Update@Noon

On the Forum@8 we ask, why are we losing the fight against drug and substance abuse? Our guest, Operations Director for the South African Depression & Anxiety Group, SADAG, Cassey Chambers, Chief Director responsible substance abuse at the dept of Social Development Siza Magangwe and Cindy Le Grange, Editor in Chief of Addicts Magazine and living with family members that were addicts.

1. Asian stocks rose, following a rebound in global shares, amid optimism over the American economy 2. Japanese stocks advanced, sending the Topix toward an eight-year high, as a weaker yen boosted earnings prospects 3. Thursday Investment Theme: Fixed Income Funds

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police has condemned the support shown by the Board of Commissioners of the Police towards their boss, National Commissioner Riah Phiyega. The Board of Commissioners, which consists of nine provincial police commissioners, issued a statement saying they are concerned about the unfair and negative attitudes towards Phiyega. The Chairperson of the Portfolio C...

South Africa is heading for a major crisis as a result of a lack of nuanced and mature strategic leadership. This is according to the Vice-Chancellor of Wits University and political analyst, Professor Adam Habib He says the country is facing a moment of reckoning, and the political pact of 1994 is slowly beginning to unravel.

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has appointed seasoned corporate executive Sizwe Nxasana as chairperson of the troubled National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Nxasana will have the task of trying to resolve issues of alleged corruption and financial mismanagement at the scheme. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande...

In August 1945, US planes dropped two atomic bombs - one on Hiroshima, and the other on Nagasaki three days later. It was the first and only time that nuclear weapons have been used in history. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives as a direct result of the bombings. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Japanese ambassador to South Africa Shigeyuki Hiroki

1. MTN interim results 2. Standard bank PMI data that came out yesterday 3. Ascendis health bid for Spanish pharmaceutical company Farmalider

Job losses at the country's mines took the centre stage during a debate on transformation of the mining industry in the National Assembly. While political parties were not in agreement about solutions, there was broad agreement that the decline in commodity prices was largely to blame for the crisis. Joseph Mosia reports

The Minister of Mineral Resources Ngoako Ramatlhodi is said to have instructed Glencore to suspend its Optimum coal mine operations as it did not comply with legal requirements in its retrenchment process. Last month, Glencore announced that it would shut part of the Optimum mine and cut 380 jobs due to lower coal prices. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to the Minister's Special Advisor, Advocate Mahlodi Mu...

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says he will not rest until all schools in the province are open to all races. Lesufi says he's prepared to take the matter to the Constitutional Court. He was responding to questions from opposition parties in the Gauteng Legislature. Tshepo Phagane

Kenya is carrying out a polio vaccination campaign targeting eight Million children amid concerns from the Catholic Church that the vaccines being used may cause infertility. While the country's ministry's of health says the vaccines are provided by the World Health Organisation and met all standards the church through it's association of doctors says independent tests show the vaccines contain tr...

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts - SCOPA - in the North West says punitive action will be taken against high ranking officials of the North West government, including the MECs, who were involved in the issuing of a controversial tender amounting to 15-million rands. This is in relation to the monies paid to a law firm, that was helping out with the disciplinary hearings of two officials....

The High Court sitting in Nelspruit in Mpumalanga has found the owner of an initiation school, Jabulani Mlombo, guilty of seventeen rape and three sexual assault charges. Mlombo and his wife, Sister Khoza are accused of assaulting and raping 21 girls who were attending their initiation school at Masoyi near Hazyview in 2012. The two were charged with 49 counts of rape and assault. Khoza was found...

The Executive Secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Lawson Naidoo, analyses the Public protector and Nkandla ad hoc committee saga

The office of the ANC CHIEF WHIP issued a statement responding to the Public Protector's criticism against the parliamentary AD HOC Committee. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to ANC Ad Hoc Committee member, Mmamoloko Kubayi....

Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela says the Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete is duty bound in terms of the Constitution to allow her to shed light on Police Minister Ntahi Nhleko's report before the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee on Nkandla. This comes after the ANC voted against calling her before the Nkandla ad-hoc committee on security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's Nkan...

Load shedding is just as frustrating for babies as it is for adults, businesses and the economy. Babies have often missed their meals as they cannot get their formula milk or expressed breast milk when the power goes off. South Africa has been experiencing load shedding since the beginning of the year. Senior health journalist Thabile Mbhele reports

South Africa faces the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. This is according to a report by global aid and development charity organisation Oxfam. The report says the future of South Africa depends on the country's ability to end social deprivation and manage social stress. For more Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Nokutula Mhene, Oxfam's Economic Justice Campaigns Advisor...

1. Lets talk about Personal consumption data that came out of the U.S. 2. Ascendis health bid for Spanish pharmaceutical company Farmalider 3. Eurozone PPI coming out today

Market Analyst Clive Ramathibela looks at; 1. Asian Stocks Fall on China Growth Concerns as Oil Extends Drop 2. India’s Snapdeal Said to Draw $500 Million From Alibaba 3. Market Manipulation Goes Global, Says Steven Roach former Chairman of Morgan Stanley

While the National Police Commissioner is faced with justifying to President Jacob Zuma why she should keep her position following a probe into her fitness to hold office, the country's police officers are being shot and killed frequently in the line of duty. So far 53 police officers have been killed since January. This morning we speak to police spokesperson, Vishnu Naidoo, regarding possible in...

Market Analyst at 27 Four Investments Nadir Thokan looks at the Global manufacturing PMI data coming out today and AMCU's rejection of the latest wage offer in the gold sector.

EFF leader Julius Malema's fraud and corruption trial is set to begin in Polokwane today. The case relates to a 52 million rand tender awarded to On-Point Engineering in 2009. Malema's Ratanang Trust is alleged to have fraudulently benefited from the tender. The company was co-owned by Malema and his business associates and now co-accused - Lesiba Gwangwa and Kagiso Dichabe. The company allegedly...

Association of Mine Workers and Construction Union, AMCU,'s members have rejected the wage offer by their employers during a mass meeting held at Sibanye Beatrix sport ground at Theunissen, in the Free State. The workers included union members from Free State, Gauteng and North West. AMCU, NUM and Solidarity have been in negotiations with the Chamber of Mines since May this year. The Chamber of Mi...

The Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters has asked the Auditor General, Kimi Makwetu to to probe alleged financial mismanagement at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA. The request came amid alleged violations of the Public Finance Management Act and other related statutes regarding contracts and payments to service providers. Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Spokesperson for the Minister of Transport, Tinyan...