The National Pulse

Guest: Pemmy Majodina - ANC chief whip

Post the city of Newcastle’s Budge Policy Statement that was delivered by Councilor Ntuthuko Mahlaba about a month ago - we examine the City’s state of affairs. You may recall that Normandien area came under the spotlight when tensions between farm workers and farmers escalated – also the issue of Municipal debt took centre stage when efforts by Eskom to collect revenue were met with several chall...

Deputy Minister of Basic Education Reginah Mhaule, says the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will meet this Sunday behind closed doors to discuss the current COVID-19 situation in the country. This as the number of new COVID-19 infections continue to rise and some provinces like Gauteng and the Free State have entered the third wave. The council is expected to discuss implementing stric...

We now speak to our reporter Reginald Witbooi in the Northern Cape about the surge in Covid Infections in the province. Some schools there have continued to record an increase in COVID-19 cases, forcing some schools to close. We will also speak about the John Taolo Gaetsewe regional conference which failed to take place last weekend… GUEST: SABC senior reporter in the Northern Cape, Reginald Witbo...

On World News today we ask, how important is Emmanuel Macron's first visit to South Africa? We are told that the French President's visit will deepen bilateral relations between bilateral relations between South Africa and France. You may recall as well that South Africa is France's largest trading partner in Africa, while France is South Africa's second largest trading partner in the European Uni...

Gauteng Transport MEC, Jacob Mamabolo has announced that a decision has been taken to scrap the provincial e-toll system. Opposition parties, civil society and ANC in Gauteng have long pressured government to do away with the system, as motorists have refused to pay for it. Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, last week announced that a decision by government on the future of the e-toll system is i...

President of ActionSA, Herman Mashaba, has handed a memorandum of grievances to the Lows Creek police station outside Barberton in Mpumalanga during the court appearance of a man accused of arson. The man is accused of being part of a group that torched a camping site for workers and families of three mine workers whose remains are still trapped underground in the Lily mine. The mine caved-in in F...

Eskom is once again requesting the public to reduce the usage of electricity. This after the power utility yesterday implemented stage 1 loadshedding. Eskom says the power system is still severely constrained, with a high probability of loadshedding. Almost 10% of the year 2020 was consumed by load-shedding according to a 2021 statistical report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Researc...

Former president Jacob Zuma's legal woes are mounting, this after the constitutional court struck off the roll Zuma's application to appeal the personal cost order he incurred in his challenge of the constitutionality of former public protector Thuli Madonsela's report on state capture. Earlier today the ConCourt struck off the roll, with costs, Zuma's bid to appeal a six-to-ten million-rand cost...

The ANC in the Western Cape together with Parents for Equal Education SA have launched a court bid to force the Western Cape’s department of education to deal with the issue of unplaced pupils in the province. They also want urgent steps to be taken to ensure sufficient places were available for pupils at public schools by the commencement of the 2022 academic year. Guest: Khalid Sayed, ANC Wester...

Yesterday, Syrians residing in government-controlled parts of the country voted in a presidential election. But for many people though, the election result is a foregone conclusion and does little to build relations with Western governments who are very critical of the Assad regime. So what is the significance of this election? Guest: Ebrahim Deen, Researcher at the Afro-Middle East Centre

Eskom will Implement Stage 1 loadshedding from 17:00 until 22:00 tonight due to shortage of generation capacity. GUEST: Sikonathi Mantshantsha, Eskom spokesperson

The 68 year old Nomachule Philda Qangule from kuNgolo village in Libode in the Eastern Cape, recently found out, to her shock, that she is married. Home Affairs officials informed her that she is married to Mfanakhe Solomon Zulu of KwaZulu Natal. But Nomachule Qangule has never been married. Home Affairs records show she tied the knot in 1985 and her husband died in 1995. Home Affairs officials sa...

Busmark has lodged an application to appeal against a decision to reinstate 82 workers who were unfairly dismissed in 2013. In August 2013 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) participated in a National Motor strike which Busmark says was unprotected. Busmark, a company which manufactures, maintains and services buses, then took disciplinary action against the stri...

Earlier today, former president Jacob Zuma’s legal team tabled their reasons in the Pietermaritzburg High Court as to why they want NPA’s senior prosecutor Billy Downer to recuse himself from the Arms Deal corruption case. But were they convincing though – do they have a strong case against Billy Downer? We find out from Elton Hart who has been following the case… Guest: Elton Hart, Attorney at th...

The United States has imposed sanctions on Ethiopia following the continued fighting in the Northern region, Tigray. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is placing visa bans on officials responsible for, or complicit in, undermining resolution of the crisis in Tigray. To make sense of this development, we are joined by… Guest: Dr Abdul Karim Elgoni, Chairperson of the African Diaspora Fo...

Liquor traders are calling on government to rethink possible tough restrictions on alcohol, which may Impact township households negatively. With Covid infections on the rise and as Gauteng, the Free State and North West province grapple with the impact of a third wave, the Liquor Traders Association have requested a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa to halt another possible ban on the sale a...

The Department of Water and Sanitation says it will defend in court its decision to use Cuban engineers to try and fix some of the water problems in the country. Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu says Cuban engineers have experience working with water problems. GUEST: Minister of Human Settlements, Water & Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu

The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, CorMSA says it wishes Africa political and economic stability so that it is able to reduce the number of displacements which leads to an increased number of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers on the continent. This comes as countries celebrate Africa Day today. The annual commemoration marks the 58th anniversary of the founding of the or...

National police commissioner General Khehla Sithole has directed the immediate mobilisation of a 72-hour activation plan after a local station commander near Durban was killed. The motive for the killing is not yet known. Guest: Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, SAPS national spokesperson

The National Assembly Rules Committee has unanimously agreed to National Assembly Speaker’s decision to give all National Assembly political parties proportional voting rights on the public protector’s removal. For more on this, we are joined by General Bantu Holomisa who had written to Thandi Modise a few weeks ago, asking that smaller parties be allowed to vote in the removal proceedings of Busi...

In a wide ranging interview – Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi talks about his role as the Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and nation, and he also discusses history and heritage of the Zulu nation and to a large extent, he will also provide answers to questions about the pivotal role played by the Zulu Monarch in preserving cultural identity and promoting unity, especially among the Zulu...

“Professor Villa Vicencio shares thoughts on the possible dangers of using violence and war in the name of religion” Guest: Professor Villa Vicencio is an Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town and former director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Researchers in South Africa this week launched a clinical trial which seeks to find out whether treatment with Lactin-V, which is derived from a strain of bacteria - can protect women from HIV. This first-in-Africa study will enrol 60 healthy young women between 18 and 23 years of age, to receive 11 doses of Lactin-V over the course of four weeks. Lactin-V has already been tested in more than 200...

South African dockworkers In Durban are protesting and refusing to off-load an Israeli ship in solidarity with Palestinians. Members of the South African Trade and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) won't off-load the cargo from the Israeli vessel following a call from the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions to refuse to unload Israeli ships and goods from seas and airports. The protest action...