The Weekend View

TODAY is National Day of Reconciliation. The day seeks to promote national unity, social cohesion, constitutional democracy, human rights, and equality. It also serves as a call to action to individuals to take responsibility to fight racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. President Cyril Ramaphosa will later TODAY officiate at the National Day of Reconciliation celebrations a...

A South African delegation from the Africa Muslims Agency is in Egypt with humanitarian aid for Gaza. The agency will help load the relief aid into trucks that will depart from Cairo to the Rafah-border crossing where the convoy will wait for the Israelis to open the border and allow the movement of humanitarian assistance. Hassan Choonara is with the Africa Muslims Agency and he and he spoke to S...

Former President, Jacob Zuma is expected to make a big announcement on his political future later today. According to a press release with no political name or logo, Zuma will make the big reveal at the Ipelegeng Community Centre in Jababvu, Soweto. The statement says the revelation will be the beginning of a new chapter in politics as a new South Africa and the beginning of a great future is craf...

Calibre of African leaders on the spotlight    The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)  will from today until Thursday hold various events to mark it's 20 years of existence. Established in 2003, the APRM - an arm of the African Union - is mandated to promote democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law in Africa. The mechanism serves as a platform for African countries and leader...

There is confusion over the status of the NFP's elective conference with one group claiming it will take place this coming Thursday and another saying there is no such thing. There is a section of the party that is saying the elective conference will take place in Durban from the 14 of December  to Sunday, the 17th of December. Others within the party are singing a different tune saying there is n...

Today is International Human Rights Day, the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The core ambition of the Declaration has been to infuse societies with equality, fundamental freedoms and justice. In Africa, wars, political instability, repression and climate change continue to deny many the continent's population their basic human rights. To discuss this we spoke to Advo...

The South African Police Services (SAPS)  in Gauteng has allegedly introduced restrictions on the movement of police vehicles per shift. It is alleged that police officers are now not allowed to exceed 300 km per 8 or 12 hour shift in order to manage expenditure. It is reported that if an official police vehicle exceeds the stipulated kilometers per shift without a valid explanation, consequence m...

Concern has been raised over the safety of visitors to one of South Africa's major tourism draw cards - the Table Mountain National Park. The increasing spate of muggings and robberies led to a peaceful protest last week to highlight safety and security issues. The latest reported attacks include foreign tourists and mountain bikers who were robbed at knife point. Concerned groups have accused SAN...

Corruption Watch yesterday issued an open letter urging South Africa to intensify its anti-corruption efforts. The letter comes days before next week's 10th session of the United Nations Convention against Corruption Conference to be held in the United States. The letter outlines the areas that require urgent intervention and implementation and it comes just after the International Anti-Corruption...

There is general support and relief following the appointment of Dan Marokane as Eskom's new CEO. He will take up the position by 31st March 2024.The Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan made the announcement yesterday. Marokane replaces former CEO Andre de Ruyter who resigned from the position a year ago following a loss of support from the government and board. He joins the power utili...

It's widely known that nothing ages better than a fine wine, and now a team from Stellenbosch University has combined finance and the science of wine  to develop a fine wine index that proves the positive value of the beverage as an investment asset. Together with honours students; Anton Blignaut and Jean-Pierre Viljoen, Dr Mesias Alfeus, a lecturer of Financial Risk Management in the Department o...

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has raised concerned that there are fewer HIV positive children who are on antiretroviral therapy. Mashatile was speaking during the World Aids Day commemoration event in Mandeni on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. Meanwhile South Africa is leading globally with children who are infected with HIV. Vusi Makhosini reports. We spoke to Dr Seithati Molefi Deputy Chief of...

On the 20th of December, the Democratic Republic of (DRC) will be heading to the polls for presidential elections. More than 43 million registered voters are eligible to take part in the general election. President Felix Tshisekedi has since launched his re-election bid with his Union for Democracy and Social Progress - UDPS. Tshisekedi will face 25 other candidates in the presidential race, inclu...

 Small businesses have felt the brunt of multiple crises plaguing the country. From rolling blackouts, the Covid-19 pandemic, to an economy that's not growing and difficulties in accessing markets, small businesses have struggled. It's often said SMMEs are the backbone of the economy, but do they have adequate support? Wongakazi Majola from Impactful Initiatives is trying to change this through a...

TODAY is the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and to mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Despite legislation on inclusivity, in South Africa, like many other parts around the world, persons with disabilities still face many inequities, including stigma, disc...

Dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed yesterday after Israel resumed attacks on Gaza after the expiration of a week long truce. International mediators, including Qatar, Egypt and the United States, had been pushing for another extension of the pause, which expired on Friday. In a separate incident Israeli soldiers also killed one of their citizens execution style after mistaking him for a...

Several Palestinian resistance organisations are this weekend attending the 5th Global Convention of Solidarity with Palestine taking place in Johannesburg. The event commemorates the tenth anniversary of the passing of Nelson Mandela and is titled: "Nelson Mandela and Palestine. To tell us more about this convention we spoke to  Muhamed Desai, Executive Director at Africa4Palestine....

The United Nations Peace Keeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, is scheduled to start leaving the country THIS MONTH of December, the same time the DRC is set to hold national elections. While efforts have been made to transfer responsibility to Congolese security institutions, MONUSCO has so far been tied to the capability of the DRC's army and police to provide stability, especially in the eastern...

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has extended the special permits for Zimbabweans and Basotho living in South Africa for another two years until November 2025. The exemption will cater to more than 50,000 Basotho and 178,000 Zimbabweans who have migrated to South Africa. The ZSP which is held by just over 178 000 Zimbabweans was due to expire in June 2023 following a number of extensions, bu...

There has been a recent spate of kidnappings in South Africa, prompting the question whether these incidents are on the rise. Most cases of kidnapping in the country are a side-effect of carjacking, robberies and rapes but crime experts say an increasing number of victims are now being singled out directly.  Police are also warning parents to be vigilant during the festive season around beaches an...

Last week Gauteng engaged in Public hearings on the proposed tobacco bill which among other things proposes a ban on the sale of single cigarettes (loose draws) and the public display of nicotine products. The Tshwane leg of the public hearing was marred by allegations that some people were not able to enter the venue to  air their views.  Last week we heard the views of  the National Informal Tra...

The violation of Women and Children is one of the biggest challenges in our societies. As South Africa observes the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-based violence- we want to look at men's role in the fight against GBV. Are men left behind in the conversation? *Tomorrow the African Union (AU) Men's Conference on Positive Masculinity begins. The aim is to consolidate bold continental efforts tha...

Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, says the government remains committed to protecting the right of every person to live free from discrimination and persecution based on who they are and who they relate with. 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign will run from today to 10 December 2023. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to Gender Activist and Fundraising Director of Rise Up Ag...

The National Informal Traders Alliance of South Africa - NITASA - is urging the public, spaza shop owners and hawkers to use this weekend's public hearings in Gauteng to voice their opposition to the Tobacco Bill. NITASA says they are opposed to proposals in the bill which include the ban on the sale of single cigarettes, the ban on the display of all tobacco products and the extreme penalties for...

With the increase in the cost of living and rising interest rates, more and more homeowners are finding themselves unable to continue paying their bonds. This has resulted in a surge in distressed house sales. The property market has seen a hike in the number of homeowners forced to sell their properties sometimes within as little as two years of purchase. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to CEO of Privat...