The National Pulse

ANC First Deputy Secretary-General, Nomvula Mokonyane, blamed the DA Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, for the recent chaos and influx at refugee reception centres following a landmark Constitutional Court ruling on asylum seekers. Speaking to residents during a door-to-door local government election campaign in KaBokweni, Mpumalanga, Mokonyane deflected community anger over immigration po...

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration led by Chairperson and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, is approaching the Constitutional Court to seek a supervisory order to guide the implementation of its recent asylum ruling. The Inter-Ministerial Committee will ask the Constitutional Court for guidance on the nature, scope, and duration of a supervisory measur...

Campaign for Free Expression has applied to be admitted as a friend of the court in the case of the fired PRASA whistleblowers who are fighting to be reinstated after the state entity fired them back in 2021. We find out more on the case and why CFE has seen it fit to back the duo… Guest: Chris Oxtoby - Research Associate at Campaign for Free Expression

The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services says it’s has received more than 500 reports of alleged use of force against inmates by Department of Correctional Services officials during the 2025/26 financial year. Against this high number, we find out more on the incidents and the bodies recommendations to DCS… Guest: Judge Lee Bozalek - Inspecting Judge of the Judicial Inspect...

On this week’s edition of Grow My Business we take a look at the AVIJozi Festival and what creatives can expect from the upcoming event with… Guest: Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt - Founder & Festival Director of AVIJOZI

The Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, addressed the media in Pretoria yesterday, where she called for a broader assessment of provincial education performance, saying the matric pass rate should no longer be the sole measure of the quality of the basic education system. The Minister’s remarks came as the department declared itself ready for the 2026 National Senior Certificate examin...

Suspended Deputy Police Commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya has resigned from the South African Police Service just as his disciplinary hearing began on Monday. SAPS says his departure is treated as a dishonourable discharge since disciplinary proceedings were ongoing when he resigned. For more on this, I am joined on the line by… GUEST: Dr. Mxolisi Mathebula, Independent Policing and Crime...

South Africa’s census journey has come a long way since the country’s first democratic population count in 1996. As Statistics South Africa and the UN Population Fund mark 30 years of Census, leaders from across SADC are reflecting on how population data has evolved from traditional counting methods to the first digital census in 2022, and what this means for leaving no one behind. GUE...

After yesterday’s conversation we invited Dr. Shadi Magano, Constitutional Law Expert & Senior lecturer at Wits University to clarify the Constitutional Court judgment on asylum seekers as well as help us understand the constitution and what it intends to achieve… - Get a thorough understanding on what the ConCourt judgment asked Home Affairs to do and what the implications of tha...

The Kingdom of Eswatini says the three Third-Country Nationals who were deported from the United States have left the kingdom. This follows reports that the deportees were secretly released to South Africa. Eswatini says the citizens who were flown from the US as part of the bilateral arrangement between Mbabane and Washington DC have been returned to their respective countries. Let’s get mo...

According to a landmark study by the University of Cape Town’s Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing, titled The Celebrations Economy 2026, traditional and modern festivities across the country now generate over R500 billion annually. Unveiled at UCT’s School of Economics, the research reveals that far from being an occasional luxury, lavish celebrations have become a non-negotiable...

With the 2026 Local Government Elections approaching, how closely do political parties’ promises match the everyday needs of the communities they want to govern? GUEST: Thinam Mali – Part of the Campaigns Democracy from Below at My Vote Counts    

ICASA has withdrawn notices for its Telecommunications Affordability and OTT Services inquiries, citing procedural issues, with both inquiries to be republished for public comment and stakeholder participation. GUEST:  Nomvuyiso Batyi - CEO of The Association of Comms and Technology  

South Africa’s local elections are approaching. But beyond voting and protesting, what can citizens do now to push for better planning and accountability in their municipalities? GUEST: Professor Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu – Professor University of KwaZulu-Natal  

We now turn to the recently held Mintek SCi 2026, where emerging African scientists, researchers and industry leaders are exploring how science, technology and innovation can shape the future of South Africa’s minerals sector. I’m joined by…   GUEST: Dr Ndivhuwo Shumbula – Research Scientist at Mintek

With the local government elections less than a month away, social media, particularly the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, was buzzing with the words DON’T VOTE ANC, DA & EFF. Political parties have been hot on the campaign trail, wooing voters to mark a tick next to their candidates’ names on the ballot. Let’s make sense of this with… GUEST: Professor Andre Duv...

Following our conversation with the organisers in the build-up to the Wits Social Good Hackathon, we’re now joined by the winning team behind Blockfix, a student-developed app designed to help communities tackle everyday problems like potholes, illegal dumping and broken infrastructure. We find out more on the project with… GUEST: Alton Maseko – Member of BlockFix 

The Employment Services Amendment Bill has sparked fear, anger and misinformation. What’s fact, what’s fiction, and how can an informed public shape the final legislation. GUEST: Sabelo Chalufu – Founder and Director of Better Governance Initiative

Gauteng Health has acknowledged challenges in the supply of some medicines at public facilities while disputing claims that patients are being left without treatment. I’m joined by… GUEST: Steve Mabona - Gauteng Health Department Spokesperson  

South Africa is facing a growing water crisis with ageing infrastructure struggling municipalities and concerns about the reliability and quality of water services. Against this backdrop, the National School of Government and Russia’s RANEPA have launched a programme to strengthen water-management skills among public servants. We find out more with… GUEST: Phindile Mkhwanazi – A...

More than a hundred asylum seekers have gathered outside the Department of Home Affairs Durban Refugee Reception Centre, closing off Che Guevara Road today. Tensions are expected to be high around the centre after the asylum seekers were denied entry by the March and March anti-illegal immigration movement yesterday. Let’s get the latest on this story with… GUEST: Taliesha Naidoo, SAB...

Suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, was back in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court in Johannesburg for a formal bail application today. Sibiya is facing a string of charges including rape, human trafficking, contravention of the Firearms Control Act and the alleged sexual grooming of a sixteen-year-old girl. Let’s find out what happened today...

The murder trial of rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane is continuing at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban. On Monday, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court Judge, Nomfundo Sipunzi, presiding over the murder trial of the alleged killers of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, handed down an order effectively pr...

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) held its first day of interviews yesterday to fill vacancies in the superior and specialist courts. The names of three senior High Court judges will be recommended to President Cyril Ramaphosa following a decision by the JSC. GUEST: Mbekezeli Benjamin, Judges Matter Research and Advocacy Officer

Part of an on-going research into Lifetime exposure to the suicidal thoughts and behaviours of others has uncovered a concerning unmet need for mental healthcare. To share more of the research is…   GUEST: Professor Frederik Booysen – Wits PPS Chair of Health Economics