The National Pulse

Residents of four villages under the Mdluli Tribal Authority at Makoko near White River held a march today over a lease agreement entered into - allegedly without their consent. The community alleges the 99 year lease agreement that was signed by the developers and the tribal authority does not benefit the community. The agreement reportedly involves a piece of land inside the Kruger National Park...

The Congress of South African Trade Unions says that it has noted with deep concern the shocking report that shows that the State Security Agency was used to fight political battles in the build-up to Nasrec ANC Conference. They further call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to act against all those who are implicated in this report and also work to cleanse the SSA of these rogue elements. Guest: Sizwe...

Today being International Women’s Day, we look at women in the tourism sector. We zoom into Judiet Barnes, the General Manager of the new Kruger Shalati initiative, a division of Thebe Tourism Group. She has experienced a career path that remains a dream for many where she rose from being a Marketing Manager in a tourism business - to become the General Manager of an exciting new tourism venture....

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the South African Reserve Bank should be owned by the people, as he renewed the ANC’s promise to nationalise the central bank. Speaking during a parliamentary Q&A session yesterday y, he said that nationalising central banks was nothing new, and that similar steps had been taken by a number of other countries around the world. The rand lost just over 1% over this sta...

The Inkatha Freedom Party, IFP, will launch its 2019 election manifesto this coming Sunday, in Chatsworth Stadium, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The Inkatha Freedom Party is South Africa’s 4th largest political party. They say they will present a credible and viable alternative for our country in pursuit of economic justice, development and prosperity for all. Guest: Xolani Dube - Political analyst from...

Two boys who were found dead at a swimming pool at Imperial Reserve in Mahikeng were not mutilated… this according North West Community Safety MEC Mpho Motlhabane . He was addressing community members outside the boys' homes, MEC Motlhabane and North West Premier Job Mokgoro visited the bereaved families and appealed to the community to remain calm and allow the investigation to continue. Joining...

The South African Council of Educators recently launched the teacher's rights, responsibilities campaign. It says it has noted and learned about challenges and attacks directed at teachers from both learners and parents, also critical is the numbers of misdemeanours committed by teachers. It is themed: “The rights to education means the rights to safe teaching” Guest: Themba Ndhlovu - South Africa...

Mpumalanga's Department of Education has condemned the violent act by the former learner at Mmamethlake High School in Mpumalanga. A video that went viral on social media depicts the learner throwing bricks and destroying windows of the school. This after he was denied access to the principal office whom he demanded to see. Guest: Jasper Zwane, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Education Department

An urgent meeting is being planned between the Gauteng MEC's for Transport and Community Safety and the warring Soweto Taxi associations WATA and NANDUWE over taxi violence that has claimed three lives since January. Both associations had until midday today to respond to a notice issued by Transport MEC Ismail Vadi for the closure of their ranks and routes. They were summoned to appear before the...

A new UCT study says the recent drought which left dams like the Theewaterskloof Dam empty and saw the City of Cape Town’s taps almost run dry, can now be expected once every 15 years, rather than every 50 years as previously assumed. These findings are part of the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) cutting-edge research to quantify the long-term effects of humans on global warming....

Business Unity South Africa, BUSA, said Business that it hoped the timeframe for the engineering task team mandated with investigating a host of issues at embattled power producer Eskom could be extended. The team is set to start its work on Monday and has to deliver its report to public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan within a month. Guest: Martin Kingston - BUSA Vice-President

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has announced their decision on whether to grant Eskom a 15 – 17% tariff hike over the next three years. The regulator held public hearings nationally to get the people’s opinion. Guest : Ted Blom – energy expert

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha has approved the parole application of apartheid-era death squad member Ferdinand Barnard. Barnard was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998 after being convicted on charges of murder, attempted murder and defeating the ends of Justice. Barnard shot and killed anti-apartheid activist Dr David Webster at the behest of the apartheid police'...

Tomorrow, 8 March, is known as International Women’s Day and I see that Botswana’s youngest MP Bogolo Kenewendo will be among the keynote speakers at the Forbes Woman Africa - Leading Women Summit, hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre tomorrow. She’s Botswana’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. It will feature...

Dozens of protesting students from the Nelson Mandela University in the Eastern Cape have barricaded the various entrances to North and South campuses of the institution. They have blocked the entrance to the campuse with burning tyres and debris. They are protesting over registration and accommodation problems. They say dozens of them have been left stranded as they cannot register and get accomm...

SA ambassador to Germany Stone Sizani said there is no way South Africa will be allowed to fail, as he encouraged small businesses and key stakeholders of the tourism sector in their efforts to promote the country at a travel trade show which kicks off this week. The ambassador was speaking at an event hosted by the SA embassy ahead of the 53rd edition Internationale Tourisms-Borse (ITB) world tra...

The ANC has lost some support nationally ahead of the elections according to a latest poll from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The party currently stands on 54.7%, down 1.3 percentage points from the December result of 56%. The DA is at 21.8%, which is a 3.1% percentage point increase from 18%. According to the February poll, the EFF is standing at 12.2%. This is a 1.2 percentage point inc...

Parliament has given the green light for the controversial Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) bill. It was passed earlier yesterday in the National Assembly the vote went 174 in favour, 11 against and 22 abstentions. The bill will now be sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa to be signed into law. Despite the government’s claims that the introduction of the amended Aarto Act...

The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) said media stereotypes of beauty and “ideal” body types had long been implicated as contributing to eating disorders, especially for those already vulnerable or at-risk. Guest: Dr Renata Schoeman - Member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP)

It is said - although a date is yet to be set for the implementation of the looming Rental Housing Amendment Act, many of the proposed changes, including criminal liability for non-compliant landlords, have sparked considerable concern. However, many property professionals believe that there is little or no cause for concern as long as all parties are well-informed and compliant – and that the ame...

The Department of Home Affairs says it will be reviewing the residency status of several foreign pastors. This follows the high-profile arrest of ECG Church minister, Shepherd Bushiri. Bushiri, who was born in Malawi, was charged with fraud and money-laundering. Guest: Siya Qoza, - spokesperson for the Minister of Home Affairs

The District Six land claimants are not very happy after the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform’s submission that it would take two more decades for them to return to the place they call home. Last year un November there was jubilation at the Western Cape High Court after the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform was ordered to start work immediately on a restitution plan for...

Relief organisations have brought supplies to the fire ravaged Setjwetla informal settlement in Alexandra north of Johannesburg. About 300 shacks were razed to the ground by the fire after a City Power electricity pylon fell on them. City Power says preliminary investigations have not confirmed that the collapsed pylon caused the fire. Guest: Ross Toontas, from Gift of the Givers

Taxi commuters say they will be severely affected should the ranks of the WATA and NANDUWE taxi associations be shut down. Yesterday, Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi said he intends to close the ranks for three months following ongoing route violence between the associations. Six people were wounded yesterday during an exchange of gun. Sashin Naidoo

Afriforum has not yet filed an appeal regarding the sentencing of the two Coligny farm workers Phillip Schutte and Pieter Doorewaard in the so called sunflower murder case. The organisation indicated during their arguments in mitigation of sentence last month that they would file an appeal. Schutte and Dooreward were given 18 years and 23 years in prison respectively. Afriforum described the testi...