The National Pulse

The 2021 Gauteng admission placements for Grades 1 and 8 are expected to end today. And some frustrated parents are still in limbo as to why their child has yet to be placed in a school they have applied for. Others have expressed frustration with the system of applying online. The Gauteng education department says more than 80% of children have already been placed. GUEST: Steve Mabona, Spokespers...

On Friday, the Women of South Africa movement will march to place women’s economic freedom top of the country’s agenda. They are also calling for the establishment of an annual gender barometer to measure the extent to which women are at the centre of the South African economy. Guest: Dr Sibongile Vilakazi, member of Women of South Africa (WoSA)

There's some good news for motorists as we go into the final month of 2020. The Mineral Resources and Energy department has confirmed a 13 cents per litre decrease from Wednesday for petrol. Unfortunately, diesel and illuminating paraffin users are not so lucky with increases of about 20 cents and 29 cents a litre respectively. Guest: Layton Beard, AA spokesperson

Eighty-eight more people have succumbed to COVID-19 related complications in South Africa in the latest 24-hour cycle bringing the national death toll at 21-thousand-289. The Eastern Cape has the highest number of deaths at 33, Free State 25, the Western Cape 18, Gauteng and Limpopo five each and KwaZulu-Natal two. Eastern Cape has seen a resurgence in Covid 19 infections in recent weeks. Health M...

South African Tourism has announced the launch of a new campaign aimed at encouraging and inspiring South Africans to travel across the country. The campaign is titled Summer Differently, and will have a convoy travel across nine provinces to shine a spotlight on some of the most spectacular parts of the country and unearth the hidden gems in every province. Guest: Altaaf Kazi at South African Tou...

Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has announced that the commission plans to lay criminal charges against former South Africa Airways board chairperson Dudu Myeni. This follows Dudu Myeni’s appearance at the commission earlier this month when she revealed the identity of a secret witness. She referred to Mr X by his name four times while...

Yesterday labour union Nehawu yesterday went on a nationwide strike demanding permanent Employment of Community health workers. The union wants government to give workers the benefits that all other government employees have. Guest: Comrade Mzwandile Makwayiba - President of The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU)

Next week Friday, Cosatu and its affiliates will embark on a protest march to the Union Buildings, to demand a response from the Presidency on the memorandum submitted on the 7th October 2020. They will also write to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) urging it to immediately register a protest with the South African government over its failure to implement a 2018 public-sector wage agree...

With South Africa currently dealing with numerous challenges of widespread corruption in its Public Service. We hear from the Public Service Commission. Yesterday, the commission released its quarterly bulletin titled the pulse of the public service for the period 01 July to 30 September 2020. Their bulletin focused on non-payment of government suppliers by departments and also dealt with ethical...

Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini has received a safe travel stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and is geared to welcome an influx of tourists. Guided by strict health and safety protocols, tourists will be able to use any of the open five ports of entry into the Kingdom. Joining us to discuss eSwatini’s state of tourism during Covid-19 is…… Guest: Moses Vilakati, eSwatini’s...

The alcohol industry say they are supporting the Eastern Cape Government to deal with the rising Covid 19 infections In that province. This after Nelson Mandela Bay became the new epicentre for infections in the country. So how will the alcohol industry help curb the spread of Covid-19? Guest: Lucky Ntimane, Liquor Industry Representative

Tomorrow is Black Friday and many shoppers are in high spirits for the annual discounts and sales that come with the day. But online stores and shoppers need to be extra cautious and brace themselves for a barrage of potential online scams, this as more South Africans have opted to do online shopping due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So how do you recognise and steer clear of phishing scams and other...

The ANC Women's League is demanding answers over reinstatement of a Mpumalanga party member who stands accused of raping his twin daughters. The ANCWL has written to the Mpumalanga PEC, to request an explanation as to why a former MEC to its provincial structures was reinstated just a day before the launch of 16 Days of Activism against women and child abuse. GUEST: ANC Women's League secretary ge...

President Cyril Ramaphosa will face a vote of no confidence in Parliament next week. The African Transformation Movement (ATM) filed the motion earlier in the year pre-lockdown in February and it has just been approved by Speaker of Parliament, Thandi Modise. According to ATM, South Africa has been on a slippery slope ever since President Ramaphosa occupied the highest office in the land. The spok...

World News: Things are slowly taking shape in the US post the hotly contested elections. President-elect Joe Biden and his team are moving steadily ahead with their transition plans, this despite the fact that President Donald Trump is yet to concede or provide the resources traditionally offered to incoming administrations to assist in a transition. Guest: Professor John Stremlau, Professor of In...

The ANC in Mpumalanga has reinstated a former MEC into its provincial executive committee (PEC), despite the man facing allegations of raping his two daughters. The man stands accused for rape with his stepson. It's alleged the twin girls were raped multiple times before the matter was reported to police in July GUEST: ANC Mpumalanga spokesperson Sasekane Manzini GUEST: Themba Masango, the secreta...

The world's first hope for a COVID-19 vaccine - developed by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech, in preventing COVID-19 in early results, is highly unlikely to become widely available in South Africa. This is because the vaccine needs to be stored below freezing temperatures - at minus 70 degrees Celsius - which the country doesn't have the capacity to do on a large scale. In the United States the...

State security deputy minister Zizi Kodwa has been accused of allegedly benefitting from "suspicious" payments to the tune of R325, 000 from businessman Jehan Mackay. The revelations were made by ENS FORENSICS' Stephen Powell, who detailed payments made by EOH's Jehan Mckay to ANC officials including Zizi Kodwa, Siyabulela Sintwa and Reggie Nkabinde. GUEST: Tebogo Tshwane, an Investigative Journal...

On World News today, we outline the objectives of the Southern Africa Europe CEO Dialogue which commences tomorrow. Now in its seventh year, the forum is aimed at strengthening the bridge between Southern Africa and by far its biggest trading partner, Europe. Guest: Mr Valerio De Molli, CEO of the European House Ambrosetti

Given the serious nature of Gender Based Violence in South Africa. Last month when addressing the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa implored South Africans to take action against the issue and he also declared 5 days of mourning from the 25 to 29 November for Covid-19 victims as well as victims of gender-based violence. Joining us to talk about the 1st National Day of Mourning and what needs to be...

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is taking the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) to the Equality Court over the party's "one settler, one bullet" chants during a protest against racism at Brackenfell High School. GUEST: Andre Gaum, Commissioner of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in the Western cape

Has Janusz Walus served enough time for the assassination of SACP leader Chris Hani? Well his legal representatives seem to think so. Janusz Walus has severed 27 years in jail and has seen several failed attempts to obtain parole for his crime. His lawyers argue that the Polish national is a model prisoner who has completed all the rehabilitation programmes and that he should be released. GUEST: J...

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, Nehawu will embark on a national strike this week to demand the permanent employment of community health workers across all nine provinces. It says the National Health Department has been dragging its feet in ensuring that this happens. NEHAWU says a memorandum of demands will be delivered to representatives of the department across the cou...

According to survey that was recently published by the Institute of Race Relations – South Africa’s schools are failing dismally to equip nearly enough young people for university, or the job market. For more on the outcomes of the South Africa survey and also to explain what these findings mean, we are joined by….. Guest: Duwayne Esau, IRR Strategic Communications Officer

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) says they are disdained by the irresponsible threats made against members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) by EFF leader Julius Malema during his address to supporters in the Free State. Popcru says Malema's threats will possibly lead to violence against the police. GUEST: Richard Mamabolo, Spokesperson for the Police and Prisons Civil R...