5 Mid Mornings

I don’t know if you’ve seen this but, Wicked star Cynthia Erivo called her friend and The View co-host Sunny Hostin after her comments about the Cornell sexual-assault allegations sparked backlash.

Sunny, a former prosecutor, focused on her interpretation of New York law. Some viewers felt her remarks sounded like victim-blaming. Speaking on the Behind the Table podcast, Sunny maintained that she wasn’t defending the accused and wanted the law changed.

According to Sunny, Cynthia called with a personal concern: the clip she’d watched didn’t reflect the woman she knew, whose career had included protecting women and children. Cynthia acknowledged that they’re both blunt, but encouraged Sunny to lead with empathy so people could better receive her explanation. Sunny said she followed that advice the next time she discussed the case.

And that opens up a conversation about friendship: when your friend says something that lands badly, how do you handle it? Do you immediately defend them because you know their intentions, or do you pick up the phone and explain why people are upset?

Knowing someone’s heart can help you understand them, but can you also help them see how their words affect other people? And if you’re the one receiving that call, would you appreciate the honesty — or feel like your friend should be backing you?

Friendships naturally change as people get older, move cities, start families and enter new relationships. But how much should a friendship change when your best friend gets a new partner? We hear a listener’s voice note and unpack where friendship, relationships and boundaries fit together.

It’s back-to-school time, so we’re putting your teen movie knowledge to the test!

These are the movies we grew up watching — the ones that had us believing high school would be filled with dramatic makeovers, massive house parties, cliques and somehow absolutely no actual schoolwork.

We’re going to play you a clip featuring three scenes from three different teen movies, and your job is simple: name all three movies correctly.

Let’s see how well you really know your teen movie classics!

It’s back-to-school today, and for matrics, we’re getting into that final stretch of the year. Final exams are around the corner, university applications are being finalised, and suddenly you’re expected to make some pretty big decisions about what comes next.At 17 or 18, you're basically being asked: “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?”And traditionally, the path felt quite straightforward.

You finished school, chose what you wanted to study, got the qualification and then went into that profession. You studied accounting, you became an accountant. You studied teaching, you became a teacher. Your qualification was almost seen as the blueprint for your career.But that path doesn't necessarily look as straightforward anymore.Today, you can study one thing and end up working in a completely different industry. Someone with a law degree could end up in marketing. Someone who studied engineering could move into finance. Someone with a communications degree could build a career in tech. And some people might change careers several times throughout their working lives.

There are obviously professions where the qualification still directly determines what you can do — you're not becoming a doctor because you watched a few YouTube videos. But for a lot of careers, your degree might be the beginning of your working life rather than a decision about what you'll do forever.And maybe that's an important conversation to have at this time of year, because there are thousands of young people choosing degrees right now who might feel like they're choosing their entire future.So we want to hear from people who have already been through it.

If you’re still walking around with that little green ID book, this one is for you — because after years of hearing that it’s eventually going away, we finally have actual dates.

Home Affairs has announced that it will stop producing green ID books on 31 March 2027. But don't panic and throw yours away just yet! If you already have one, it will remain valid for another year. From 31 March 2028, the green ID book will officially no longer be recognised as a valid form of identification. 

And there are still a LOT of them out there. Home Affairs says around 14.7 million South African citizens and permanent residents still only have the green ID book. The department wants those people to move over to Smart IDs before the deadline. 

Part of the reason for getting rid of it is security. Because it's paper-based and the photograph can be physically manipulated, Home Affairs says research has identified the green book as one of the most fraud-prone identity documents on the continent. 

And getting a Smart ID is becoming easier too. As of August, Smart ID services had expanded to 372 participating bank branches, with more than half a million people already using the bank programme to make the switch. 

So, basically: the green mamba is officially entering retirement.

In celebration of World Teachers’ Day, Karabo and Yonaka give flowers to the teachers who left a lasting impression on our lives. Karabo gave her primary school teacher an appreciation call and tears were shed. Listeners share the teachers they’ll never forget and the moments, lessons and words that have stayed with them long after leaving the classroom.