Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

Guest: Liziwe McDaid

Karpowership SA, the company bidding to moor five floating power plants at 3 harbours in South Africa, has cleared another hurdle after environmental assessors found the projects should be given the go-ahead. The final impact assessments for the ports were submitted to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment this week on behalf of the Turkish company. Government now has some 8 weeks to study the reports and decide whether to authorise the projects at Saldanha Bay, Richards Bay, and Ngura. 

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Guest: Rebecca Davis | Journalist and Author at Daily Maverick

 

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Guest: Rebecca Davis | Journalist and Author at Daily Maverick

An academic at the University of Cape Town says the devastating fire which severely damaged several buildings on campus and destroyed much of an irreplacable collection in the Jagger Library, has exposed the university’s managerial governance shortcomings.

Writing in the Daily Maverick, Jeremy Seekings, a professor of political studies and sociology, says the failure to contain the fire more quickly raises many questions, notably about whether UCT has a fire management plan.

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Guest: Prof Ivor  Chipkin Director of the Government and Public Policy think tank

 

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Guest: Warren Thompson

The authors of the newly released book, The Battle of Bangui, say they are preparing a High Court application to compel the Minister of Defence to provide them with two reports about its disastrous deployment to the Central African Republic in 2013.

The government came under heavy criticism for its role in the battle that lasted almost two days, during which 200 crack troops who engaged 7,000 rebels in that country.

Thirteen South African soldiers died in the battle, with two more later succumbing to their wounds.

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Guest: Ferial Haffajee

President Cyril Ramaphosa is testifying today at the state capture inquiry in his capacity as the leader of the African National Congress. 

He is expected to face questions around cadre deployment, politicising the public service, and the independence of the judiciary.

In his opening statement, he said he was appearing before the Zondo Commission not to make excuses, but to assist it where possible.

Daily Maverick's associate editor, Ferial Haffajee, has been following the day's proceedings.

 

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Guest: Ujala Satgoor

The University of Cape Town is calling for volunteers to assist it this coming weekend with retrieving archival collections from the basement of the Jagger Library.

It says there is a great urgency to do this as the area has been ankle deep in water, adding that some 4,500 crates of material have to be retrieved and conserved.

We speak to Ujala Satgoor, Executive Director of UCT Libraries.

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Guest: Steven Friedman

President Cyril Ramaphosa is testifying today at the state capture inquiry in his capacity as the leader of the African National Congress. 

He is expected to face questions around cadre deployment, politicising the public service, and the independence of the judiciary.

In his opening statement, he said he was appearing before the Zondo Commission not to make excuses, but to assist it where possible.

We speak to Steven Friedman, a professor of political studies at the University of Johannesburg.

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Guest: Prof Helmuth Reuter | Head of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology   at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Pfizer, the manufacturer of one of the Covid-19 vaccines on the market, says a pill to fight the virus could be available by the end of the year.

CEO Albert Bourla says the antiviral medicine, which he described as a 'game changer', would be taken at home in the early stages of the illness.

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Guest: Xhanti Payi | Economist & Founder  at Nascence Advisory

Nascence Advisory economist, Xhanti Payi, writing in the Daily Maverick today, has referred to the debate over the arrival of Cuban engineers to South Africa as a 'manufactured controversy'.

The department of water and sanitation has invited the 24 engineers to help resolve challenges faced by the water sector, as well as to transfer skills.

Referring to the various comments made by politicians, engineers and others on news of the Cubans' arrival, Payi says the story suggests the need for an important discussion on skills and unemployment in South Africa.

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