There are certain sentences that instantly change a South African’s mood. “Your licence disc has expired.” “There is no electricity.” And the final boss of government admin: “Sorry, the system is offline.” That one sentence has ended lunch breaks, destroyed leave days and sent grown adults back into society carrying nothing but a reference number and emotional damage. Now Home Affairs has launched a plan to strengthen the technology running its offices, with the goal of keeping its systems stable, secure and—brace yourself—actually available.

He was orphaned twice: once by fate, once by responsibility, Now he hangs between childhood and consequence by a single thread, Forever saving strangers because he once failed someone at home.

This morning on 5 Breakfast, I’m joined by renowned journalist, producer and presenter Busisiwe Gumede-Chizhanje, the host of the new SABC 2 series Kasi To Kasi. Now, local government is one of those things we all talk about when something goes wrong — when the water is off, the lights are out, the roads are a mess, or nobody knows who is supposed to fix what. But Kasi To Kasi takes that conversation out of the complaint section and into real communities, showing how municipalities shape everyday life in South Africa.

The series looks at authentic community voices, real municipal projects, responsible citizenship, public participation and what best-practice service delivery can actually look like when municipalities, communities and stakeholders work together. It runs for 26 weeks and visits municipalities including Emfuleni, Rustenburg, Emalahleni, Moses Kotane and Govan Mbeki.

BUZZWORD: TIRE

Each day a buzzword is announced, and 5 questions are asked to a listener, all of which will contain
the buzzword.