Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

Guest: Mike Van Graan | Executive Director Of The African Arts Institute

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Jacob Parakilas

US president Joe Biden is about to start his first full day in office following his inauguration as the country's 46th president yesterday.

The ceremony took place in a city under heavy guard after a mob rampaged through the Capitol about two weeks ago in protest against the election outcome.

In his speech, Biden spoke of the need for unity and warned that the coronavirus pandemic in the US was entering its "deadliest period".

Just hours after being sworn in, Biden signed 15 executive orders, including reversing former president Donald Trump's policies on climate change and immigration.

We speak to  US political analyst and Associate at LSE IDEAS, Jacob Parakilas, on the line from Nigeria.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Sasha Planting | Associate Editor  at Daily Maverick

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Malusi Booi | Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements at City of Cape Town

We speak to Malusi Booi, the City of Cape Town's Mayco member for Human Settlements about an article in today's Daily Maverick which suggests that officials are dragging their feet over a proposed affordable housing development on the site of the old Salt River Market.

Nick Budlender writes that the market could be the most well-located and socially mixed affordable housing development in South Africa, but that no-one at the City of Cape Town is driving the development forward. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Joanne Yawitch | Ceo at The National Business Initiative

A new initiative was officially launched on Tuesday which aims to define the role that finance should play in supporting South Africa and India’s transition to more climate-resilient economies. 

 

The  ‘Just Transition Finance Roadmaps in South Africa and India Project’ is a multi-partner project with backers including South Africa's National Business Initiative, which is a coalition working towards sustainable growth and development in the country.

 

Initiative partners say funding could play a key role in supporting just energy transitions and that the development of finance roadmaps can help guide banks and other financiers as to where future investment was required.

 

This could also lay out how funding could be mobilised to maximise the social and economic benefits of these investments.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Peter Fabricius

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Rebecca Davis | Journalist and Author at Daily Maverick

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest:  Khaya Sithole

National Treasury has said that raising taxes is one of the options it is looking at as a way to raise what the department of health estimates is 20 billion rand South Africa will need to vaccinate the entire country.

It is also reportedly looking into several other possible funding mechanisms including widening the budget deficit and reprioritising government spending.

We speak to independent analyst and columnist, Khaya Sithole,  about whether raising taxes is the best way to go about this.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Leon Traut, Labour consultant at the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Bill Schneider

It's inauguration day for Joe Biden, with many across the United States and the world watching as he is sworn in as the country's 46th president at noon Washington time.

He will take the helm of what is a a deeply divided nation following outgoing president, Donald Trump's years in office, and in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.