Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

Guest: Dr Iraj Abedian | CEO at Pan-African Investments and Research Services

John and Iraj Abedian delve into the factors that have compounded to create the reality of an unprecedented Global Energy Crisis and take a look into the prediction of a foreboding future. 

In Asia and Europe, energy prices have been increasingly dramatically and the US response will have a dramatic effect.  

Demand for energy shot up after China and other major economies began to recover from the pandemic. 

In Europe, a cold winter depleted gas reserves, while a long spell of still days reduced wind power supply to the grid.

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Guest: Brett  Murray  |  at South African Artist

Award-winning South African artist Brett Murray is back with a new exhibition currently on show in London at the Everard Museum. He joins John Maytham to talk about his latest offering and not being able to attend it.

Award-winning South African artist Brett Murray is back with a new exhibition currently on show in London at the Everard Museum. The exhibition is called LIMBO.

During the lockdown, he set up a studio at home and started working on new material. 

Historically most of his work metaphorically throws satirical stones at perceived ills in society but this time around he’s transitioned into something different. 

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Guest: Wayne Duvenage | CEO at Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa)

John Maytham speaks to South African businessman, entrepreneur, civil activist, and Chief Executive Officer at OUTA Wayne Duvenage on the importance of voting in the 2021 municipal elections on 1 November.

The Municipal Elections are set to take place on 1 November 2021. President Cyril Ramaphosa declared 1 November 2021 a public holiday on Monday night to allow people to go and vote freely. But why is it so important to vote this time around?

John Maytham speaks to  Chief Executive Officer at OUTA Wayne Duvenage 

Some important reasons why you should vote:

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Guest:  Ian Cameron | Head of Community Safety at AfriForum

Ian Cameron joins John to discuss his argument that the decentralisation of the South African Police Service should be tested in the Western Cape to show that it can work and that people can make peace with the law enforcement that they vote for. 

Ian Cameron leads Action Society's community safety drive and is an ambassador for the #SafeCitizen Campaign. Ian is also the founder of firearms.co.za. 

 Ian deems federal policing in South Africa to be the answer to restoring accountability and improving service delivery at, what he deems to be a broken South African Police Force. 

He believes that an understanding of the victim perspective of police protection, the terrifying South African Police Service DNA processing backlog, the missing firearms crisis and evidence that further deterioration is on the cards all to bring strong and justified motivation for the change. 

Ian believes that a devolution from a failing national state can allow voters to vote for a competent government in order to get the services that they vote for. 

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Guest: Suzette  Sampson | Senior Social Worker at Home From Home and Sherry Saltzman

Food parcels, vegetable gardens, soup kitchens, support, and care for those in need: these are just some of the initiatives that make a difference in our country every day.

 

But in these unprecedented times, amidst a pandemic, loss of income, and economic decline, the extraordinary organizations, and individuals behind these initiatives are stretched even more as the number of people in need rises. 

The Dis-Chem Foundation and CapeTalk want to ensure these organizations continue to help even more people. This month, as part of the Dis-Chem Random Acts of Kindness initiative, CapeTalk, and the Dis-Chem Foundation will be making a donation to “Home from Home” - Foster Mother Gail’s Loving Family Home.

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Guest: Marie-Noelle  Nwokolo |  at Brenthurst Foundation

John Maytham speaks to Marie-Noelle Nwokolo from the Brenthurst Foundation on why government should change it's approach with regards to service delivery.

Researcher at The Brenthurst Foundation, Marie-Noelle Nwokolo wrote a piece in the Daily Maverick on how government could better service delivery in South Africa.

She says that part of the solution is that of instilling a culture of kindness and compassion in service delivery. 

She went on to say that the reason government reforms often don’t work is because the cultures within which they are enforced do not encourage or reward compassion – a value key to service delivery and until people can develop a commitment to the wellbeing of others, especially those affected by poverty, the world will continue to be a tough place.

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Guest: will be Kent Thornycroft - The Director at Floating 

The City of Cape Town, with study partners Floating Solar, the Water Research Commission and the University of Cape Town is launching the floating solar photovoltaic (PV) pilot, which has been established at the City’s Kraaifontein Wastewater Treatment Works.

The project includes a floating solar PV array as well as a ground-mounted PV system to determine evaporation savings and relative energy generation performance of floating solar PV technology.

 

This is an innovative research study where data is being collected over a 12-month period to potentially inform the design of larger utility scale floating solar PV projects over the next few years through competitive bid processes.

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Guest: Melanie Verwoed | Author Of 21 At 21: The Coming Of Age Of A Nation

John is joined by Melanie Verwoerd to discuss the observation that she makes in The News 24 Article, 'Is the Freedom Front Plus making the laager bigger?'

The Freedom Front Plus appears to be moving away from supporting issues that matter to white Afrikaans speakers to include issues that impact on coloured Afrikaans-speaking voters too.  If the strategy works, it could lead to an interesting change in our political make-up.

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Guest: Dr Louis  Benjamin |  at Independent educational consultant

John Maytham speaks to Independent Educational consultant, Dr Louis Benjamin on how South Africa is losing human potential because of the cognitive stunting of children.

A child who has not been given the opportunity to be challenged to extend him/herself beyond the here and now, to imagine, dream, invent and create, is yet another young adult who might in the future join the ever-growing queue of the unemployed.

The important question facing South Africa is: How do we avoid the ongoing and devastating loss of human potential in our country? 

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Guest: Boitumelo Medupe

John is joined by Boitumelo Medupe, a South Peninsula High School Student that is excited to be part of the first group in Africa that will write the Grade 12 Exams on the subject of Marine Sciences.

A passion for the underwater eco system has brought 12 pupils together from The South Peninsula High School, Wynberg Girls High, Norman Henshilwood High and The Cape Academy of Maths, Science and Technology in Constantia. Together they have immersed themselves in the subject outside of school hours since Grade 8.

Boitumelo Medupe was inspired to study marine sciences by her father, Arnold, who was a former crew member on a navy vessel who is now a warrant officer in The South African Police Sea Border Unit that targets poachers of abalone and west coast rock lobster. 

Boitumelo's after hours love for the subject has paid off and she is very proud to be allowed to add it to her formal Grade 12 accreditation. 

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