The National Pulse

World News: Today, Human Rights Watch penned a letter of concern to the newly elected President of Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye urging him to turn the page on his late predecessor’s rule of violence and abuse, and to take strong, bold, and concrete steps to advance rights during his presidency Guest: Lewis Mudge, Central Africa Director @Human Rights Watch

Gauteng Public Transport MEC, Jacob Mamabolo briefs us on taxi peace agreement that he signed today with Gauteng’s taxi associations. The agreement is aimed at ending violence and modernising the taxi industry’s operations. MEC Mamabolo joins us now to give us more clarity on this historic agreement Guest: Jacob Mamabolo, MEC for Public Transport and Road Infrastructure in Gauteng

South African Airways Business Rescue Plan has been accepted. This after 86% of the creditors of SAA voted to adopt the airline's proposed business rescue plan. The vote means the ailing national carrier gets to avoid liquidation Guest: Mashudu Raphetha, President of the National Transport Movement

Post the national executive committee meeting of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) – we speak to the general secretary of the union about the outcomes of their all-important meeting which largely focused on challenges faced by various schools during Covid19. This largest teacher union has resolved that schools should close until after Covid19 peak. So what really informed this de...

World News: As we continue to celebrate Madiba Month – we look at the state of Chinese community in South Africa and how they draw their strength from our late statesman Nelson Mandela. In as much as they enjoy living in the country, most of them feel that they are still targeted by racists. Guest: King Pon, Chairman of the S.A. Shunde Friendship Association

In conversation with Limpopo’s Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba about the growing numbers of Covid19 cases in the province. Guest: Dr Phophi Ramathuba, Limpopo’s Health MEC

Co-operative Governance Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has sought to explain the reasons behind the suspension on the sale of alcohol - saying it sometimes leads to uninformed decision-making by people amid the coronavirus pandemic. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that alcohol sales have been suspended with immediate effect - as part of government's renewed measures to contain the spread of...

Amnesty International has raised some serious concerns over unsafe working conditions for medical workers who are leading the battle against Covid19. In a new report published today, rights group has slammed governments for failing to provide sufficient personal protective equipment - face masks, gowns, gloves and goggles - to their medical staff Guest: Mienke Steytler, Media and Digital Content O...

The Restaurant Association of South Africa (rasa) is seeking legal advice on what claim they have against government for damages on non-performance, restrictions on liquor licenses and the curfew regulations Guest: Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA)

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim says there is nothing democratic about imposing a curfew and an immediate ban on alcohol without consulting anyone. He says workers who work in the breweries and in liquor stores are still workers with human rights that need to be respected Guest: Irvin Jim, General Secretary of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (numsa)

World News today: We look at terror attacks in Mozambique and ask – Is South Africa next? This after members of Islamic State (ISIS) recently warned South Africa to avoid getting into a war it cannot afford. Violence in the Cabo Delgado regions has escalated in recent months and there have been suggestions that South Africa could draft in its own recruits to fight the terrorists alongside troops f...

Following President Ramaphosa’s address which took place last night - Matthew Parks explains why Cosatu was not impressed by his address. Cosatu is disappointed that the president said nothing about the need to extend the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Covid-19 relief fund for those workers over 60 years of age or with co-morbidities, including workplaces that remain under operational restrictions...

Today on Beyond we look at the role of the Technology Innovation Agency, an agency of the Department of Science and Innovation. How does the agency help people with ideas and innovation turn them into reality, commercialization of technologies from universities and SMES. How does it stimulate and intensify technological innovation and improve economic growth. We will hear about financing of ideas,...

Be wary of making "vexatious or frivolous land claims". This as a recent court ruling set a precedent that the state or its lawyers are responsible for the costs of baseless land claims. Land owners now have the right to request a court to award costs orders against the state or its legal representatives. Guest: Annelize Crosby, head of Agri SA's Centre of Excellence on Land

We move to the Eastern Cape now as we speak to MEC Fezeka Nkomonye about the first virtual National Arts Festival which has been extended by the way just in case you didn’t know. We are told the festival is proceeding pretty well as it has not only made it possible for struggling artists and crafters who have had no source of income for the past four months to put food on the table, but also expos...

About three hours ago, the eThekwini Municipality in partnership with Vodacom Durban July and Gold Circle held a panel discussion on how to revive the tourism and hospitality sector especially now during Covid19 and if you ask me it’s all about reminding you about that exciting travel experience that the city of Durban has to offer through its attractions. This campaign they call it, the Durban Vi...

World News today: Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution has accused the US of having broken international law by assassinating Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani who was the head of the elite Quds Force branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed by a US drone strike near an airport in Baghdad, Iraq on January 3 this year. G...

Wendy Alberts gives us an update with regards to restaurants’ fight with the ministry of trade and industry. At variance here is the issue of liquor license and they want government to give them clarity on why the selling of alcohol at restaurants remains prohibited. Guest: Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurants Association of South Africa

Have you ever wondered as to what it is that makes the people of this country South African? Well in case you didn’t, we are now joined by Ms Shamiso Hlatshwayo, Research Manager At Brand South Africa who will explain what exactly shapes the behaviours and thoughts people have of themselves, the country and fellow citizens. This as you might recall that Brand SA regularly gathers research input on...

Labour and Employment Minister Thulas Nxesi says government is looking at publishing regulations to introduce a quota system for the employment of foreign nationals in South Africa. The issue resurfaced following unrest in the trucking industry over the use of foreign drivers. This comes as South Africa's unemployment rate continues to rise due to the coronavirus pandemic. GUEST: Gary Eisenberg, a...

South African Funeral Parlour Association (Safpa) say funerals parlours in the Eastern Cape are running out of storage facilities as morgues were full of corpses. This as the province continues to see a spike in Covid-19 Infections and deaths. Concerned Parlour owners have written to Premier Oscar Mabuyane for assistance in alleviating the backlog... Guest: Vuyo Mabindisa, Spokesperson for the Sou...

Can The Next Pandemic Be from Your Livestock? Did you know that the last three if not four pandemics that have hit the world came as a result of animal to human transmissions? According to a study by the United Nations (UN), over 60% of diseases affecting humans originated from animals. It further states that global outbreaks like COVID-19 will become more common and increasingly prevalent if coun...

On World News today we ask, what’s behind Ethiopia’s ethnic violence? We ask this question following the murder of a popular singer Hachalu Hundessa who was from the Oromo ethnic group. Some reports coming from the country suggest that many Oromo people saw Hachalu as the voice of their marginalisation hence they embarked on protests post his death. Guest: Professor Mammo Muchie, Research Chair, D...

We dissect Stats SA’s Mid-year population estimates: According to the report released by Statistics South Africa today - South Africa’s mid-year population is estimated to have increased to 59,62 million in 2020. The report indicates that approximately 51,1% (approximately 30,5 million) of the population is female. Guest: Mr Iturralde Diego, Chief Director responsible for demographic and populatio...

The World Health Organization, WHO says it is reviewing new evidence on whether Covid-19 is airborne. The WHO's remarks come after 239 scientists from 32 different countries published an open letter to the organization calling for them to update their information on the coronavirus. Speaking at Tuesday's briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Benedetta Allegranzi, WHO's technical lead for infection prev...