The Weekend View

Ahead of South Africa's national elections on the 29th of May, citizens are imploring political parties to make the energy crisis a top priority in their election agenda.  According to a recent survey conducted by Nguvu Collective, 85.5% of respondents chose load shedding as the topmost issue that needs immediate resolution. The survey also revealed that load shedding is a key deterrent for women'...

The United States rejected a fairly broad consensus in the Security Council on THURSDAY when it vetoed a draft resolution that would have recommended the State of Palestine's full membership to the United Nations. Twelve countries including Russia, France and China backed the measure which drew two abstentions from the United Kingdom and Switzerland. But it was left to Washington's veto to sink an...

The world's largest election got underway in India on YESTERDAY. The election - which will be held in several phases across two months - will see nearly 1 billion eligible voters cast their ballot. It's widely expected incumbent Prime Minister - Narendra Modi - will win but the opposition claims the polls are already not free and fair. Neha Poonia has more from New Delhi. 

Explosions that echoed over the Iranian city of Isfahan YESTERDAY were described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran has been playing down the incident and indicating it has no plans for retaliation - a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war. Iran media reports say 3 drones were shot down. The limited scale of the attack and Iran's muted response both appeared to signal a succ...

Ahead of World Creativity and Innovation Day TOMORROW, Aware.org,  an organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting the responsible use of alcohol, has unveiled an innovative digital tool called The Drunk Goggles simulator. It is designed to help South Africans understand the dangers of drinking and driving and encourage them to prioritise safety by only driving sober. The simulator uses cutt...

It seems to have become the order of the day for South African political parties to want to become embroiled in workplace issues. This initially gained prominence with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which involved itself in the affairs of two companies, the Calgan Lounge in 2018 and Gordon Road Spar in 2021- and to which the Labour Court took a strong stance. According to law firm, Cliffe De...

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has resorted to drastic action to stop the widespread poaching of rhinos in the region. They have started an immediate programme to dehorn hundreds of rhinos in the province's largest rhino reserve. This follows the killing of 325 rhinos in the province last year, with more than 300 of the animals poached in the Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Park alone. The KZN slaughter accounted for ne...

The Umkhonto WeSizwe Party - MKP- has expressed disappointment after the Electoral Commission of South Africa announced that it had approached the Constitutional Court to appeal the Electoral Court ruling, which found former president Jacob Zuma can run for elections despite a 15-month prison sentence. The party has accused the IEC of going out of its way to exclude Zuma from the ballot saying the...

Several opposition parties were THIS WEEK left hot under the collar after fellow opposition and DA leader John Steenhuisen labelled some of them as 'popcorn parties' and  ' mercenaries " for campaigning in Western Cape. Parties such as Rise Mzansi, GOOD and ActionSA were not impressed by the comments and had a few unkind words for the DA leader. Steenhuisen's attack on smaller opposition parties c...

 There is nothing inherently socially beneficial about taxes. Taxes are the legal codification of a long-standing social norm: that citizens should contribute to the common well-being of the society that they live in. This is according to Dr Sansia Blackmore, a Senior Lecturer at the African Tax Institute at the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. She says  taxes...

Johannesburg will host the third edition of the Africa Business Connect forum in  August of  this year. The forum will bring together local and international companies, investors,  economic development stakeholders, as well as government and institutional representatives. It also aims to be a platform dedicated to the promotion of business opportunities to participants, access to an international...

Tensions have escalated in the Middle East. This after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel. Witnesses have described the sound of explosions in the skies above Jerusalem as air defences intercepted multiple drones. Israel says it will retaliate. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC's International Editor Sophie Mokoena  .

Ground-breaking DNA study suggests that South African leopards may be unique. This is according to the study on African leopards  published in the journal PeerJ by a team of international scientists led by Professor Yoshan Moodley of the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture at the University of Venda and Dr Declan Morris of the University of Adelaide,...

The controversial e-tolls on Gauteng highways were finally terminated at midnight on Thursday putting an end to a system many motorists had refused to buy into and pay for in many years. Transport Minister Sindiswa Chikunga and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi led the celebrations as the government officially terminated the e-tolls. On Wednesday, Chikunga confirmed that e-tolls would be scrapped but...

The City of Johannesburg took the fight back to the opposition after a row and public outrage erupted THIS WEEK following reports that the city spends over R3 million a month on VIP protection for top officials. The Mayor is reported to have up to 10 bodyguards who work in shifts of 5 each. Among those who are also benefiting from the splurge include the speaker and several MMC's. The DA and Actio...

In these challenging economic times, where consumers are struggling to make ends meet, loyalty programmes have emerged as a lifeline for many. The attraction of these loyalty programmes  lies in their ability to offer tangible benefits that ease financial burdens. These can be  cashback rewards, discounts, or points that can be redeemed for essential items. While these incentives empower consumers...

Limpopo Gambling Board and police THIS WEEK confiscated illegal gambling machines from foreign-owned spaza shops. Five suspects were arrested and were expected to appear in courts in Sekhukhune and Mopani districts. The suppliers of the illegal gambling machines are not known. Sebenzile Nkambule spoke to Limpopo Gambling Board CEO, Gregory Makoko 

 President Cyril Ramaphosa this week (Wednesday) signed the Judicial Matters Amendment Act of 2023 into law. This is in line with recommendations made by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector, including Organs of State in the Zondo Commission.  Corruption is one of the greatest impediments to the country's growth and develop...

TODAY marks the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.  Every year in April, the country enters a 100-day period of commemoration during which Rwandans reflect on historical divisions between the country's main ethnic groups - the Tutsi, Hutu and Twa.   Almost a million men, women and children, mainly ethnic Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, were killed in the 100 day murderous onslaught th...

Government THIS WEEK unveiled a roadmap to end the highly controversial but lucrative captive lion breeding industry. With about 7,800 animals in 348 breeding facilities, South Africa has the largest number of captive lions in the world. Environment Minister Barbara Creecy told a press briefing on Wednesday that, recomendations from a panel of experts she appointed to formulate steps for the indus...

Zimbabwe YESTERDAY introduced a new gold-backed currency called ZiG, which stands for Zimbabwe Gold. Central Bank Governor, John Mushayavanhu said the ZiG would be structured and set at a market-determined exchange rate. This is the latest attempt to try to stabilise an economy that has lurched from crisis to crisis for the past 25 years. The currency replaces a Zimbabwean dollar that has lost thr...

COSATU and its affiliate, the Communications Workers Union YESTERDAY marched to the National Treasury offices in Pretoria in support of workers at the South African Post Office - SAPO - and SABC. Workers at SAPO have been forced to face delays in their salary payments with six-thousand workers also facing retrenchments. Employees of the SABC are still in dispute over the payment of salary increase...

Banyana Banyana lost one-nil to Nigeria in the first leg of the Paris Olympic Qualifier played at the MKO Abiola stadium  in Abuja YESTERDAY evening.  The Super Falcons converted a penalty in the 42nd minute. That match  was not broadcast due to issues outside of the SABC's control. The second leg will be played on Tuesday, at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane. Banyana Banyana will need to overturn the o...

ActionSA says it will be taking action against South Africa's unregulated polling industry and those in the media who have become enablers of political disinformation under the guise of legitimate polling. The party cites an article published on the 10th of March, it says 3 media outlets published a poll without any reference to the origin of the poll.  Action SA believes that polls in South Afric...

The National Assembly THIS WEEK approved the Expropriation Bill as amended by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) with a vote of 205 in favour and 108 against. The bill makes provision for the expropriation of property, without compensation, if deemed in the public interest. It's adoption means it will now go straight to the president for signature and on to South Africa's statute books. The...