The National Pulse

Several South Africans have travelled to Egypt to join the global march to Gaza. They are part of global activists that are saying ‘the world can no longer look away’ and they are also calling on Israel to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. GUEST: Hasina Kathrada, SA activist

    As you heard in the news at the top of the hour, Judge Phillip Loubser has dismissed the NPA's prayers for leave to appeal the invalidation of Moroadi Cholota's US extradition. Kamogelo Seekoe, SABC News Reporter in the Free State joins me on the line to tell us what happened in court today leading up to the dismissal of the appeal…   GUEST: Kamogelo Seekoe, SABC News Rep...

Following the successful hosting of public hearings in Mpumalanga, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs is holding public hearings on the Marriage Bill in the North West Province starting today. The hearings North West leg is the fifth provincial public participation process following similar sessions in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. For more on this, I am joined on the l...

Earlier today, the department of transport launched its law enforcement and road safety programme that enhances the department’s road safety advocacy program and education. It is also aimed at encouraging young people to act responsibly ahead of Youth Day long weekend. To elaborate further on this, we are joined by….. GUEST: RTMC Spokesperson, Simon Zwane

President Cyril Ramaphosa will attended the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada this weekend. Interestingly Ramaphosa will once again have a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit. This year’s meeting will be the 50th meeting of this kind and it will serve as an important opportunity for leaders of key western democracies to resolve current trade issues an...

Capitec Chief Executive Officer, Gerrie Fourie, recently said that the unemployment rate, which was 32.9% for the first quarter and is among the highest globally, would be closer to 10% if self-employed people and those working in informal markets are counted. I had a conversation with former statistician general, Dr. Pali Lehohla, about this yesterday. Economic analyst, Duma Gqubule, had a conver...

    John Lang explains how the implementation of carbon border taxes may affect South Africa’s trade relations with countries like China, the United Kingdom and the European Union. According to a new report by The Net Zero Tracker (NZT), if South Africa doesn’t move faster to decarbonise its electricity grid, it risks losing access to key export markets and that could put hun...

Parliament will convene a landmark P20 Youth Parliament sitting tomorrow, in the Good Hope Chamber. This high-level session, held just three days before Youth Day, will bring together young Members of Parliament, provincial legislators, youth advocates, and ministers to shape a national youth development agenda. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Jane Seboletswe Mnaniso, A...

G20 Channel Africa simulcast

The International Atomic Energy Agency (which is the UN’s nuclear watchdog) has found that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years. This finding could complicate the ongoing talks between Iran and the US over a new nuclear agreement. It could also escalate tensions in the Middle East after reports that the Israeli military was ready to launch strikes...

Statistician General Risenga Maluleke explains the methodology used to determine the country’s unemployment rate. This after Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie questioned our national stats in relation to employment figures, arguing that the country’s unemployment data excludes those employed in the informal sector. According to him, if those individuals were to be added then the country’...

Post this year’s Child Protection Week, which ended last week on the 5th of June, we ask - what does child protection look like when the spotlight fades? We ask this because over 26, 486 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in the 2023/24 period, which proves that more work still needs to be done to protect children. GUEST: Livhuwani Siaga, Junior Lecturer in Social Work at North-W...

Earlier today, authorities in the Eastern Cape recovered the minibus taxi that was carrying ten missing learners in the Mthatha region. The vehicle was swept into a river in Decoligny yesterday following severe flooding caused by heavy rains across the province. Abongile Jantjies, SABC News Reporter in the Eastern Cape, joins me on the line to give us an update… GUEST: Abongile Jantjies, SA...

The World Bank has approved a $1. 5 billion loan that will be used to revitalise South Africa’s ailing infrastructure. We understand that the bulk of the money will be used to aid Eskom’s grid to accommodate more renewable energy sources. But why now because currently our government’s ability to service its debt is a significant concern, with debt servicing costs reaching R389.6...

Guest: Eugene Modise - Deputy Executive Mayor and MMC for Finance

The City of Cape Town has approached the Constitutional Court to invalidate the Public Procurement Act. According to the City, the Bill will slow down local service delivery and undermine the constitutional autonomy of local government. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Mayor

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed more than 30 individuals to serve as part of an Eminent Persons Group that will guide and champion the National Dialogue. According to Ramaphosa, the National Dialogue will help shape the next chapter of our democracy and it will also help us understand what it means to be a South African. To talk about the significance of this soon to be held dialogue is El...

There is a lot happening in the United States of America at the moment. Elon Musk has used his X platform to express regret over his war of words with President Donald Trump, acknowledging that some of his posts about Trump went too far. Another ongoing issue is that of protests that have spread across the country after days of demonstrations in Los Angeles against immigration raids. To help us ma...

Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie is calling on SA to rethink its unemployment metric, contending that when the vast informal sector is taken into account, the headline figure of 32.9% could be closer to 10%. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Dr. Pali Lehohla, Former Statistician-General of South Africa

Thirty unclaimed bodies, which were retrieved from underground in Stilfontein, North West, last year, were buried earlier today in Klerksdorp. The North West Health Department has confirmed that these bodies were buried as paupers. For more on this story, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Tshegofatso Mothibedi, Spokesperson: Department of Health in North West

Authorities in KwaZulu-Natal have urged residents to exercise extreme caution on the roads as severe weather continues to batter parts of the province. MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma has confirmed that the province has deployed more than 10 motor graders along key routes to prevent snow buildup. For more on this, we are joined by……   GUEST: Ndabezinhle Si...

Operation Dudula was dragged to court this morning to answer for their alleged xenophobia against foreign nationals. Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, Abahlali Base Mjondolo Movement, inner city federation and SA informal traders forum filed the matter at the Johannesburg high court. I am joined on the line by Brian Phaaloh, from the South African Informal Traders Forum to get an update on what...

The Socio Economic Rights Institute (SERI) has sent a letter of demand to the City of Johannesburg, expressing its concerns about the removal of informal traders at Kopanong Market in Ivory Park. The organisation is arguing that the removal of storage containers has made trading nearly impossible. For further elucidation on this, we are joined by…. GUEST: Deborah Raduba, SERI’s Attorn...

While the organisation has welcomed his apology. They have also made it clear that his behaviour was unacceptable, insisting that there must be a deeper conversation about what the judge has raised. For more on this, we are joined by…… GUEST: Takalani Mamathuntsha, Black Lawyers Association’s Secretary General

An Italian referendum aimed at addressing immigration and labour rights issues has failed to garner support because of low voter turnout. The referendum was championed by a major trade union, civil society groups and some center-left opposition parties, and it sought to reduce the time it takes to become a naturalised citizen from 10 years to five years. GUEST (Norway): Professor Vito Laterza, Pol...