The National Pulse

Later this week, the SACP will discuss how it will contest elections while remaining part of the Tripartite Alliance. It is no secret that the party has been actively advocating for the reconfiguration of its alliance with the ANC to make sure they have a stronger voice and greater influence in decision-making. To help us breakdown some of the issues that will take center stage at the party’...

The School Governing Body of Pretoria High School for Girls confronted the Gauteng Department of Education in the High Court earlier today, contesting the legitimacy of the department’s investigation into alleged racism at the institution. The SGB contends that the probe was unlawful and seeks to halt the implementation of its recommendations while demanding access to the complete report. SA...

In June 2021, BP in partnership with Pick n Pay, announced plans to sell wine through its Pick n Pay Express forecourt convenience stores. The Pick n Pay Express store at BP Radiokop on Johannesburg’s the Westrand was the first to offer wine on its shelves, with a planned rollout to other BP sites expected in the coming months. A number of organisations are calling for an immediate halt on t...

We examine the DA’s annual report card for the Gauteng Provincial Government. The party has issued a scathing assessment of the Gauteng Provincial Government under Premier Lesufi’s leadership, assigning an overall score of just 2.9 out of 10. GUEST: Solly Msimang, DA Gauteng Leader

As more organisations are calling on Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen to ban terbufos, Mariam Mayet says South Africa has reached a tipping point and Minister Steenhuisen needs to act now to address this problem. You may recall that terbufos was detected in the food that killed six children in Soweto. However, Steenhuisen is adamant that he won’t bow to pressure to ban terbufos as this...

Dr Nqobile Xaba shares thoughts on the complexity of the problems posed by illegal mining in South Africa and the threat it poses to the country’s economy and its competitiveness, and she will also share some possible solutions to this ongoing problem. GUEST: Dr Nqobile Xaba, Researcher at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA)

Post the recent Tshwane Women in Business Awards (TWIBA), today we speak to Isabella Twala who won the Agro Processing Award. TWIBA awards celebrate women who refuse to be marginalised but who lead, innovate and uplift others. Twala is popularly known as the first black South African woman to make okra into a shake. Her business makes Gumbo Shake, which is stocked in retail shops across the countr...

Earlier today, Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, says her department was informed that the Lebombo Border Post will remain closed to traffic due to safety concerns. Creecy says the Lebombo Border carries the most road freight in the country. The Minister said her department is pleading for patience from trade associations as it awaits further communication from its Mozambican counterparts about...

The DA has hit back at speculation that its member and Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, could lose her job as tensions continue to simmer around the Bela Act. Yesterday, newspaper reports suggested that President Cyril Ramaphosa is under intense pressure from within the ANC to fire Gwarube who, in accordance with her party position, is openly opposed to the implementation of the Basic...

Executive Leadership Coach & Advisor, Aneesa Theron joins me on the line for today’s personal growth feature to talk about how you can go from self-sabotage to self-leadership. Sometimes all it takes is one major decision while sometimes, it is a series of consistent moves that help you get over self-sabotage and turn it into self-leadership.  GUEST: Aneesa Theron, Executive Leadership Coach &...

A delegation from the Department of Social Development is preparing to travel to the Republic of Mauritius to repatriate a child born of a mother who is incarcerated in that country for drug trafficking. To get more details on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Lumka Olifant, Acting Deputy Director General of Corporate Support Services at the National Department of Development

Today marks 42 years of the Maseru Massacre. This unfortunate incident happened in 1982 , where the then South African Defence Force invaded Lesotho’s capital, Maseru and killed 42 people, thirty of whom were South Africans while the other 12 were Basotho citizens. To talk to us about why we should never forget about this day is Nomzamo Nkatshu, who was 10 months old when this terrible incident oc...

    GUEST: Thembisa Fakude, Senior Researcher and Director @Africa-Asia Dialogues (Afrasid)

We unpack the EFF’s upcoming National People’s Assembly, set to be held this week at Nasrec Expo Centre. The conference will take place after a relatively poor performance at the polls in May this year, where the party only managed to garner 9.52% of the national vote, which was followed by an exodus of high-profile members.   GUEST: Poppy Mailola, Deputy Secretary General of the Economic Freedom...

The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) says the country has spoken and that they expect President Ramaphosa to implement the BELA act in full. While others have threatened to take him to court if he implements the Act in its current form. GUEST: Nomusa Cembi, SADTU National spokesperson  

Today we speak to someone who contributed in the drafting of the country’s Constitution and who promotes accountability and good governance in the public sector these days, and that is Professor Somadoda Fikeni. Fikeni has received several honours and awards in South Africa and abroad for community involvement, including an honorary chieftaincy which was bestowed on him in Ghana. GUEST: Professor...

A group of eight Nelson Mandela University students presented innovative scientific formulations, and other products, at a Dragons’ Den-type event at InnoVenton, the University’s Institute for Chemical Technology, in Summerstrand last month. As with the aspiring entrepreneurs in the reality television show, Dragons’ Den, the students first pitched the product they had invented, and then faced toug...

The Nelson Mandela Foundation will be launching an application out of the Western Cape High Court to challenge the State on its failure to comply with Section 25(5) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. To break this down for us, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Tanveer Rashid Jeewa, Constitutional Property Law Lecturer

South African National Parks has announced that it will enhance surveillance at all Kruger National Park entry gates as part of the festive season crime prevention drive. They will also ensure that there will be increased ranger and security services patrols. Joining us to elaborate further on this is…. GUEST: Ike Phaahla, SANParks spokesperson  

AfriForum’s blue and green drop results paint a dark and worrying picture of the management of South Africa’s water supply and sewage treatment systems. According to the organisation, water supply and sewage treatment systems do not function properly because the vast majority of municipalities, which are mainly responsible for water and sanitation services, continuously under perform. For more on...

Chris Hani killer, Janusz Walus will be sent back to Poland today after completing his parole. Ministers of Justice, Home Affairs, Correctional Services and the Presidency announced this decision just before midday today. Walus shot Hani in 1993 in a failed attempt to derail South Africa’s transition from a white-minority government to democratic rule. To react to this is…… GUEST: Dr Alex Mashilo,...

Ghanaians will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president as well as 276 Members of Parliament across the country. We understand that the current vice-president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and a former head of state, John Mahama, are the two leading candidates in contention to win the poll. But what exactly are they offering to the country’s electorate and can they assist the West African natio...

Today we chat to Tshidi Matjeke-Dlungwane who is leading Sausage Saloon’s expansion into Mauritius. One nice thing about her story is that she is promoting a proudly South African brand. Also she is a finalist in the Standard Bank Top Women awards 2024. By the end of this year, Tshidi and her team are aiming to launch three outlets across strategically chosen Mauritian locations.   GUEST: Tshidi M...

Earlier today, Mpumalanga police said additional equipment has been secured to fast-track rescue operations at a mine shaft in Sabie, Mpumalanga. SABC News Reporter, Motsebi Monareng is at the scene and he joins me on the line to give us an update after monitoring developments throughout the day… GUEST: Motsebi Monareng, SABC News Reporter  

Earlier on, I spoke to Tebogo Letsie, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education about his comments on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme being responsible for students turning to sugar daddies and resorting to crime when their bursary payments fail. NSFAS Administrator, Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo joins me on the line to respond to these allegations… GUEST: Sithembiso Freema...