The National Briefing

Guest: Cobus van Vuuren, United National Transport Union General Secretary Guest: Mesela Nhlapo, African Rail Industry Association CEO Guest: Prof. Jan Havenga, Rail logistics expert from the industrial engineering department of Stellenbosch University Guest: Bonginkosi Mabaso, Transnet Freight Rail Chief Commercial Office Mediated Conversation: Transnet to move towards privatization to improve th...

Guest: Ebrahim Deen, Researcher at the Afro-Middle East Centre It now appears that the number of people known to have died from the massive earth quakes in turkey and Syria is now over 7900.        

Guest: Prof. Keith Engel, Chief Executive of SA Institute of Tax Professionals The SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has now said that the time is not right to increase the burden on taxpayers.  

Guest: Sipho Nhlapo, JRA Acting HOD Mobility & Freight Guest: Xolani Fihla, JMPD Spokesperson The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is concerned about the alarming increase in the theft and vandalism of traffic signals city-wide, including signal pole cutting and the compound effect of this on the economy.        

Guest: Tandi Mahambehlala, Parliament’s Tourism Portfolio Committee Chairperson Parliament’s Tourism Portfoliio Committee Chair Tandi Mahambehlala has told Tourism South Africa that it cannot go ahead with its plans to sponsor the English football team Tottenham Hotspur to the tune of just one billion rand.        

Guest: Cas Coovadia, CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) BUSA urges President Ramaphosa to use the upcoming cabinet reshuffle to improve the performance of a government that’s been slow to deliver on promises of economic reform and calls for a smaller, more effective cabinet.  

Guest: Moloto Mothapo, Parliament Spokesperson In Cape Town, there are all sorts of plans in place for the President’s SONA that will see the President speaking at the Cape Town City Hall while Parliament is still being rebuilt after that massive fire last year  

Guest: Norman Owen-Smith, Emeritus Research Professor of African Ecology, University of the Witwatersrand Large mammals shaped the evolution of humans: here’s why it happened in Africa.        

Guest: Lorenzo Davids – CEO of the Justice Fund Ahead of the SONA 2023, the Justice Fund calls on all media to take stand by not interviewing politicians on the red carpet; not asking politicians questions about their clothing and not standing on the red carpet at any point.  

Mediated Conversation: Does Head girl and head boy terms discriminate against pupils who do not identify as male or female? Guest: Busisiwe Deyi. Commissioner at Commission for Gender Equality Guest: Hendrick Makaneta, Education Expert Guest: Nolwazi Tusini, Co Executive Director (Acting) of Iranti Guest: Anil Padavatan - Head of Programmes for Gender DynamiX

Guest: James Oladipo, Ritshidze Researcher Ritshidze survey of more than nine thousand people reveals ongoing crisis in health system for key populations.      

Guest: Tertius Simmers, Human Settlements and Infrastructure MEC. Extortion, unlawful occupation or forceful community disruption of housing in 12 of the City of Cape Town’s housing projects is affecting about 4,500 beneficiaries of state-subsidised housing.      

Guest: Timothy Kuiper, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Cape Town Elephant poaching rates vary across Africa: 19 years of data from 64 sites suggest why.      

Guest: Joseph Mathunjwa, AMCU President The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union says that the Mining Indaba has got nothing to do with South Africa and a gathering for looters      

Guest: Barbara Creecy, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries New figures show that it appears that poaches trying to kill rhinos for their horn are now battling to poach rhinos in the national parks - and are now moving towards privately owned parks    

Guest: Jabu Mbalula, ANC Free State spokesperson The Free State’s ANC Provincial Executive Committee says that it is now going to recall the Premier of the Free State Sisi Ntombela - and the Mayor of Mangaung Mxolisi Siyonzana.       

Guest: Maropene Ramokgopa, Second Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC. The ANC appoint four new Members of Parliament                

Guest: Zeenat Adam, Deputy Executive Director at The Afro-Middle East Centre In Turkey international media organisations are now reporting that over four thousand people have died following the massive earth quakes which have struck near the border between Turkey and Syria          

Guest: Johan Burger, Independent Crime and Policing expert Independent Crime and Policing expert has now suggested that South Africa are in the early stages of becoming a mass murder capital    

Guest: Yolanda Gcanga, Komani Protest Action Committee member Last week there were massive protests in Komani in the Eastern Cape, residents blocked the n6 highway - they’ve been protesting against problems with electricity and water.      

Mediated Conversation: Electricity in Informal Settlements Guest: Prof David Everatt, Head of The Wits School of Governance, former Executive Director of the Gauteng City-region Observatory Guest: Thapelo Mohapi, General Secretary of Abahlali baseMjondolo Guest: Prof Ivan Turok, Research Chair in City-Region Economies in the Department of Economics and Finance and the center of Development support

Guest: Prof. Lerothodi Leeuw, Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape A green comet is visiting Earth from the edge of the Solar System  

Guest: Steve Mabona, Gauteng Department of Education  Spokesperson A Teacher at Kagiso Senior Secondary School in Gauteng has allegedly shot dead an intruder who had stabbed him with a knife. The Intruder found teachers in the staff room attending a  meeting and allegedly held them hostsage.  

Guest: Dan Radebe, National Deputy Chair: Operation Dudula  Operation Dudula to oppose the ZEP extension today  

Guest: Sibongiseni Dhlomo, Deputy Minister of Health The Department of Health calls for vigilance as the country records two laboratory-confirmed cases of cholera imported from Malawi