollution. Guest: Dr Jeremy David Woodward, Principal Investigator...

President Cyril Ramaphosa says a package of economic measures is being put together in partnership with business and labour to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus on the country. President Ramaphosa was delivering an address to the nation (last night) about government's measures to try and slow the spread of the virus in South Africa. Meanwhile, SAFTU leaders are contemplating the appropriate...

The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) has called on Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi to urgently consider a Special Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) dispensation for workers affected by Corona Virus. This as cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus continue to rise in South Africa. Meanwhile the UIF say workers who contract the Corona Virus qualify for two benefits from the fund;...

The National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) says smoking is associated with worse Covid-19 symptoms and outcomes. The Council says stopping smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes or vapes should be high on the list of measures to prevent COVID-19 infection. Guest: Dr. Sharon Nyatsanza, project and communications manager at the National Council Against Smoking (NCAS)

Next week Friday, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will launch its new strategy. A key highlight of the new strategy is the development and commercialisation of CSIR technologies. The organisation aims to achieve this by working closely with the private sector and innovation partners to invest, develop and take these technologies to the market. Guest: Dr Thulani Dlamini, C...

In conversation with doctor Brett Lyndall Singh to dispel some of the myths surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and we shall also give you answers to questions frequently asked about the virus. Guest on the line (China) Doctor Brett Lyndall Singh, member of the anti-epidemic team specialising on Coronavirus

The U.S. Government has committed 37 million US dollars in financing from the Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for 25 countries affected by novel coronavirus COVID-19. In South Africa the US will commit approximately 8 million rand towards COVID-19 awareness response. Guest: Natasha de Marcken, Acting Mission Directo...

The Ad Hoc committee on land expropriation without compensation held public hearings in Gauteng today to receive inputs on the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill. The ad hoc committee was tasked with conducting public hearings across the country on the Expropriation Bill that outlines the circumstances under which expropriation of land without compensation would be permissible. Today the Commi...

The ANC youth league in Limpopo says bringing the quarantine point to the ranch resort will put people lives at risk and they vow to organise a march. Guest: Nyiko Bembani

The DA in Gauteng is calling on Gauteng COGTA MEC Lebogang Maile to dissolve the Emfuleni local municipality in the Vaal. Yesterday municipal property including vehicles and furniture were attached, as it owes Eskom 2.3 billion rand. In 2018 Gauteng Premier David Makhura announced that the municipality would be placed under administration but then Emfuleni mayor Jacob Khawe disputed this. Maile sa...

The authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan have announced that some industries will resume business. Wuhan is the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Key sectors such as public transport, medical supplies, and producers of daily necessities, will be allowed to return to work. More than three-thousand people have died in total in China, the majority in Wuhan and its province, Hubei. Mea...

Electricity tariff hikes are looming after Eskom won an appeal against the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa). The power utility won against Nersa's decision to stop the energy producer from upping their tariffs in 2018/19. The energy regulator had initially ruled that the power utility would not be allowed to increase their tariffs. Guest: Chris Yelland, Energy analyst and managing director...

Cable theft and how it’s affecting SA’s economy: The theft of overheads cables and railway equipment in South Africa has reached unprecedented levels with the impact being felt by critical industries such as the mining, automotive, steel and agriculture among others. The theft has forced Transnet to introduce use of Diesel trains but these efforts have been hampered by continued theft on the Prasa...

Last week Friday, the Zimbabwean government gazetted new legislation which will allow them to give back land that was controversially taken during their unpopular land reform programme that commenced in 2000. Guest: Dr Ibbo Mandaza – Political analyst & Executive Chairman of the Southern African Political Economy Series Trust

Herman Mashaba has raised concerns over South Africa's illegal immigration issue, saying “we have become a soft target for foreign criminals fleeing their countries because of our deadly combination of zero border control and a criminal justice system that cannot tie its own shoelaces." Guest: Herman Mashaba, former Mayor of JHB & founder of The People's Dialogue

BSS: The office of the presidency has welcomed a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria - that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's CR17 report be declared invalid and unlawful. The case was brought by President Cyril Ramaphosa, for a judicial review of Mkhwebane's report - into the funding of his 2017 ANC presidential election campaign. The full bench of judges says Mkhwebane acted recklessly and...

Labour law experts have called for emergency regulations or amendments to be put in place in the event of employees possibly becoming infected with the coronavirus. So are there provisions for that in law. Our law recognises sick leave and that is when you have been diagnosed that you are sick and the doctor says you can't go to work. What we are faced with is unprecedented and the law doesn't rea...