The National Pulse

Today a group of South African students, academics and activists, in conjunction with organisations including Protect the Rohingya, the Wits Muslim Students Association, the Wits Palestine Solidarity Committee, Johannesburg Against Injustice, the Media Review Network, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and SA Friends of Kashmir organised a protest outside the Indian Consulate General in Parktown. The p...

The Royal Family of the kingdom of Abathembu have welcomed the release of the Abathembu King, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo from prison. King Dalindyebo was released last night as part of the prisoners qualifying for remission of sentence. According to the Ngangelizwe Royal Family of the Abathembu Nation the absence of his Majesty marked a period division within the Abathembu nation and the matter eventu...

Guest: Eric Muragana SABC Digital Media Manager

Guest: Oageng Chose

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has seized containers from Mozambique of illegal medicines worth R 5 million. The shipments was seized after an investigation by SAHPRA found containers with tablets and powder which reportedly contain paracetamol. Guest: Yuven Gounden - SAHPRA spokesperson

Earlier on today firefighters were battling to contain the fire that erupted the Cape Winelands. Cooler conditions during the night allowed them to make good progress in the areas that are accessible. There are however a few spots high up in the rocky areas of the mountains that crews are unable to access. Guest: Jo-Anne Otto Spokesperson for the Cape Winelands District Municipality

The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Commission) has suspended initiation schools in the Eastern Cape following the death of 22 initiates. According to the CRL Commission’s chairperson Professor David Mosoma, the commission has observed with dismay that, in certain instances, the cultural practice of initiation robs fa...

As the battle for the control of the Nazareth Baptist Church continues. The KwaZulu-Natal government has decided to assemble a team of MEC’s to mediate between the two factions of the embattled Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church. About three weeks ago, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein granted the Thembezinhle faction an order to lead the church and occupy all properties of the church and th...

Former president Jacob Zuma has filed an application with the Supreme Court of Appeal to determine whether the high court’s decision to refuse him leave to appeal against a decision preventing him from enjoying a permanent stay of prosecution on corruption charges in the multibillion-rand arms deal was correct. Guest: Advocate Paul Hoffman, Executive Director at Accountability Now

Sanusha Naidu joins us to explain why Pakistan’s former ruler Pervez Musharraf was sentenced to death and what it means. This week, a special court found former Pakistani ruler General Pervez Musharraf guilty of high treason under article 6 of Pakistan’s constitution — for suspending the constitution when he imposed a state of emergency in November 2007 — and sentenced him to death. Guest: Sanusha...

Advocate Jurg Prinsloo joins us to talk about his organisation’s disapproval of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Reconciliation Day speech. On December 16 President Ramaphosa said It was important that we recall how the indigenous African people were forced off their land, denied even the most basic of rights and how families were torn apart by the migrant labour system. Front National is accusing him...

The Free State executive council held a meeting today following a letter by Deputy Finance Minister, David Masondo to Premier, Sisi Ntombela calling for the Mangaung Metro to be placed under administration. Deputy Minister Masondo says the metro’s failure to implement the existing Voluntary Financial Plan has prompted the decision. Guest: kopung Ralikotsane

On Wednesday, Global rating agency Fitch kept South Africa's long term foreign and local currency debt ratings at BB+ and maintained its negative outlook. According to Fitch, SA’s ratings are constrained by low growth potential, high and rising government debt, large contingent liabilities as well as the risk of rising social tensions due to extremely high inequality Guest: S’fiso Skenjana, founde...

Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni- Abrahams announced today during a media briefing that her department is in talks with mobile operators for cheaper data. According to the Minister, the key to driving a digitally transformed society was to ensure that costs to communicate were reduced. Guest: Lazola Kati - Communications Rights Focus Organizer at Right Know

The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) has expressed concern over allegations of editorial interference and censorship at the ENCA news channel. Former ENCA Political Reporter, Samkele Maseko alleged that ENCA News Chief, Kanthan Pillay had censored stories in the newsroom. Guest: Kate Skinner - Executive Director, SANEF

The department of Co-operative Governance in Limpopo will soon institute forensic investigations into the embattled Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Mokopane. The municipality has been placed under Section 139 b of the constitution which enables the provincial government to exercise administrative work. Guest: Basikop Makamu – MEC of Co-operative Governance in Limpopo

According to City Power, it is struggling to the issue of contain cable theft which has led to loses of roughly R 2 billion per annum. Recently 50 street lights were vandalised and their cables stolen in Cleveland north of Johannesburg. Many more streets lights were destroyed and cables removed along Main Reef road and Elias Motsoaledi road near Braamfischerville in Soweto and also traffic lights...

What next for Bobani? Axed Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani has lost his court bid to be reinstated on an urgent basis. Acting judge Lisa Ntsepe found this morning that he had failed to show the Port Elizabeth High Court why the matter was sufficiently urgent and accordingly dismissed the application with costs. Guest: Mongameli Bobani, former Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor

Tracking municipal revenue and expenditure: According to the latest quarterly financial statistics on municipalities released by Statistics SA this week - municipal salaries increased by R178m in the third quarter. Wage and overtime payments for employees were the main contributing factors for the increase. Joining us to discuss municipal expenditure patterns is……. Guest: Kareen Heese, Municipal I...

Yesterday, the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted to impeach US President Donald Trump for obstruction of Congress and abuse of power over his dealings with Ukraine. Trump is only the third United States president to be impeached. To date, no president or vice president has been removed from office by impeachment and conviction. Guest on the line (UK): Professor David H Dunn, Chair in I...

The Hawks have arrested four people for alleged fraud, corruption and money laundering related to the construction of Kusile power station in Mpumalanga. The suspects were arrested early this morning in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in collaboration with the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigative Directorate. Guest: Brigadier Hang...

According to Daphney Mashile-Nkosi if we are to address some of the issues faced by the education sector we firstly need to move away from the practice of discussing education only during the period when matric results are released. In our Both Sides of the story we look at how we can go about making education an everyday part of public discourse and engagements. Guests: Mashile-Nkosi - executive...

The Supreme Court of Appeal has awarded the family of five-year-old Michael Komape damages for his death. This follows an appeal by rights organisation Section 27 against the Limpopo Education Department on behalf of the family. Komape died after falling in a pit toilet at Mahlodumela Primary School in Limpopo in 2014. Guest: Mark Heywood - Former Executive Director of Section 27

The Vetican announced on Tuesday that Priests can no longer cite papal secrecy in abuse cases. This latest move by Pope Francis is aimed at combating silence surrounding paedophilia in the Roman Catholic church. Guest: Archbishop William Slattery

Airports Company South Africa has heightened security at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg as over 3.6 million passengers are expected to fly in and out between now and January. Baggage tampering has been a serious concern at various airports especially during peak holidays – Christmas and Easter. Guest: Betty Maloka – Spokesperson, Airports Company South Africa